We recently connected with Ollie Sanders and have shared our conversation below.
Ollie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
Back in the day growing up in England, somewhere around 1994, I found myself hanging out with a friend who had some dj turntables. I wanted to learn the art of djing as it fascinated me. My friend already had a setup and I knew it was time for me to gather up some equipment for myself.
My family & I had recently moved house, where I remembered my parents leaving an old Pioneer stacking system in the shed at the old house. I had wondered if the new owners still had it or maybe had thrown it away, So I went back to the house a week or two later and asked if it was ok for me to collect the turntable that was left behind. To my joy they said ‘sure go ahead’. Lucky for me It hadn’t been touched, It was only a simple Pioneer record player. 33/45 Speed, but for me it was a start and free! So I grabbed it and was on my way.
Next up, I would visit some car boot sales with my family from time to time picking up all sorts of equipment and things. (These are similar to a yard sale here in the states but people gathered in a field). People sold unwanted items from their cars or stalls.
During one of these outings I managed to find a Technics belt drive turntable which had adjustable speed control….bingo! This is what I needed and after a little negotiation I picked it up and almost had a completed setup, I had previously picked up an amplifier for under $5 at a boot sale, where they had said it didn’t work, but I had seen it only needed a fuse after looking at it with a hawk eye, (Another bargain) so I went home, opened the thing up and was able to get it working. All I needed now was a dj mixer.
Whilst building my setup I had made some loud speakers from what I had learned in woodwork class in high school. I bought some speakers to go into the cabinets I had hand crafted, so the system was ready to thump. All that was left was for me to pick up a dj mixer which I knew wouldn’t be easy to find at a car boot sale so I hit up the local dj store. I picked up simple 2 channel Gemini mixer, which could cut low, mid and high frequencies…Now I’m in business!
After building up a collection of the latest house & garage tunes plus some drum & bass, which I would buy from the local record shop after school or on weekends. I began learning the art of djing and mixing records in my bedroom.
As a 14 to 15 year old kid, this was only the beginning. The problem I had was I could only mix records in one direction. The pioneer turntable had no pitch control, so I would play one record on that and then keep having to stop after one mix…. This is how I first started to learn beat matching, This was a long and hard process to get a grip of especially on my setup. But it gave me the urge and determination to get the hang of it and then get a legit setup.
The skills to master this art form required months and even years of non stop practicing to perfect the ability to mix on point. To beat match those perfect transitions and to train my ears to the sounds took a lot of time, but I was on a good path.
After some time, I knew I had to save my money up to pick up some actual proper turntables. The day finally came where my dad took me to a big DJ store in London where I managed to pick up 2 Gemini belt drive turntables. It was the cheapest package I could afford at the time where I could start to really get to grips with mixing and be on my way. Technics decks we’re way out of budget at this time but it was a start in the right direction.
At this point, I’m going on 16 & my bedroom got turned into a little nightclub as I spent all my days playing music (much to the annoyance of my parents). I remember even having a little strobe light too. As I started getting into clubbing and nightlife at an early age, I knew this is what I wanted to do in life. At 17 I got my first paid gig which turned into a residency. A pre club bar called Mr. Bumbles in Luton Town. Wow. That takes me back! I wasn’t even allowed to be legally in and there I was DJ’ing to the local crowds.
I always remember some advise I was given from a dj I respected at a local club, he said to me once, ‘find an approximate position on the pitch control with your headphones and then bring the mix channel up so both tracks are playing, then beat match by using both ears without headphones while both tunes are in play on the loud system.
This would help with learning to adjust the pitch control using your ears from the system & monitors rather than the headphones’….This was great advice to me because when learning, you can sometimes get overwhelmed or confused by listening to one track in your headphones and be a little scared to bring up the fader to bring in the track because because it’s not completely in sync, and when you spend so long trying to get it right, (the tune everyone in the club is hearing is coming to an end) so the mix can be quick and out of sync. I’m sure he meant to practice this not essentially do this live when learning but it definitely helped me.
When djing you always want to be able to bend the pitch control to immediate effect and mix flawlessly so when your young and learning, any good advice that helps you just sticks with you.
As far as speeding up the learning process, I would say having direct drive turntables right out the gate would have helped a little. They were industry standard in every club for a reason and more precise. When you first move from belt drive to direct drive the changes are immediate and take some real getting used too with regards to the speed of the records.
Belt drive has a split second delay, which may not seem like much but when you have two records being played over each other during a mix, the last thing you wanted was to train wreck beats all over the place and I’m sure you all know what that means. When the beats flow at the same speed it’s pleasant to the ear.
Learning the art of mixing vinyl is a pure art form where today’s generation do not typically have this although vinyl is making its way back slightly. Technology has helped almost eliminate beat matching part of djing (if chosen to use it). At the touch of a button, tracks are aligned digitally and synced to perfection. But make no mistake, there’s much more to the art of mixing than just choosing music, people can overlook this. I myself do not use this function, it takes away the fun.
The way people mix now is different & technology has changed the industry. Old school guys like myself can tend to look at these functions as “cheating” to a certain degree (almost like getting into a driverless car) just because it’s there….You should always still know how to drive in case of an emergency! In my opinion, it doesn’t really matter how someone mixes. With the way technology is, it’s there for everyone and just opens up even more ways to be creative with your sets and make them even more unique and extraordinary through other aspects of mixing. If things go wrong however it’s always good to know the fundamentals.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
So I go by the name Ollie Sanders, a music producer and record label owner that got into the industry at an early age, building up new gigs and residencies through the UK. After years in the industry which lead me to owning and operating my own nightclub. I moved to Miami to continue my passion.
