DJ Profile – Promo Zo (UK)
We’re faced daily with sights and sounds of the drum and bass world in full effect, either for real and in person or on the social platforms. Sound, Lights, Wubs………But what about what happens behind the scenes? Unless you’re on the inside of the industry (no pun intended), it’s not necessarily something you’d get to learn much about. You pay your money, you DL your tunes or hit the club, and then that’s it.
Promo Zo has been working behind the scenes in the industry since the late nineties and has seen plenty of ups and downs, and also plenty of comings and goings. With a weekly radio show on Bassdrive Radio and a track featured on the latest Moondance LP ‘Together’, we caught up with her to hear her fascinating story of life behind the scenes in the drum and bass world.
Promo Zo! Welcome in!
Thanks 😊
Firstly, it’s always nice to hear about people’s early days, so what can you tell us about your early life. What was growing up like for Promo Zo?
I grew up in a town called Maidstone in Kent, most famously known in the jungle and DNB world for the legendary Atomics night club that held the ‘Heat’ and ‘Pure Science’ parties. I went to a couple of secondary schools and grew up in what was back then, apart from jungle, an area that didn’t have much going on. I left Maidstone as soon as I could at around 18 years old and started to try and build a life for myself in London.
Okay, so talk us through your early career. I’m guessing you went to university, but what did you study and what did the teenage dream consist of? Was music always the key goal?
I actually didn’t go to University, the year groups after me all followed that path when going to Uni became standard issue. I guess I’m of the Gen X “go and get a trade” era and there were minimal options available upon leaving school. Something like music technology and production just didn’t exist in the way it does now, so in an endeavour to do something remotely creative I chose hairdressing!
My entry into the music industry and events was purely though becoming part of the local scene, getting involved with ticket and flyer drops to record shops for Heat and Pure Science, and I was also completely obsessed with radio, particularly Kiss 100 and Kool FM. That link to the London music scene via radio was so special, it was a far-away dream to even consider that I myself would be on the radio, ever.
Oh yeah, Radio! Such an integral part of the scene. React Music was a monumental label back in the 1990’s and was actually at the forefront of the early rave scene with acts like GTO on the roster. It also later went on to become a leading label for exposing happy hardcore to a mass audience. This must have been one of your first employment opportunities? What did a working week look like for somebody working at React back then?
I started working at React Music Ltd by coming in as a receptionist and administrator. I figured out at one of my earlier jobs in the Salon at Toni & Guy Maidstone, that if I trained on reception then the skills would be pretty transferable and ‘Io I was right! I was working at React pretty much at the start of the digital era, and as a receptionist and administrator I would pick up calls (answering to a world of well-known DJs), send out vinyl promos to the DJs on the mailing list by post, and receive feedback forms back from them by FAX! By FAX you know!
I would also get stuck in with the other departments within the label and it was a very organic and involved environment, from helping out with licencing and completing recording contracts, to product management, ordering supplies and so on, as well as running the website and online store in what was then, the new internet age. I would also process orders like all of those Bonkers happy hardcore albums and the ‘Artcore’ jungle/DNB compilations (we had one of those! Ed), as well as music by Deep Dish, Danny Rampling and Matt Jam Lamont, and this was mostly all on Cassette, CD and Vinyl. A lot!
Sounds so interesting! and also such a shame that the underground music industry doesn’t operate this way anymore. There was a fair few off shoots owned by React too, so were you also involved with those?
Industry Recordings was one of the sub labels, a drum and bass label headed up by Chris Mason and Ben Sumner. It had some great releases from David Carbone, Total Science, Dylan and Kemal to name just a few. I actually also A&R’d for another sub label called Illegal Frequencies, catering for the more a break-beaty, garage sound that came around, however we had one release on IF before redundancies ensued, so it was very short lived.
You were involved with the very first Drum & Bass Arena album. That series and the brand itself has since become a household name among dance music fans. How did you become involved with the project, and what was your role in it?
React put out the first Drum & Bass Arena compilation album, so I was a part of that process as far as assisting the product and licensing departments, plus helping out with Press and PR, which was great as I obviously had a natural interest in this project. When it was confirmed that Andy C was doing an accompanying mix, it was always going to be a big one.
Oh yeah, for sure! Tell us a bit about your time at The Limelight. This was an iconic London venue during the 80’s and 90’s. What did you do there?
