Music

Interview

DJ Hype and Hazard go b2b ahead of festival shows

We chat to legendary DJs Hype and Hazard as they prepare to go back to back at South West Four and Parklife Festival this summer.

We chat to legendary DJs Hype and Hazard as they prepare to go back to back at South West Four and Parklife Festival this summer.

Drum and bass legends DJ Hype and Hazard will be performing back to back in London over the summer. It comes as Hazard celebrates being crowned the No.1 DJ at the Drum n Bass Awards, playing alongside DJ Hype, who’s been fronting Playaz for the last two decades.

The drum n bass icons will be appearing at both Parklife Festival in Manchester on Saturday 10 June, and in London at South West Four on Saturday 26 August 2017.

Check them out in action at last year’s Boomtown below, before we delve inside their mindset and favourite tunes ahead of festival season.

DJ Hype & DJ Hazard - BoomTown 2016

How are you feeling ahead of the summer’s festival season?

Hype: I’m feeling great and really looking forward to it.

Hazard: I’m really looking forward to it too – we’ve got a big summer planned and there’s some amazing shows lined up, some I’ve played before and others I haven’t. The feedback from our B2B shows so far has been great so fingers crossed we can keep that up.

How do you prepare yourself for festival sets?

Hype: I don’t really do anything that different to what I would do in a club, except maybe have a few more regular anthems on stand-by. But overall I try and keep it grimy.

Hazard: The short answer is that I don’t. I’ll always have an idea of the kind of tracks I’m likely to play, but it’s all about reading the crowd and because I’ll be B2B with Hype, bouncing off the stuff he’s playing too.

How does it feel to be going up against each other?

Hype: Against Hazard? It ain’t a battle – we are back to back, NOT vs!

Hazard: We don’t see it as a competition, or trying to outdo each other – the best bit about B2B is vibing off the crowd and whoever you’re playing with. The main thing is that the set keeps everyone bouncing.

What is your favourite track to play in a set, and why?

Hype: To be honest, I don’t really have a favourite as they change all the time. But at the moment I am feeling some of Tyke’s new material – especially a track called They Must Come as it’s simple and I think that if you heard it on a laptop it would sound like nothing much, but hear it on a big set and its grrrrrreat!!

Hazard: That’s a hard one, I’ve never really thought about it to be honest, there’s so many! Any track that can be played at any time – one that lifts the vibe if people are flagging, one that everyone knows and keeps things moving.

What is your favourite track to end a set with, and why?

Hype: It’s gotta be Annix ft Prestige’s title track from Annix’s next EP project on Playaz – it’s called The Dog Knows and it’s disgusting.

Hazard: Some people like to play the same track at the end of sets but it’s not something I’ve ever done, I like to keep things different. Recently I’ve been playing an old classic at the end of sets, mainly because I’ve just played all the new ones!

What do you think will make your set a standout?

Hype: You’ve got the best from both of us combined into an action-packed mix up of dirty, nasty dnb, exclusive dubs, and some turntable tricks from yours truly thrown on top for good measure.

Hazard: I reckon that if Hype and I wore luminous orange jumpsuits it’d definitely stand out.


Catch Hype and Hazard B2B at South West Four, and at Parklife Festival, this summer.

Image by: Chelone Wolf