All About Magazine - Issue 17

37 / 60

ALL ABOUT MAGAZINE | FEATURE 37
Tom Hall, a Newport-based DJ, has recently uploaded
a new mix online after a busy festive season, which
saw him play at the Buttermarket in Shrewsbury as
well as Newport’s Central Square, which he says is the
best place he’s played.
“It’s not the biggest venue, but I owe a lot to the
people that came to support me,” he adds. “Without
them, the atmosphere and vibe wouldn’t have been
the same and it wouldn’t have been the night it was.”
He first became interested in music working for a
local bar. “I knew the lad who was the DJ at the time,”
he says. “It made me think, ‘what if I could learn to
DJ?’”
Since then he has shared the stage alongside DJs
such as Nathan Dawe and Radio 1 Xtra’s DJ Stylus. It
wasn’t easy at first though for Tom. “For two years I
was stuck where no-one would give me chance.”
But when he got his chance he took it. As well as
Newport and Shrewsbury he has played at student
nights at Harper Adams University and at Couture in
Stafford.
His DJ sets and online mixes have featured a range of
music from house to grime to R&B. So what makes a
good DJ?
Tom says it’s about playing the right songs at the right
points. “I don’t think it’s the diversity that’s important,
it’s all about your audience,” he says. “If your audience
wants to hear R&B all night, give them R&B. You have
to interact and get a feel for the crowd, and that takes
time,” he adds. “It doesn’t happen overnight.”
You can follow Tom Hall on Twitter @DJTomHall
What makes a
good DJ?
Charles MacDonald-Jones asks
local DJ Tom Hall.