Becca McKenzie - Fraîche Talent DJ FF#15
We're proud to introduce our second DJ competition winner, Becca McKenzie. Becca is 1/2 of Death and Taxes, a London-based DJ duo playing a mixed bag of disco, funk, afrobeat, house and hip hop. Friday night resident at The Social and one of the team behind the beloved Stonebridge Bar at Glastonbury, Becca is a music lawyer by day and got her first big gig opening for Jackmaster when the DJ who was actually booked didn’t show up.
Becca McKenzie
We had a quick Q&A sesh with Becca prior to her set at FF#15 on 10.03.18.
Hi Becca, congrats on winning our DJ competition! so let's start at the beginning, When did you first start DJing?
I’ve been DJing for just over a year. I don’t have any CDJs at home so playing out is my only practice!
What inspired you to take to the decks?
My partner has been DJing for nearly 20 years. I’d try and keep him company for his gigs as it’s not fun spending your weekend evenings apart but it’s also pretty boring nursing a drink next to the DJ booth. So I asked him to show me how it worked. He’s not the best teacher - he showed me what the play and cue buttons were and away I went. My friend took a massive chance on me and gave me the warm up slot in his bar based on tune selection alone and I basically taught myself how to beatmatch in that basement bar every Friday between 7-9!
Tell us a little about your journey so far.
After practicing in my mates basement bar once a week, once I felt comfortable DJing “properly”, myself and my partner started DJing b2b as Death and Taxes. We play mostly in bars and pubs around London 3-4 times a month
What's been your highlight gig until now?
So I help run the Stonebridge Bar at Glastonbury with some of my best friends. This year we had a massive b2b2b2b on the Thursday night opening party. I got to DJ with one of my favourite DJs and artists Pete Fowler which was a massive highlight, and the set was MCed by my friend Ben from the Heatwave which I loved. I didn’t think that could be topped but the next day I had booked one of my friends to go on before Kurupt FM’s Champagne Steam Rooms but he got swept up in Glastonbury and never showed! So I stood in and smashed out a garage/funky set at the last minute before Jackmaster. Totally not what I usually get to play but a lot of fun
That sounds a lot of fun! So where would you like to see your DJ career take you in the future?
I’m a full time lawyer for a record label so I don’t see myself headlining Space in Ibiza any time soon. I love playing music out but it’s just a really, really fun hobby. There’s something really special about crate digging and sharing it afterwards.
Absolutely, and we're excited to hear your crate digging expertise this weekend, what can we expect from your set this Saturday?
Disco and funky edits. Things you can dance to and tracks with vocals. Anything that would have been played in New York between 1980-1983 and the odd curveball
Amazing, we can't wait. Check out Becca's winning mix below, and don't forget to follow her socials below ↓↓↓↓↓ to show your support
