April 23, 2025 |
While the future of nightlife remains clouded by the smoke of uncertainty – with the ripple effect of lockdowns, strict council regulations and financial demands from landlords leading to the shuttering of 65 UK clubs in 2024 – our dancefloors have never been more exciting. Inside 10 Magazine Issue 74, we spotlight a series of DJs that are experts in their craft, taking eclectic sonics born on the British Isles to the biggest stages globally and providing soundtracks to the sort of nights out you’ll be telling your grandchildren about.
Anz is part of a long line of DJs who’ve cemented Manchester as one of the world’s club capitals. The London-born artist is a regular at Salford’s The White Hotel and The Warehouse Project, in the centre of the city, but has also been shelling venues across Europe, Asia and the US with her heady mix of garage, electro and jungle. Time and again she’s proven herself as one of the country’s most exciting producers too, from the Hessle Audio label’s wobbler Loos in Twos to the eternal summer anthem You Could Be with George Riley.
Anz wears jumper by KICKERS, hat by C.P. COMPANY
Can you describe your approach to crafting a set?
I used to be quite prescriptive about specific things I wanted to play. But I realised such an approach doesn’t leave you with much room to find the feeling and lock in with the crowd and space. Now, typically, there tends to be one to five tracks that I know I want to play on that night. I like to have these little landmarks I want to show the crowd as we journey along together. I think about what the weather’s like, what people are there for, when the sun is gonna set or come up, all of it. And then it’s a case of poking around in playlists and feeling out context for landmark tracks as we go.
What track never fails to fill a dancefloor?
[The Prodigy’s] Out of Space! No, I genuinely don’t have a clue what the specific track is because it can all be dance floor-dependent. But it’s likely speed garage. I feel like it can do this thing not many electronic genres can – uniting the sternest heads-down, 4×4 crew, the most syncopated fun party people and everyone in between. There’s probably a speed garage track for all occasions. Weddings, funerals, christenings, great.
What makes a great DJ?
All my favourites are good drivers, if that makes sense. They know when to accelerate, brake or make sharp turns. They understand when to challenge and when to indulge – and do so with mastery. I also think a great DJ, or I guess the DJ I try to be, is one with empathy. This doesn’t mean you forget your own intentions. It’s just nice to understand how everyone might be feeling when you meet them and when you drop them off. I reckon you’re a much better driver if you can see your passengers.
What’s the project you’ve worked on that you’re most proud of?
I hope it’s not gauche to say all of them? I try to build worlds around each record. The double-edged sword of being so staunchly DIY is that I’ll spend three months quietly learning how to do something I know is a footnote, a tiny piece of a record most people don’t interact with. But it’s all for the people who do. I’m proud of the time, care and effort I pour into filling out those details.
What shaped your musical tastes?
It’s a lot of chapters. There’s a huge one for ’80s funk and boogie. One for Nigerian highlife and Fela Kuti, another for Sade and Loose Ends. I first heard Detroit electro on mixtapes in the car on the way to school – my parents gifted me a curiosity about them all. Beyond their indelible mark, there are chapters for everything from Bloc Party and Queens of the Stone Age to [French label] Ed Banger, Missy Elliott and [British label] Moving Shadow. To this day, I’ll stumble across tracks I haven’t heard since childhood that capture a feeling I’ve tried to recreate.
What the craziest thing you’ve seen from behind the decks?
Apparently there was a couple getting to it at the front of the Dekmantel [Festival in] 2023 b2b I did with [British DJ] Special Request. It was up against the barriers and neither of us noticed at the time, but comparisons to the Showgirls pool scene were made. I approve of this recklessness.
What makes a great night out?
All the best ones have two common traits. The first is multiple settings. You know how in self-defence, they say never go to a second location? On a great night out I wanna see five different places. The club, bar, other club, afterparty, house, neighbour’s flat, wicked. The other important piece is something new. I’ll always love a night with my favourite people in a space that feels like home, but I enjoy exploring, seeing new faces, hearing new sounds and stories. If I’ve only got one of my favourite people and we’re in a new place then we’re off to an excellent start. I’ve been to a lot of basement venues now, but there’s still something about walking down the stairs into a club I’ve never seen before. The filtered thud of a loud room and the feeling of opening a new door – it’s still such a good buzz.
Taken from 10 Magazine Issue 74 – MUSIC, TALENT, CREATIVE – on newsstands now. Order your copy here.
THE FLOOR FILLERS
Creative Editor and Text PAUL TONER
Portrait CHRISTINA FRAGKOU
Fashion assistant GEORGIA EDWARDS
Production ZAC APOSTOLOU and SONYA MAZURYK
