The Floor Fillers: Ten Meets Bradley Zero

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 dance floors have never been more exciting. Inside 10 Men Issue 61, 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.

What would South London’s nightlife tapestry look like without Bradley Zero? The Leeds-born DJ founded the record label Rhythm Section International a decade ago, uniting a community of artists with parties, festival takeovers and eclectic releases that range from house and hip hop to future-facing jazz. An international DJ in his own right, he’s also the co-founder of Peckham’s hi-fi music bar and Afro-Caribbean eatery, Jumbi

What’s one track that’ll never leave your USB?

Nina Simone’s Sinnerman [from 1965].

What track never fails to fill a dance floor?

Any track by [the DJ/producer] Wallace.

What makes a great DJ?

If that was so easy, everyone would be a great DJ! DJing is one of the most unique artforms, in that it’s easy to be good but hard to be great.

What’s been the best night out of your life?

Seeing DJ Harvey play for eight hours at Ministry of Sound in 2017. All the elements came together – sound, light, selection, audience and mystique.

What’s a project you’ve worked on that you’re most proud of?

Rhythm Section’s Future Proof programme – a mentorship scheme that was born out of lockdown where we take a cohort of emerging music-industry professionals and pair them up with mentors, host workshops, studio sessions and have well-known figures come in and talk on a subject close to their hearts.

What does music mean to you?

It’s the bookmark to life’s chapters.

What shaped your musical tastes?

Insatiable curiosity, obsessive collecting and a grounding in the worlds of Afro-Caribbean music inherited from my dad – also a DJ!

What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen from behind the decks?

I was behind the decks for DJ EZ’s legendary Boiler Room session [2012] – that ranks right up there!

What makes a great night out?

It’s all about the people. You can spend forever searching for the perfect venue, most amazing sound system, epic lighting rig and the right DJ, but bring the wrong crowd in and it will all fall flat. Some of the best parties I’ve ever thrown were in a dusty pool hall in Peckham with two turntables, a red light bulb and a pair of speakers on sticks. What made that place special was the creative, open-minded community that we were a part of. We merely facilitated the space, but for a while we created the best club in the world.

Taken from 10 Men Issue 61 – MUSIC, TALENT, CREATIVE – on newsstands now. Order your copy here. 

@bradley_zero