Dexter Jones

In this episode, I sit down with Jason "JFK" Kinch to unpack 30 years of PaSSion and the era of weekly UK club culture before the corporate superclubs and festivals muddied the waters.

Operating alongside Gatecrasher, Cream and Godskitchen. Before huge production budgets and global DJ brands.

PaSSion was building something different.

From the early days of flyering streets and risking everything financially, to flying in unknown artists like Ferry Corsten and a young Armin van Buuren who was still at university, this is a raw and honest look at what it really took to survive in the golden era of UK clubbing.

JFK opens up about:

• The reality of losing money as a promoter
• Why are you only ever as good as your last party
• The integrity of Tony De Vit turning down upfront feed to remain resident
• Taking risks on artists nobody knew
• Growing from 750 capacity to 2,500
• And why seeing that first person run onto the dancefloor still makes it all worth it

This is not a throwback for its own sake.
This is clubbing history from someone who lived it.

If you care about UK club culture, trance history, and the foundations of the scene before it went global, this episode is essential viewing.

Subscribe or follow for more club culture deeps dive with the people who built the scene.

Chapters:

00:00 30 Years of Passion - Before the Superclubs
07:35 The Emporium - Mark & Eric and the Birth of Passion
10:42 The Brutal First Six Months of Passion
16:48 Why Is He Called JFK?
21:52 Weekly Partying in the 90s Club Scene
28:26 Running The Emporium Nightclub
32:36 The Tony De Vit Residency Story
37:25 Ferry Corsten at Passion - Before the Fame
39:02 Booking a Student Armin van Buuren
43:46 Taking Passion to Ibiza
52:57 Tiësto at Cream Ibiza – The Superclub Era
1:00:14 The Generational Shift in UK Clubbing
1:06:54 The Return of Passion
1:12:00 Modern Day Clubbing Challenges
1:17:47 The Truth About Promoters Losing Money
1:20:28 Why He Can Never Walk Away
1:36:18 The Last Tune of the Night

This episode of the Dexter Jones Podcast tells the real story of Paul Madan AKA "Madders", who is one of the defining figures behind Sundissential and UK club culture.

It’s an honest, unfiltered conversation about success, addiction, collapse, and recovery. From the height of clubland to a twenty-year battle with crack cocaine, this episode goes beyond dance music into accountability, survival, and rebuilding a life.

This is one of the most important conversations we’ve ever recorded on the Dexter Jones Podcast.

This is not a nostalgia piece.

It’s a raw, human conversation about success, excess, addiction, collapse, recovery, and the long road back to finding meaning again.

From the rise of Sundissential and packed-out clubs to a twenty-year battle with crack cocaine, losing everything, finally finding recovery and his true purpose in life, this episode goes far beyond dance music.

It’s about accountability, survival, and choosing to face life head-on.

This episode is dedicated to everyone around the world living with any version of addiction, and to those in recovery who choose courage, honesty, and hope every single day.

In this episode, we cover:

📖 The real story behind Sundissential and its impact
🤯 The pressure, chaos, and reality behind the scenes
🤧 Addiction, denial, and hitting rock bottom
😢 Losing everything and starting again
▵ Recovery, responsibility, and life today
🥰 What survival actually looks like when the noise stops

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Chapters 📖

00:00 Intro | The Real Story Begins
04:08 Why He’s Always Been Called “Madders”
06:13 The Rumour That Madders Was Dead
10:14 Addiction Tightens Its Grip
25:53 Promoting the First Events | Early Clubland Days
37:32 How His Mum Invented the Name Sundissential
44:53 Sundissential Grows to 100,000 Members
57:51 Five Thousand People Turn Up to One Club
01:05:00 Sundissential Becomes a Superclub Brand
01:27:56 Club Deaths, Media Pressure, and Everything Falling Apart

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THE WELLBOURNE CLINIC
A huge thank you to Paul and the team at The WellBOURNE Clinic for the vital work they do supporting people affected by addiction and recovery. If you’d like to learn more about their approach and the support they offer, please visit their website:

 https://thewellbourneclinic.co.uk/

Live performance in electronic music is widely misunderstood.
In this episode, Saytek explains what playing live actually means and why it is fundamentally different from DJing.

