DJ EZ Can't Swim but He Knows How to Party

For the past twenty years or so, DJ EZ has been at the forefront of the UK club scene, dominating rave after rave with his peerless selections of classic garage and contemporary bass-heavy cuts that flit about in an interzone between house and the hardcore continuum. EZ has pretty much become synonymous with having the most fun you can have in a club, so when we found out that the tight-hatted king of garage wanted to play at our upcoming W.A.R! party in Ibiza, we jumped at the chance and went down Sports Direct to get a matching cap.

This summer sees everyone from David Rodigan to Oneman, Hannah Wants to Skepta, zipping over to the island for a season-spanning series of parties at the infamous Ibiza Rocks hotel. There's also a tonne of top nights planned in conjunction with legendary Manchester club Sankeys which are set to dominate the afterparty scene, hosting the likes of Shadow Child, Waze & Odyssey and TEED. It's going to be all-white. Ahem.

Before we start packing our trunks and making sure we've got our travel insurance sorted it made sense to have a quick chat with everyone's favourite Nike-clad selector. Turns out that he never takes the hat off. Ever.

THUMP: How are you feeling ahead of festival season? Refreshed?
DJ EZ: I'm super excited for the UK and European festival season to kick off as last year was amazing and I'm sure this year will be the same or even better! I've literally just got back from a tour of North American and Canada but I'm refreshed and definitely exhilarated after some amazing gigs over there. I played in Miami for my WMC debut at Disclosure's Wildlife party, three amazing events in Canada, the Runnin' launch in LA which is Dim Mak's new house and garage night and I ended the tour with Trouble & Bass's grand finale in NYC. It's amazing times right now and I'm very fortunate to be bringing the sound of garage and bass music to a worldwide audience.

As you're playing W.A.R. we're intrigued to know if you think DJs really are the new rockstars?
If the younger generation are turning to underground club music more than pop music then I guess you could say DJs could be seen as the new rockstars. I'm sure there are some DJ riders that could certainly compete against a rockstars rider; that's for sure. I don't see myself as a rockstar, famous or a Z list celebrity. I'm just a DJ who has been playing music for quite some time now with the main objective of bringing something different to the world of DJ'ing and making sure that the crowd is loving my set throughout.

So you've never chucked a telly out of a window then?
How would I watch my beloved Tottenham Hotspurs if I got rid of the TV?

What's an Ibizan day in the life of EZ like?
As my touring schedule is so busy during the summer, my trips are very short. Sometimes I'm in and out of a country in 24, and that includes ibiza. The little time I have on the island will be spent catching up on emails, relaxing and sleeping.

Does the hat stay on even when you're enjoying the sea?
I cannot swim so I avoid going into the sea. However, I am sure my trusty cap would act as a floatation device should I get into any problems.

Last one…we proved on THUMP that you and Annie definitely WERE in Tracy Beaker…care to comment?
Do you guys still believe that Annie Mac and I were in this TV program? All I have to say is check the show credits #SayNoMore..

Follow DJ EZ on Facebook // SoundCloud // Twitter

DJ EZ plays our W.A.R! night alongside Preditah, C4 and Chris Lorenzo on June 12th. Head here for more information.