From club to radio and every other music DJ in between; Chris warms up his guests before asking them to pick a set of 5 questions from a box of 45. There are anecdotes aplenty, essential do's & don'ts, as well as gear recommendations, PLUS there's always an apocalyptic set closer too!
Rusty Egan is one of the true pioneers of British club culture.
As co-founder of the legendary Blitz Club, a key figure in the New Romantic movement and a founding member of Visage, Rusty helped shape the sound, style and attitude of a generation.
In this episode of How To DJ, Rusty joins Chris Hawkins to look back on more than four decades in music — from discovering electronic records and experimenting with drum machines, to building the atmosphere at the Blitz, helping launch Camden Palace and watching DJ culture evolve into a global industry.
Rusty talks about programming a dancefloor, why a DJ should never make the night all about themselves, the importance of collaboration, his experiences with artists including Midge Ure, Steve Strange, Peter Hook and Tony Hadley, and why his love of discovering, making and playing music has never disappeared.
A wide-ranging conversation with one of the originals about club culture, creativity, longevity and what it really means to be a DJ.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
18 Sept 2026
Tom Wainwright
Chris Hawkins welcomes Tom Wainwright, one of the Hacienda’s most beloved resident DJs. From humble beginnings washing pots alongside Laurent Garnier in Manchester’s iconic Dry Bar, Tom Wainwright takes us through his journey from buying his first records with paper round money, to warming up the Hacienda’s legendary dance floors, to spinning in clubs around the world with Gatecrasher and Ministry of Sound.
Now a governance lawyer by day, Tom reflects on the highs and lows of life as a professional DJ, Manchester’s evolving club culture, and the enduring magic of house music.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
4 Sept 2026
Jagz Kooner
Jagz Kooner joins Chris Hawkins for a career-spanning conversation about DJing, production, remixing and his part in some of the most influential British music of the last four decades.
Jagz traces his journey from growing up in West London, recording songs off the radio and buying 12-inch records with money from his paper round, to becoming immersed in acid house and building his own studio with no formal musical or engineering training.
He tells Chris about meeting Andrew Weatherall, the creative chemistry that led to Sabres of Paradise, the Sabresonic parties and records including Haunted Dancehall. He also reflects on what made Weatherall such a unique producer and why remixing gave him the freedom to completely dismantle and rebuild other people’s music.
There are also stories from working with Primal Scream, The Charlatans and Kasabian, touring alongside the future Chemical Brothers, and his long friendship with Noel Gallagher — including remixing tracks from Oasis’ Dig Out Your Soul.
Jagz also talks about bringing Sabres of Paradise back to the stage and a lifetime spent experimenting with sound, machines and music.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Who has been a guest on How To DJ
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
William Orbit
Rob Tissera
Andy Votel
Luke Una
Tommy Smith
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Spotify
4.9 / 5
42 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 62 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
85
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
96
Contact How To DJ
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
