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ARTICLE
Family is a big part of my life and along with Louis, who is now 21, I have two other sons, Sam (23) and Will (18). I’m also blessed to have Claire, an amazing wife who I’ve been married to for 27 years. Whilst we all lead incredibly busy lives – my boys all work and Claire is a primary headteacher – we always make sure we have lots of family time.
Now back to where my DJ career started.
Whether listening to records, playing in a band, or going to concerts, music has always been a big part of my life. As a youngster I was introduced to loads of rock ‘n’ roll, as my dad was a singer in a rock ‘n’ roll band back in the sixties, along with his brother on lead guitar. His idol was Elvis Presley and he’d collected every Elvis song on 78! Whilst I never got to see him perform, he would always tell me about his days in the band and the gigs they’d done.
At secondary school I learned to play the guitar and formed a new-wave band with a few school mates (one of them went on to write songs for a very famous all-girl group). This was only a school project and we only ever played in front of the school crowds. At college I did the same and started a goth band playing covers, which was when I became obsessed with drums and switched over from guitar.
After college I got my first job working for a unit trust company in London and started to build my dream drum kit in my bedroom. This became an obsession and at one point my bedroom resembled a drum shop. There was so much kit my mother gave up trying to get in and tidy up. I will always be grateful for my parents’ patience, as the noise in the house must have been horrific!
Things have come full circle now. Louis has his studio in our house – I say no more!
After a couple of years in London, my father asked me to join his business. Then, after a further three years working together, we co-founded LSA Projects Ltd, a company that imports finished building materials into the UK construction industry. In 1994 my father left the business to start a new company and I was left to run this very small organisation. Over time, the company turnover grew and by the year 2000 there were four of us and we’d established the product range we still have today.
The business has grown even further since then; we’re a team of nine people now and the company is the market leader in its sector. In 2024 we will celebrate our 30th year and I’m very proud of this achievement. We have some incredible clients in our portfolio including Center Parcs, Wembley Stadium, and some Premier League football clubs, to name just a few. Anyway, back to the music….
In the early 90s I was approached by a few musicians to form a band. We focused on rock ‘n’ roll and the band consisted of me on drums, a stand-up double bass, a vocalist and guitarist, and a lead guitarist. And this is how my small band The Excellent Giffords was born. Whilst we never made the big time, we were well known in the Southend-on-Sea area and played many gigs. To this day, we still play occasionally and it’s always great to relive the 30-odd years we’ve known each other.
It was during this time that I started buying more and more sound equipment. As the drummer I had the largest car, so I carried the PA to gigs. But I think my interest in the gear goes back way further than this. My parents had always taken me to lots of gigs – Dire Straits and Queen to name a couple – and whilst I loved the music, I was always fascinated with the staging and production at these concerts.
About 15 years ago I was approached by a good friend to see if I would like to “do the music” at his 40th birthday party. I quickly bought a few lights and a small set of decks and did the party, albeit with a very small selection of CDs! I realised that this was the direction I wanted to go in – and my DJ business was born.
By this point, I was rapidly approaching 40 and my wife thought DJing would be a great way for me to unwind. Running a busy company is a stressful thing and DJing would give me something to take my mind off the day-to-day pressures. In fact, I have my wife to thank for my DJ company’s name – she joked that I was having a midlife crisis, so MLC Events seemed like the perfect choice!
When I started my ‘hobby’ (as Claire still calls it) I wanted to make sure I worked in a professional way. A good sound system, good lighting and good music were all important. I started to download a lot of Mastermix products and I listened to how the music was mixed.
As I used these when DJing, I learnt how to transition between songs. I have never been a vocal DJ and I always wanted the music to draw people to the dance floor.
As I got more bookings, I started to buy more kit and think of ways I could be different to other DJs in my area. I also started to flight-case everything, as not only did I want to protect my investment but I wanted that professional look when I turned up at any venue. I know it sounds stupid, but a few venues commented on how professional I was with my cases and deck stands.
My reputation grew, allowing me to secure more gigs and expand my setup. But of course, as I got busier with the DJing side of things, my day job also got busier. At times it’s definitely been challenging to run both businesses simultaneously.
And even now I have many days when I’m in my office for 7.30am, finishing at 5pm, heading off to a gig on the evening, and getting home at 2am the following day.
Six years ago, I did my first gig at a well-established local venue. I was asked by the management if I would like to do more, giving me my first residency. At first I only booked about five or six gigs a year there, as I had plenty of other gigs in the calendar, but just before the first lockdown, we were up to about 30 gigs. I loved the continuous work – not having to look for it is always a bonus!
