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DJ Profile: Peter Castle

Queen Josephine May 3, 2017

This month, Queenie catches up with DJ Peter Castle to chat about the amazing fact that he’s been Legends’ Saturday resident DJ for 10 years. Have those years been as good for him as they’ve sounded to us?

Peter Castle
Peter Castle

What have the last 10 years been like? It’s gone quite quickly and I can still remember 2007 and the tracks I was playing. Of course, music trends and tastes have changed as they always will, but during the last 10 years technology has brought even more choice and availability to people, which makes it more challenging. Being a DJ is not all about me me me, it’s about fun and getting a good crowd going. Legends has a great crowd and a hardworking team of friendly staff, management and DJs Claire and David on other nights.

What’s the secret to a long residency? Finding the formula that both the club and the audience want and tweaking it over the years as trends change.

When did you start DJing? I started doing mobile discos when I was 13 and then moved into clubs. I am now in my 40th year of clubs!

What’s changed during this time? Clubs have had to make many changes, but as a DJ I have too. I started DJing using these black round things called records (today they are back in fashion but called vinyl). Then I had to replace my whole record collection with CDs, then again with MP3. I don’t go home smelling of a stale ashtray now, I start later and finish later. Music choice though is now harder. I used to get promo copies on vinyl two months or more before the release which was great as I was playing stuff that other people didn’t have and there was a huge buzz. Music was worth something – if you heard a track in a club and you wanted it, you were in the record shop on its release date. Today, everyone has access to a track and music is more disposable with more music being produced. On the other hand we are no longer controlled by record companies that dictate what we can buy and listen to.

When will you retire? Probably at my funeral when I will have my favourite all time track Finally by CeCe Peniston played… ‘Finally it’s happened to me!’ A choice mix of course. 

DJ Peter Castle’s current top five:

TCTS featuring Sage The Gemini & Kelis Do It Like Me (Icy Feet) MOS

Jax Jones You Don’t Know Me (extended club mix) Polydor

Fatboy Slim Where U Iz (12 mix) Southern Fried

Ed Sheeran Shape Of You (Jack Wins remix) Asylum

Ryan Blyth & After 6 Show Me (Freejak remix) New State Music

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