Ministry of Sound Red Sea - Egypt

DJ Lisa Unique Interview

When did you first start DJ’ing and how did it all begin?

"I first started DJ’ing back in 1997. Coming from Cheltenham (UK) I had friends already in the music business who used to be a running competitor (but no longer) of Ministry of Sound called Fantazia, they did an 11,000 capacity event which was my very first gig and I was the only female DJ to play (amongst Paul Van Dyk, Carl Cox, Jeremy Heeley and more) … the weird thing was the PR company gave all the interviews for me to do, which I found at the time very overwhelming!"

Best gig of all time, either as DJ / punter, and why?

"It has to be Glastonbury 2000, it was so funny, travelling up from London in my car with friends we arrived at Glasto which was well under way, I drove my car straight to the dance tent that I was playing in and we ended up in some field surrounded by ravers, which gave me flashbacks to when I used to go to all the raves back in the early 90s, So…from there we quickly went to the dance tent which was in the next field and I had managed to get hold of some extremely rare tunes from DJs which had a lot of the old rave samples in and the place just went mad, that has to be the best event I have played at."

Which are you best three clubbing cities / countries worldwide, and why?

"Dubai, Ibiza and London, Dubai because it has nice weather and the place is amazing, London because it is the centre of Europe for music and Ibiza because it is the best party island that just has so many clubs to choose from and the people are crazy!!"

What does the Ministry of Sound brand say to you?

"It has to be the best and longest running brand out there, Ministry of Sound to me is universal and speaks quality on every level, from music, to DJs, CD Compilations and the clubs around the world, no other brand in the music business has that appeal to such a wide audience."

Give us your first impressions of the Ministry of Sound Red Sea venue?

"It’s great because it is right on the beach, I first saw it in the day time so it always looks different, the layout is perfect for a beach club and has two levels, the sound system is also good and the people are really friendly, great for any clubber and holiday person."

With Ministry of Sound Red Sea and Hed Kandi Beach Bar both running successfully in Hurghada, Egypt – do you think we could be talking about a serious clubbing destination, either at present or in the near future? If so what else is required?

"Yes I think Egypt is on the up most definitely, I don’t think there is much more a club can do, as soon as you arrive at the airport people hand out leaflet’s and Ministry is on all the tourist information which is a really good promotion for the club, teaming up with tour operators is always a good one!"

What was the team at Ministry of Sound Red Sea like?

"They were great, really friendly and bubbly, very hospitable, the food is also fantastic, I’d go back just for that!!"

How was the actual club-night you played at?

"It was packed and had a good atmosphere; they seemed to like the music to. A mixture of holiday makers and local people. The resident DJ was good too which is always a good thing."

What tunes got the biggest reactions on the night?

"Hmmm……loads
A. Alex K Made to Messenger(Adriano Dodici mix [Open Bar]
B. Air Cops Telstar [Chameleon Black]
C. Underworld Crocodile (Ame Mix) [Virgin]
D. Christian Padaruru Dance [Cristian Records]
E. Mark Knight Party Animal (Rene Amesz mix) [Data]"

How did the crowd differ from the normal clientele? Their response, musical preferences etc?

"I find wherever I go around the world people mostly react the same, because it is how you are as a DJ and how you put your set together, you get a general feel of what kind of beats the crowd are into by their reaction on the dance floor, the crowd also feed off your energy."

What other events and projects are in the pipeline for you in the near future?

"Aside from DJ’ing I run a company called Vital Music, we look after a few well known DJs and send them around the globe to events and promoters, Vital Music are also setting up a brand of female DJs called Glamgirl DJs which is proving to be highly successful, current glamgirls that we look after are Lauren Pope and Kellie Acreman, they are globe trotting all over shop at the moment and have just recorded a tune which they are singing on. Aside from that I still DJ all over the world and will be going back in the studio myself soon."