Setting up turntables in front of 100,000 people at Glastonbury and kicking off a live performance gives you a confidence that never leaves you. DJ Semtex can control an audience at any concert, club or festival. To him, it\u2019s all the same thing: it\u2019s about moving the crowd and his impact on thousands of people stirs up a memorable collective \u2018experience\u2019. This is the kind of intuition that only comes when you know that you can achieve anything when you set your mind to it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It all began with the power of the mixtape for DJ Semtex, and that power today has reached a new state of prominence for artists. It\u2019s no longer just a promotional vehicle, it\u2019s also a way to leak artist demos, a debut album, and a million-selling soundtrack. Being an MC never appealed to Semtex, but seeing Terminator X for the first time under the spotlight with Public Enemy inspired him to become a DJ. He put the wheels in motion by distributing his own mixtapes, and taking to the streets to promote himself everywhere, from the barbershop to the record store. Soon enough he was hosting numerous pirate radio shows, cutting up records, spinning at house parties and launching his own club nights.<\/p>\n

Once that fuse was lit \u2013 nothing could hold Semtex back; fast forward two decades and Semtex\u2019s trajectory has seen him rock the stage at major festivals as diverse as Glastonbury and Reading, appearing as the opening DJ for Hip-Hop heavyweights such as Kanye West, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, The Wu-tang Clan, J Cole, and many more. From \u2018Boy In Da Corner\u2019 to \u2018Tongue N Cheek\u2019 Semtex was Dizzee Rascal\u2019s onstage DJ for several hundred shows, Nas requested his onstage skills for a tour of Germany, as well as Rick Ross, Travis Scott, and Iggy Azalea for shows across Europe.<\/p>\n

Hosting the U.K.\u2019s cornerstone Hip-Hop show on BBC Radio 1Xtra with his weekly show live from London, Semtex has also broadcast from New York, Miami, Houston, Puerto Rico, and The Bahamas. He has hosted shows from some of music\u2019s most high-profile events, including the Philadelphia leg of Live 8 as well as the Mixshow Power Summits. Everyone from Kanye to Drake to Vic Mensa has been introduced to the UK via Semtex’s seminal show. His infamous interview with Lil Wayne is featured on the multi-platinum selling documentary Mr. Carter, and his recent series of BBC documentaries have included profiles on Macklemore and Rick Ross.<\/p>\n

DJ Semtex has been introduced to, invited, participated, and accelerated Hip-Hop culture. He\u00a0is an\u00a0unquestioned authority who is sought after not only for his influence but also for his take on who is authentic. A co-sign from DJ Semtex is like a direct passport to the U.K audience.<\/p>\n

Forty years after the birth of the movement, Semtex now releases the definitive book on Hip Hop, the musical culture that revolutionised the world. ‘Hip Hop Raised Me’ covers the whole spectrum of the genre which includes a foreward by the legendary Chuck D.<\/p>\n

Who is Semtex?<\/strong>
\nA nerd who found his true calling thanks to Hip Hop.<\/p>\n

What are your earliest memories of music?<\/strong>
\nMy Mum playing Michael Jackson\u2019s \u2018Off the Wall’ album every night after I went to bed. I knew that album inside out.<\/p>\n