Last Night a DJ... Wrote a Book

Tucked away quietly at the edge of London’s Square Mile, in the shadow of the famous Gherkin landmark, there’s a hotel called Sir Devonshire Square that promises an escape from the pace of the City without ever having to leave it. On a glorious summer’s evening we were invited into its comfy lounge bar, drinks in hand and food circulating, for the launch of Bill Brewster‘s new conversation series.

Last Night a DJ…Wrote a Book celebrates DJs who have taken their globetrotting experiences and turned their hand to authorship. For this first instalment of the series, Bill sat down with Smokin Jo – one of the defining figures of the UK’s acid house and Balearic years, and the only woman ever to have won the prestigious DJ Mag ‘DJ of the Year’ award.

The conversation explored Jo’s life and career, from the early scene in 1990s London, through Ibiza’s golden era and onwards to her present day adventures – but it was her candid stories about her upbringing that gave the evening particular depth. “Because I had a very traumatic childhood, I thought it would be interesting for people to read about that, and understand where I’m coming from,” she explained. “The trauma did scar me, but it made me who I am today. It made me independent. I’ve never had to rely on anyone, and when I started to DJ, it was easy for me to go out into the world because I was used to being on my own.”

Writing the book has been a way for Jo to help people discover the bigger picture of who she is. “People think they know you, they see you doing a glamorous job and think you must be quite stuck up. But in reality I’ve been painfully shy most of my life… It has made me very quiet. People might assume I don’t want to talk to anyone because I think I’m ‘too good for that’, but it’s actually because I’m so painfully shy, I had imposter syndrome, I never really understood my success.” Years of therapy have helped her, though, to confront and overcome those deep-rooted struggles with love, connection and communication.

Towards the end of the chat, Bill opened the floor to questions and I took the opportunity to ask Jo something I think many aspiring artists likely wonder about the superstar DJs we admire: How did the transition from playing London clubs to playing Space Ibiza and superclubs around the world actually happen – was it part of a deliberate plan, or maybe a fortunate chance encounter? Jo’s answer was a reminder that big breaks rarely arrive when you’re expecting them: “I was very lucky,” she said in reply. “I was DJing for Trade” (a legendary London clubnight in the 90s), “and there was a Spanish guy who always used to be there, so I just made friends with him. He said, ‘Oh my God, you have to come to Ibiza, it’s amazing!’ – I said ‘What’s Ibiza?’ and he said ‘I work there every summer, lots of Spanish people go there, you should just come, you can play at Space and Pacha, you can stay at my apartment.'” Sure enough, Jo headed out to the White Isle that summer, crashed on her friend’s sofa, and ended up playing Space, Pacha and Ku. “It all happened basically just because my friend said I could!”

Clearly, it was a much simpler time than the hyper-competitive Ibiza we know today – but the story still holds a time-tested and important lesson: get out there and socialise! Opportunities often open up through relationships, conversations and serendipity, not a grand masterplan.

Jo’s book, You Don’t Need a Dick to DJ, is out now in all good bookshops. For the next in Bill’s conversation series and other upcoming events at Sir Devonshire Square, keep an eye out for announcements coming soon.

Follow:

Smokin Jo: instagram.com/djsmokinjo

Bill Brewster: instagram.com/bill_brewster

Sir Devonshire Square hotel: instagram.com/sirdevonshirehotel