Before working at React, I worked at The Limelight, Shaftesbury Avenue. Back then it held events like the Metalheadz label nights, and it was an extremely prestigious London night club venue. I worked there as the day receptionist and would get involved with press and PR and run various errands, like popping to Aquascutum on Regent Street for the boss! Here I met Eminem! He had just broken through into the UK and was filming ‘The Real Slim Shady’ for ‘Planet Pop’ – a Channel 4 music show hosted by Gina Yashere. I was hyped and I was a fan of both! I tried to stay down in the room they were filming in and watch Em but Bizarre wasn’t having it, although I did get to have a chat eventually with Marshall and get some signed bits when they had finished. This was my ONLY fan girl moment EVER! Ever, ever.
It was dope working in Shaftesbury Avenue, as being in the Theatre district you would get discounted or free entry to shows and matinees, and I saw the comedian Lee Evans when he was just scratching the surface in the most intimate theatre (I can’t remember which one mind you). They were just incredible times. I loved it there. Working in such a buzzing area and learning so much about club promotions and the London entertainment scene. Ah! Give me a rewind!
Now that does sound amazing! If you’re rewinding, we’re riding shotgun! But moving onto AWOL. Breakin’ Science. Ministry of Sound……. These are names that instantly evoke a sense of awe in terms of stature and nostalgic importance. What was your remit amongst these epic organisations?
I joined Ministry of Sound in 2005 and was soon working with Laurence Bagnall in club promotions. We headed up the Friday night club events which were at that time drum & bass and hip hop. I would be a part of the whole process from talent booking, marketing and promotions on and offline (in magazines – remember them?), with a street team flyering across London. Also, posting all over the online forums, working as a runner on the nights or as what we now call an ‘artist liaison’ and making sure all those DJ payments got processed every week.
Laurence was also one of the original Breakin’ Science promoters too, so I would work for Breakin’ at Koko (Camden Place) and the SE1 club, often upfront on the door on guest list duties and running on the night (liaising those artists!)
AWOL is obviously a legendary jungle brand and when it came back to Ministry of Sound, I became more involved with it, having already known one of the promoters, Milton, and of course working with Darren Jay and Micky Finn.
I had made a bit of a name for myself by then as a promoter and online marketeer, hence how the name Promo ZO came about. It just about fitted every role I found myself in! So, I would spread the AWOL message across the internet, which was then done via MySpace and every possible dance music forum you could think of. Again, I would work as artist liaison on the nights, which went from Ministry of Sound to Indigo2. Epic times.
Your work has also involved representing BBC 1Xtra’s Bailey and 2Shy MC. Can you elaborate a bit on what that involved?
Sure, so around the time Bailey’s BBC 1Xtra show came to a close I began representing both Bailey and 2Shy MC, I worked as their booking agent and PR for a short while and got the guys some great press, gigs and brand partnerships, even if I do say so myself. That was my job after all! lol
You’ve had podcasts broadcast on Ministry of Sound Radio alongside the likes of DJ Zinc and regular guest mixes on Kane FM. Was there any pirate radio activity previous to this, and what was doing the podcasts themselves like?
I started off on the pirates, from naturally listening and eventually playing on some based in Southeast London, from MCing to DJing, the most frequent being Flashback FM and occasionally on Taste and Upfront depending on who I was rolling with and how generous they were feeling about sharing their airtime. These were predominantly UKG stations, I then got to work with UK Rumble one of the first internet radio stations and sister of Interface (which was THE first internet radio station) and then went on to work with Pyro Radio and the Pyromanicas events and booking agency.
Working at MOS hosting Switch Sessions on Ministry of Sound Radio was wicked, it was really cool to be able to promote the weekly events we had coming up on the radio and get interactive with the listeners, we would have a range of DJs come up from Zinc and other Switch residents Mampi Swift, Friction and some scene favourites like Ruff Stuff, Cabbie, Stamina MC and more. I just wish I had more of those shows backed up. They were fun to do that’s for sure, sharing the studio with such talented artists.
You’re a Bassdrive radio regular. Do you broadcast from home for that, and how did you become involved with the station?
Yup, I broadcast LIVE from home every week which is just beautiful! I got involved with Bassdrive after making a couple of guest appearances when 2Shy MC had a show around 2015. I joined the station officially in 2018 covering the Planet V Radio show. I then started my weekly show on Wednesdays from there on and it’s been just over 4 years now, of two hours LIVE every week.
