An interview with drum ‘n’ bass DJ Ros Atkins

Firstly, how are you feeling about your Glastonbury set?

A bit daunted! But, of course, I’m really excited too. And also very grateful to have been asked.

Tell us about the first time you ever DJed, how did you get into it?

I’d been listening to dance music since 1991 when a friend came into school with a bunch of cassettes of different mixes. For a time at university, I had the ‘entertainment’ job on our college’s student union. It was around then I thought maybe I could give this a go and started buying 12 inches. That was 1995.

When you first started to get into drum ‘n’ bass, which artists and DJs were you a fan of?

There’s a long list! LTJ Bukem, Peshay, PFM, Dr S Gachet, DJ Ratty, Fabio, Kenny Ken, Ray Keith, Nookie, Photek, Omni Trio, Andy C, DJ SS, High Sense and many others. In the first few years, I was only listening on cassette so I didn’t really know the tunes by name – though I knew all the DJs. It was only later when I started buying records that I went back and worked out what the DJs had been playing.

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You’ve tweeted about going to raves with other kids from Cornwall, what were these raves like and what’s your favourite memory from one?

I went to a few over the years. After leaving Cornwall, I went to a Temptation in Cambridge, United Dance in Stevenage, Helter Skelter in Milton Keynes – there was hardcore and drum ‘n’ bass at all of those, which I was very keen on as I liked them both. I went to Speed in London too to see LTJ Bukem and Fabio. Back in Cornwall, it felt like the centre of the scene was a venue called The Shire Horse near St Ives. I’d sometimes go down there with mates from school. There was a small club by the station in Penzance that put on drum ‘n’ bass nights too.

My favourite memory would be seeing Bukem for the first time at that rave in Cambridge. I knew his stuff so well from all the cassettes we traded – but seeing him live was amazing. And, of course, we went and bought the cassette of the set a few weeks later.

There is one, though, that got away – a lot of my friends went to the legendary Bournemouth Fantazia in the summer of 92. I can remember everyone building up to it the week before. I don’t remember why I didn’t go but I regret it! I know that final hour Ellis Dee set inside out – when he plays Awesome 3 right at the end, it’s a moment – but one I wasn’t there for!

I also bought a ticket to a multi-day Obsession in ’94 in Cornwall, which got cancelled at the last minute. Never did get our money back on the tickets! So there were some twists and turns.