Of course, I was still getting gigs elsewhere. One of my favourites was when I travelled to France to DJ for an American couple getting married in a castle. I’d recently struck up a friendship with my DJ brother James Cheeseman, so I asked if he wanted to join me in France and thankfully he said yes.
We set off from Essex on the Friday morning and arrived at the wedding seven hours later, where we met the bride and groom. Their playlist was full of songs we hadn’t heard of, let alone played! We agreed that we would give them the full ‘Essex boy’ wedding experience. And my god what a wedding that was.
James and I went back-to-back with disco, garage and house – and along with their American guests, the bride and groom loved it! We finished the night with Faithless ‘Insomnia’ and to this day it has to be one of the most amazing reactions to a song I’ve ever seen.
We both stood there, watching the crowd go absolutely bonkers to a song they’d never heard before. After packing down the kit, we decided to drive home straight away and we got back to Essex at 10am on the Sunday morning! All I can say is that it was an adventure. James and I still talk about this incredible gig today.
Things were going well. Then the world changed… Covid hit and, like so many others, I was forced to put DJing on the back burner for 14 months. During that time, I was incredibly grateful that LSA Projects was getting busier, not to mention keeping my mind occupied.
While the DJing did take a backseat, we continued to do a few production projects, including live streaming events for Kisstory and the Kiss Haunted House event. As the lockdowns passed and we entered the post-pandemic period, my residency really took off – we were playing catch-up and in 2022 I covered a total of 87 weddings at the residency. This might seem like a small amount to some DJs, but you must remember I still have a day job too!
Luckily, we’d installed a sound system and a lighting rig at the residency venue, so the load in on each event is minimised. And as we enter the 2023 wedding season, we’ll still be using the same setup. Thankfully James and I are sharing the gig load.
This is very important as we both have families and it’s important to spend time with them whilst also delivering on our commitment to cover a huge wedding season at a busy venue. I’m still working other events too. And recently we did the production for Louis’ first headline show, ‘Beyond Chicago’. We pulled out all the stops with CO2 and Sparkstar!
In my short time as a DJ and small production company, I have always loved helping people. As my knowledge of lighting has grown, I’m always happy to help others and give advice.
I also try to merge my hobby with my day job – for example, my company LSA has become the UK partner for Ape Labs lighting. They make products that I love and because of this I wanted to get involved in selling Ape Labs in the UK.
As I said at the beginning, I am blessed to have a very supportive wife and family. Without their support I don’t think I would be where I am now – both in my LSA company life or my MLC hobby.
Now back to where my DJ career started.
Whether listening to records, playing in a band, or going to concerts, music has always been a big part of my life. As a youngster I was introduced to loads of rock ‘n’ roll, as my dad was a singer in a rock ‘n’ roll band back in the sixties, along with his brother on lead guitar. His idol was Elvis Presley and he’d collected every Elvis song on 78! Whilst I never got to see him perform, he would always tell me about his days in the band and the gigs they’d done.
At secondary school I learned to play the guitar and formed a new-wave band with a few school mates (one of them went on to write songs for a very famous all-girl group). This was only a school project and we only ever played in front of the school crowds. At college I did the same and started a goth band playing covers, which was when I became obsessed with drums and switched over from guitar.
After college I got my first job working for a unit trust company in London and started to build my dream drum kit in my bedroom. This became an obsession and at one point my bedroom resembled a drum shop. There was so much kit my mother gave up trying to get in and tidy up. I will always be grateful for my parents’ patience, as the noise in the house must have been horrific!
Things have come full circle now. Louis has his studio in our house – I say no more!
After a couple of years in London, my father asked me to join his business. Then, after a further three years working together, we co-founded LSA Projects Ltd, a company that imports finished building materials into the UK construction industry. In 1994 my father left the business to start a new company and I was left to run this very small organisation. Over time, the company turnover grew and by the year 2000 there were four of us and we’d established the product range we still have today.
The business has grown even further since then; we’re a team of nine people now and the company is the market leader in its sector. In 2024 we will celebrate our 30th year and I’m very proud of this achievement. We have some incredible clients in our portfolio including Center Parcs, Wembley Stadium, and some Premier League football clubs, to name just a few. Anyway, back to the music….
In the early 90s I was approached by a few musicians to form a band. We focused on rock ‘n’ roll and the band consisted of me on drums, a stand-up double bass, a vocalist and guitarist, and a lead guitarist. And this is how my small band The Excellent Giffords was born. Whilst we never made the big time, we were well known in the Southend-on-Sea area and played many gigs. To this day, we still play occasionally and it’s always great to relive the 30-odd years we’ve known each other.