The list of festivals and gigs you’ve played is pretty immense. Please tell us a bit about a few of them?
OMG yes! Well the most recent ones include opening for Chase & Status at Dreamland Margate, Moondance, Drum and Bass Classics and of course Sundown Festival which was just insane! The Sundown Festival ravers were just so up for it and were moshing out from the outset, looking back at the video clips you can hear them roaring, it was nuts! I can’t wait to get back to Norwich and do it all again. Dreamland Margate has really been a dream, I also played there for the Shy FX and Hybrid Minds shows and played my Konnect (UK) release Margate in Margate! Crazy. And not forgetting Planet V at Volks Brighton and 338 London, epic!
I’ve also got to mention covering the massive #RCFF show for Uncle Dugs on Rinse FM in summer, that was a huge honour. Big up Dugsy.
Never one to rest with one type of creative outlet, you’ve also learned your craft behind the computer and have several releases under your belt, starting with the first way back in 2011. How have you found the production journey?
I’ve been relatively slow on this count to be honest, I studied way back in 2002 at Point Blank and messed around with Cubase 5 on a PC many moons ago but never managed to get fully into the projects due to work commitments b2b paying rent!
In 2011 I featured on Meth and 2Shy MC’s ‘Frontline’ track on The Treatment EP which came out on Raiden’s imprint OffKey Recordings. And finally, in 2020 I self-released my first solo track The Truth, followed by releasing Konnect (UK) tracks, my duo production project with 2Shy MC on Conjunction Recordings and ProgRam. Then of course Jungle Ting, my first official solo release on the Moondance Together 2022 compilation album.
The production journey has certainly been a slower paced one than most, I have to really want to be in the mood to stare at a computer screen having spent most of my life in front of one. But when the moment comes, I go with it, even going live on Instagram building loops! That’s the fun part.
And I have to ask, as one who has been involved with labels for your whole career, how easy was it to get a record deal?
It’s no easier in my opinion, I think I am just lucky to know some of the people that I want to put my music in front of already, but that’s not to say that they will like it because it has come from me by any stretch. I have sent music to label bosses to no avail, so the music does have to speak for itself. I certainly expect to be critiqued and given feedback just like the next person. You just have to not take any of it personally and keep on keeping on.
As mentioned, your most recent venture on the production front was the wicked ‘Jungle Ting’ on the Moondance ‘Together’ LP. That collection is going to go down in history as one of the best remix/retro albums of all time. The quality of the work on there is second to none. How did your involvement with it come about?
I was invited to come on board with the popular Moondance Live streams during lockdown and was also asked to submit a track, Jungle Ting was loved by the team and it found a place on the album, which since has been number 1 on Beatport twice! I don’t think I’ve ever known that to happen.
There have been some ups and downs along the way though. You’ve been very poorly in the past. Please share as much as you feel you can, and maybe tell us a bit about how we can help raise awareness and help any charities you are involved with.
I discovered a swollen gland near my left collar bone around early Summer of 2014. After a couple of weeks of it not going down I made an appointment to see the doctor. With some back and forth from the GP surgery I was eventually diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a blood cancer. I had my suspicions that it was Hodgkins Lymphoma as the symptoms where all there. I spotted these with thanks to Lymphoma Action an organisation that provides support for those diagnosed.
After six months of chemotherapy, I got the all clear in 2015, I raised money for the charity by doing a Sky Dive for Lymphoma Action with some incredible support from the Drum & Bass family. I recently got an eight year all clear and often post to raise awareness of Hodgkins Lymphoma and Lymphoma Action.
Finally, there are so many new artists coming through right now, and the quality of the music is strong. As someone who has come through the traditional route of the music industry (and by that, I mean the old way) what advice would you give to them? It’s digital minefield out there right now!
I would still harness the old ethos in a new era, making the best of both worlds. Doing the graft is important, having substance means everything. The journey is important, and stripes do matter, if just for you alone. It can appear very easy to immerge onto the scene in this digital era and in some cases, it can be, but knowing your shit in this industry is as golden as getting lucky. Admiration is great but having knowledge and experience in your ammo is never going to hurt. Get out there and find you, your sound, create your own path and find your people. Keep on keeping on.
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