DJ CARL HAMMOND

The Early Years…
Let’s go back…. Back to a decade that shaped so many musical genres… the very early 90s.
A different time, a time where we had just had a decade of punk, ska, new romantics, mods, Modern soul and the northern sound. It was also a time where the very beginnings of House music were really taking root and flourishing on the dancefloors of the UK and the States and that special little white island in the Balerics…
In the Northwest a young aspiring DJ and music lover was starting to figure out, plan and start a journey that would take him where he is today.
Carl “Aitch” Hammond recalls looking back “In the early days I just wanted to mix, extend breaks and blend tracks after I heard a mixtape from Grandmaster Flash.” This thought and desire was initially fed via an upbringing that brought an exposure to the varied sounds and styles of Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and many other artists. “My mum was a major influence playing the music she did when we were kids in the Northwest. Myself and my sister loved the sound that wasn’t typical of the charts that she would play to us… it was different, the way it made me feel and still feel the same way today about music, it struck a chord and that was the start.”
As “Aitch” grew out of his teenage years he searched for a way to express himself through the music and sound that he loved. This presented itself in the early 90s where he started to frequent famous modern soul nights that were being run in Warrington and the surrounding areas. From this, he found a job with the soul DJ’s of the time, setting up equipment on the nights he attended. “The first time I set up the turntables, I noticed that one had a pitch and the other didn’t. I wondered how I could use these before the gigs to mix and fulfil my passion to extend breaks and blend music together. I was starting to record sets and with the help of a friend I was making the covers for the tapes too. OLDSKOOL!!!”
One of the DJ’s he set up for noticed this passion and gave him a break and advice… “I can see that you really want to do this new mixing thing Carl, its great but to become a DJ you need to learn how to read a crowd, how do you get them on the dancefloor at the right time and keep them there?” This question and advice stayed with Carl and he went out on the road performing at private gigs and events to establish himself and learn the art behind the DJ and what it takes to hold the floor. “I was playing a varied style at the time. I was using things like soul, hip hop and RnB which was the thing at the time but slowly I was being drawn more towards the House and Garage style that was emerging from the states as I could feel the vibe and sounds of what I was playing within that but it was fresh.”
The next Step…
The journey continued and changed through his thirst for this sound over time. “I discovered the Southport Weekender… I thought wow, look at this! A place where there was modern soul and classic soul and also House Music!!!! I went and it opened my eyes…” He recalls, “From the way I started, I would really appreciate how the warm up DJs would build a crowd on such a large capacity. How they held them there for the next DJ, building up to the headliner that would just take it to another level.”
Heavily influenced by the early sounds of MAW, Joey Negro, Frankie Knuckles, David Morales to name a few from a long list, this influence led him to play and secure a residency at the FX Bar in Warrington. This is where he worked centrally for the next 8 years during the late 90’s and 00’s, bringing the latest sounds of Soulful House and Garage to an ever increasing audience size. I know this as I was there to witness!!!.
“FX were some of the best years and goodtimes I can remember” recalls Carl. “It was a real vibe and a feeling that brought people back week after week. It was something special.”
Having mow played Ibiza for GoIbiza 2017 Groove Odyssey he's back on fire.