After years on the house music circuit in Miami spinning at many renowned bars, clubs, hotels and pool parties & holding down a year long residency at club E11even (which is arguably one of the most successful clubs in the country). I formed a company called Reload Pool Parties with a promoter partner where we brought in artists such as Camelphat, Wally Lopez, Weiss, Funkagenda, Second City, Plastik funk, The Cube Guys, Siwell, Harry Romero, Starkillers, An21, Sick Individuals, Vicetone, Prok & Fitch, Crazibiza, Richard Grey, Jerome Robins, Miss Nine and so many more.
A few years down the line and wanting to go in different directions, I folded that company and started a new brand. A record Label called Twisted Funk.
I launched Twisted Funk in July 2019 and operate events with the company. We have 4 Ultra Music Festival performers on the label along wit a Grammy award winner. Right out the gate we had artists like Funkagenda, Siwell, Miss Nine, Alex Kenji, Saeed Younan and Patrick M all tied to the label with amazing music. This has paved the way for over 50 more artist signings. In such a short time span we have boasted 2 charting Albums, 70+ chart hits, multiple top tens, 28 live events with over 140 dj performances and have over 220k organic music streams with 10,000+ event attendees!
Artists that have performed main stage for Twisted Funk include Roger Sanchez, OFFAIAH, Roland Clark, Saeed Younan, Robbie Rivera, Lee Cabrera, David Tort, Joeski, Harry Romero, Miss Nine, Plastik Funk, Patrick M, Lizzie Curious, Lavelle Dupree, Doc Brown, Brandon Morales, Lui Danzi, of course myself Ollie Sanders and that’s just to name a few, there is over 100 more!
I’m most proud of having the support from all the local artists, DJ’s and clubbers that have joined in the local events in Miami & Fort Lauderdale. The productions and label have snowballed this brand into a great time, good vibes, high energy & simply amazing music. We’ve managed to build this all during some of the worst times in modern history within a pandemic and such uneasy times, so the future is very strong for us considering.
The support for the music and events has been unreal. When your gaining music plays from legendary artists like Paul Van Dyk plus major club plays and support from many elite artists in the scene with radio plays on stations across the globe, you know things are on the right track.
What’s sets us apart from most is we are the whole package. We are a professional, uplifting house music record Label, we are the radio shows, the headliners, the music, the dancers, the DJ’s, the local fan base, We are a community. From Pool Parties, foam parties to our featured club nights. We bring the vibe, that high energy. We bring the underground to where it’s not, we are a lady friendly welcoming club culture brand all within the Twisted Funk brand that continues to expand with great smiles and lots of passion for nightlife and house music.
Speaking of which, the house music scene is constantly growing in Ft. Lauderdale and we’re proud to have been apart of building such an amazing scene here.
Twisted Funk Records is about to release an upcoming Ibiza 2022 album and many new singles. We also have our sites on events in Ibiza, Las Vegas, Amsterdam, London & Medellin in Colombia. Twisted Funk is in the house!! ….and we’re going world wide!
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being creative?
The most rewarding part of being an artist is having your productions supported by the biggest in the industry. From club to radio, it’s all a great motivator and why we do what we do, all for the love of music. I have been producing music for over 10 years and only had the confidence to start putting music out there in the past 4 or 5 years or so as I’m so critical of my own productions. It’s my passion and I had to overcome putting out mediocre projects that I didn’t feel met my own expectations or standard level.
Production isn’t easy, it’s a never ending learning process in fact. I continue to thrive and better my music and productions & think this goes to every artist who dedicated their time at it. I have witnessed some music that wasn’t my taste or seemed that great that came from amazing producers and artists that I look up to. They then will put out several tracks not to my taste….or that I wouldn’t even play or skip right past…. Then boom they would then drop a bomb that I played out for years. I had to learn that not every track or production ties you to what’s great or not. It’s art… keep evolving and moving on. You just have to keep churning them out. Keep grinding and putting in the studio time.
When you dedicate your time to production then the sky is the limit. You can only go so far playing other people’s music.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
After what seemed to be an early 6 months into the start of Twisted Funk Events we then approached a pandemic where nightclubs would close for what seemed forever. We were forced to cancel a massive Miami Music Week event at the beginning and it sucked. The whole locked down with no events, no social gatherings, nothing. The world changed. But we were able to use this time to put energy into the music and prepare for when things could return.
That first event back was glorious, everyone was so glad to be back, getting on with it. Harry Romero delivered an epic performance and the show was slammed with a line down the street. People were happy to be back together dancing again. We knew we had to keep going with the music and back end label productions for when things could get back on form. We haven’t look back since. Resilience, time, energy and persistence is key. (And a lot of work)
Twisted Funk celebrated its 3 Year Anniversary in June 2022. We have event dates always marked on the calendar. There’s so much more in store as the label expands and you can keep up to date by following on all our social media platforms @twistedfunkrecords
Contact Info:
- Website: www.twistedfunkrecords.com
- Instagram: www.Instagram.com/twistedfunkrecords
- Facebook: www.Facebook.Com/twistedfunkrecords