CARL 60X
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It takes more than spinning a few discs to lift a DJ to superstar status, and Carl Cox knows this. He explains the philosophy behind the beats and describes a journey that's taken him from his dad's front room to the world's biggest raves. Words: Rory Weller
20 THE lIST 7—20 Mar 1997
WHETHER WE ADMIT it or not. the great- est sport in Britain is taking pot shots at the famous. trying to knock them down if we feel they‘re just getting too damned successful for our liking. Carl Cox hasn’t really made it easy for himself — he is being billed as ‘One of the greatest DJs in the world‘. He‘s going have to be able to justify it. or else.
The 35-year-old from Horsham doesn’t hold with this eulog- istic title. He is fast approaching his l()()()th weekend on the decks and knows just how ephemeral the club world can be. From his early days working as a nightclub dancer to making his break on the decks and sweating through trends and styles. he knows — no
'If I was just an entertainer, I’d be there for an hour playing all the big tracks, but you should be able to push the limits of underground dance music.’
matter how much you shout that you‘re the best — the only thing that really matters is the Saturday night. Sunday morning energy.
Cox has never claimed to be the best DJ in the world. but many others have decided that he is about as close as you could come. The mantelpiece is sagging with international awards from all quar- ters and his DJ book- ings diary. which is filled through to the middle of 1998. includes countries as diverse as South Africa. Israel. America and Australia. He plays all across Europe and has DJed at Berlin‘s ‘Love Parade‘ to an estimated 800.000 people.
His DJing impulse began when he was
Carl Cox: 3 big. big DJ . . .