Saytek has never DJed. Every performance is built, arranged, and performed live in real time. Nothing is pre-arranged, nothing is duplicated, and no two sets are ever the same.

He has been part of electronic music culture for decades, from early UK rave and squat parties to international touring, Berlin clubs, Ibiza seasons, and headlining techno rooms around the world. His background in sound engineering and deep technical understanding shaped a live performance approach that prioritises creativity, risk, and connection with the crowd.

In this conversation, we break down the realities of live techno performance.

We talk honestly about gear, Ableton, hardware myths, Berlin vs UK culture, why live acts are rarer than DJs, the sacrifices involved, and how electronic musicians actually think while performing.

This is not a DJ debate.
It’s an explanation.

Topics include:

• Why Saytek has never DJed
• What live techno performance really involves
• Hardware, Ableton, and the myth of “cheating”
• Sound engineering roots and early London club culture
• Squat parties, illegal raves, and DIY scenes
• Berlin vs UK techno culture
• What defines an electronic musician
• AI, creativity, and human imperfection
• Gear Acquisition Syndrome and why more gear isn’t the answer

⏱️ PODCAST CHAPTERS

00:00 – Saytek: “I’ve Never DJed”
04:27 – What Is Techno (and Why Live Matters)
10:56 – Live Techno Gear Explained
12:52 – Ableton Live: Tool or Cheat?
19:06 – How Saytek Got Into Live Performance
26:08 – London, Club Home & Sound Engineering Roots
32:19 – Squat Parties & Illegal Raves in London
35:53 – Berlin vs UK: Techno Culture Explained
45:02 – What Is an Electronic Musician (Not a DJ)
54:27 – AI, Creativity & the Future of Electronic Music
01:08:44 – Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS) Explained

If you’re a DJ, live act, producer, promoter, or someone interested in how electronic music is actually performed, this episode will give you real insight.

Today, I sit down with one of the most respected and quietly influential figures in modern trance and electronic music, Stephen Kirkwood.

Stephen’s story is not the usual DJ success narrative. This is a deep, honest conversation about creativity, resilience, graft, and finding multiple ways to survive and thrive in an industry that constantly shifts beneath your feet.

If you know Stephen for his productions, his releases on major labels, or his appearances at iconic venues like Amnesia Ibiza, this episode reveals the layers behind the music. If you do not know his story yet, this is a rare opportunity to hear how a working-class kid from Scotland built a career in trance, production, education, and business by staying adaptable and relentlessly consistent.

We talk about Stephen’s journey from early DJ gigs and self-promoted club nights to working with industry heavyweights, hearing his music played by legends like Paul van Dyk, and eventually playing after them on some of the biggest stages in dance music.

One of the most surprising parts of this conversation is how Stephen built Banging Pizza, a now multi-location pizza business that became a genuine hub for the Scottish electronic music scene. What started as a lockdown pivot turned into a thriving brand, with shops run and franchised by DJs and producers from the scene itself. It is a perfect example of creative thinking outside the booth.

We go deep into music production, the reality of putting in 10,000 hours, why most tracks fail before one finally works, and how mentorship from figures like Lange, Mark Sherry and David Forbes shaped Stephen’s sound and mindset. Stephen also opens up about teaching the next generation through Escapade Studios and why education and community matter more than ever in today’s music industry.

This episode also explores:
• The pressure of playing after global trance legends
• Law of attraction, manifestation, and belief
• Why consistency beats perfection in music careers
• The truth about ghost production vs collaboration
• Using AI as a creative tool in modern production
• Social media, micro-communities, and the 1,000 true fans principle
• Why trance is experiencing a genuine resurgence
• How Ibiza performances change an artist forever

We also talk candidly about rejection, releases falling through at the last minute, managing expectations, and how to stay mentally grounded in an industry built on highs and lows.