It was during this time that I started buying more and more sound equipment. As the drummer I had the largest car, so I carried the PA to gigs. But I think my interest in the gear goes back way further than this. My parents had always taken me to lots of gigs – Dire Straits and Queen to name a couple – and whilst I loved the music, I was always fascinated with the staging and production at these concerts.
About 15 years ago I was approached by a good friend to see if I would like to “do the music” at his 40th birthday party. I quickly bought a few lights and a small set of decks and did the party, albeit with a very small selection of CDs! I realised that this was the direction I wanted to go in – and my DJ business was born.
By this point, I was rapidly approaching 40 and my wife thought DJing would be a great way for me to unwind. Running a busy company is a stressful thing and DJing would give me something to take my mind off the day-to-day pressures. In fact, I have my wife to thank for my DJ company’s name – she joked that I was having a midlife crisis, so MLC Events seemed like the perfect choice!
When I started my ‘hobby’ (as Claire still calls it) I wanted to make sure I worked in a professional way. A good sound system, good lighting and good music were all important. I started to download a lot of Mastermix products and I listened to how the music was mixed.
As I used these when DJing, I learnt how to transition between songs. I have never been a vocal DJ and I always wanted the music to draw people to the dance floor.
As I got more bookings, I started to buy more kit and think of ways I could be different to other DJs in my area. I also started to flight-case everything, as not only did I want to protect my investment but I wanted that professional look when I turned up at any venue. I know it sounds stupid, but a few venues commented on how professional I was with my cases and deck stands.
My reputation grew, allowing me to secure more gigs and expand my setup. But of course, as I got busier with the DJing side of things, my day job also got busier. At times it’s definitely been challenging to run both businesses simultaneously.
And even now I have many days when I’m in my office for 7.30am, finishing at 5pm, heading off to a gig on the evening, and getting home at 2am the following day.
Six years ago, I did my first gig at a well-established local venue. I was asked by the management if I would like to do more, giving me my first residency. At first I only booked about five or six gigs a year there, as I had plenty of other gigs in the calendar, but just before the first lockdown, we were up to about 30 gigs. I loved the continuous work – not having to look for it is always a bonus!
Of course, I was still getting gigs elsewhere. One of my favourites was when I travelled to France to DJ for an American couple getting married in a castle. I’d recently struck up a friendship with my DJ brother James Cheeseman, so I asked if he wanted to join me in France and thankfully he said yes.
We set off from Essex on the Friday morning and arrived at the wedding seven hours later, where we met the bride and groom. Their playlist was full of songs we hadn’t heard of, let alone played! We agreed that we would give them the full ‘Essex boy’ wedding experience. And my god what a wedding that was.
James and I went back-to-back with disco, garage and house – and along with their American guests, the bride and groom loved it! We finished the night with Faithless ‘Insomnia’ and to this day it has to be one of the most amazing reactions to a song I’ve ever seen.
We both stood there, watching the crowd go absolutely bonkers to a song they’d never heard before. After packing down the kit, we decided to drive home straight away and we got back to Essex at 10am on the Sunday morning! All I can say is that it was an adventure. James and I still talk about this incredible gig today.
Things were going well. Then the world changed… Covid hit and, like so many others, I was forced to put DJing on the back burner for 14 months. During that time, I was incredibly grateful that LSA Projects was getting busier, not to mention keeping my mind occupied.
While the DJing did take a backseat, we continued to do a few production projects, including live streaming events for Kisstory and the Kiss Haunted House event. As the lockdowns passed and we entered the post-pandemic period, my residency really took off – we were playing catch-up and in 2022 I covered a total of 87 weddings at the residency. This might seem like a small amount to some DJs, but you must remember I still have a day job too!
Luckily, we’d installed a sound system and a lighting rig at the residency venue, so the load in on each event is minimised. And as we enter the 2023 wedding season, we’ll still be using the same setup. Thankfully James and I are sharing the gig load.
This is very important as we both have families and it’s important to spend time with them whilst also delivering on our commitment to cover a huge wedding season at a busy venue. I’m still working other events too. And recently we did the production for Louis’ first headline show, ‘Beyond Chicago’. We pulled out all the stops with CO2 and Sparkstar!
In my short time as a DJ and small production company, I have always loved helping people. As my knowledge of lighting has grown, I’m always happy to help others and give advice.
I also try to merge my hobby with my day job – for example, my company LSA has become the UK partner for Ape Labs lighting. They make products that I love and because of this I wanted to get involved in selling Ape Labs in the UK.
As I said at the beginning, I am blessed to have a very supportive wife and family. Without their support I don’t think I would be where I am now – both in my LSA company life or my MLC hobby.
The full review can be found in Pro Mobile Issue 119, Pages 16-20.