This is not just an interview for DJs. It is a conversation for any creative, entrepreneur, or artist trying to build something meaningful while navigating pressure, comparison, and constant change.

If you love Ibiza culture, trance music, electronic production, behind-the-scenes industry stories, or real conversations about creativity and survival in music, this episode will resonate deeply.

Do not forget to subscribe for more long-form conversations with DJs, producers, promoters, and the people who built the culture from the inside out.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro – Stephen Kirkwood: Trance, Ibiza & Creative Survival
03:15 When Covid Stopped Music and Forced a Pivot
07:31 Growing Up in Scotland: Where Music First Entered His Life
09:35 Starting a Local Club Night and Promoting Parties
14:27 SKcapade Studios: Teaching Producers and Giving Back
17:32 The 10,000-Hour Truth About Music Production
22:52 Ibiza, Law of Attraction and Manifesting Big Moments
25:03 Lange, Mentorship and Real Industry Friendships
40:25 The First Time Hearing His Music Played by the Legends
45:40 Social Media, DJs and Building a Real Audience
50:28 Why 1,000 True Fans Beats Huge Follower Counts
55:44 Playing After Paul van Dyk and Going “Cloud Nine”
59:28 AI in Music Production: Tool or Threat?
01:12:15 One More Tune: The Perfect Last Track of the Night

In this episode of The Dexter Jones Podcast, Dexter Jones sits down with Habs Akram, a pioneering VJ, visual artist, and live visual mixer who has helped shape how electronic music events, clubs, and festivals look for over 35 years.

Working alongside some of the biggest names in dance music, including Carl Cox, Habs has played a key role in bringing club visuals, live video mixing, and stage visuals into global electronic music culture, from underground London parties to Ibiza superclubs, Glastonbury, and world tours.

Often mistaken for “the lighting guy”, Habs explains what a VJ actually does, why visuals matter on the dance floor, and how live visual mixing can completely change the way music is experienced in clubs and festivals.

We dive into:

🔥 The moment Carl Cox told Habs: “Best visuals I’ve ever seen”
🎥 Why VJs are still misunderstood and undervalued in club culture
🌍 Touring the world with Nine Inch Nails and creating visuals used as lighting
🎬 How Habs’ work ended up in AI: Artificial Intelligence, directed by Steven Spielberg
🎪 The infamous Glastonbury “blag” that led to running the Pyramid Stage
🧠 Mixing visuals live, in real time, not pressing play
📱 The decade-long journey to building V4M, a live visual app that fits in your pocket
🎶 Why visuals should respond to music, not overpower it
🖤 The art of restraint, blackouts, and understanding the shape of sound

This episode is not just about visuals. It’s about timing, instinct, creativity, and what it really means to bring music to life on a dance floor.

If you’ve ever wondered how iconic nights actually come together behind the scenes, this one’s for you.

Chapters: 
00:00 Why I wanted Habs Akram on the podcast (VJ & visual pioneer)
02:14 VJ vs lighting engineer – what a VJ really does
03:01 How live visual mixing actually works in clubs and festivals
03:30 West London roots, early rave culture & clubbing history
04:01 Turning up to Slinky in a suit – learning the rave scene
06:53 From corporate AV to underground dance music visuals
07:51 The visual idea that was ahead of its time
10:02 Nine Inch Nails tour, Spielberg & breaking into world tours
25:38 Carl Cox’s compliment: “Best visuals I’ve ever seen”
28:40 Why Habs doesn’t rate AI visuals in dance music
50:28 V4M app explained – live visuals from your phone
1:05:15 Space Ibiza years & the golden era of club culture
1:14:00 The secret sauce: blackouts, timing & reading the drop
1:22:18 Last tune to end the night – closing moments

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Download the V4M APP 
www. https://visuals4music.com/

Info: https://www.facebook.com/Habsy.Akram