Dexter Jones

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

The System Is Broken: Why Dance Music Is Harder Than Ever | Jason FUBAR

In this episode of The Dexter Jones Podcast, I sit down with Jason FUBAR, a long-time DJ, promoter, and rave scene grafter who has lived every era of dance music culture first-hand.

Jason has been part of the scene for over 35 years. From the early rave days in Blackpool to superclubs, festivals, bars, the Royal Navy, Ibiza, Mallorca, and booking future superstars before they were even known, he’s seen the industry evolve from the inside.

This conversation is a reality check on why dance music feels broken right now.

We talk honestly about rising costs and shrinking margins, exclusivity deals, micro-venues versus mega clubs, and why promoters are being squeezed harder than ever. Jason also shares stories from running bars and festivals, touring internationally, and witnessing UK rave culture being built from the ground up.

This is not nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake.
It’s about the current reality, what has changed, and what still makes dance music special after 30+ years.

🎧 Take your time with this one.

We talk about:

■ Why it now costs more to make less money in dance music
■ Rising overheads, ticket pricing, and the real pressure promoters face
■ How exclusivity deals are damaging local scenes
■ Why small 200–300 capacity parties are making a comeback
■ Social media, trolling, and the abuse aimed at DJs and promoters
■ DJ culture then vs now, and why the scene feels different
■ Ibiza, BCM Mallorca, and the Balearic circuit
■ The Syndicate Blackpool and the superclub era
■ Why originality in music is disappearing
■ What still makes dance music worth fighting for

Chapters:

00:00 The System Is Broken: Why Dance Music Is Harder Than Ever
08:23 You Used to Spend a Quid to Make a Tenner
13:25 Starting Out DJing in the Early Rave Era (1991)
24:14 Joining the Royal Navy While DJing
33:29 English Drinking Culture and Festival Spending Power
38:25 Back to the Old Pool Festival: Risks, Costs and Crowd Control
51:24 Trolling on Social Media: Abuse, Misogyny and Promoter Hate
01:03:09 The Syndicate Superclub, Blackpool (5,000 Capacity Era)
01:18:37 BCM Mallorca and Breaking Into the Balearic Scene
01:29:46 How Early Facebook Changed Ibiza Forever
01:32:19 Music Production Today: Remixes, Samples and Industry Laziness
01:40:36 One More Tune: Final Track Choices and Podcast Wrap-Up

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For guest invitations, sponsorship proposals, and collaboration enquiries, please contact Dexter:

[email protected]

Ian Van Dahl on the pressure, politics, and reality of making timeless dance music

Few tracks define an entire generation of club culture quite like Castles in the Sky. For many, it was a soundtrack to first nights out, Ibiza summers, and the emotional peak of late-90s and early-2000s trance.

In this episode of The Dexter Jones Podcast, I’m joined by Ian Van Dahl to revisit the story, sound, and legacy behind one of the most influential dance music projects of its era.

We explore the rise of euphoric trance at a time when clubs were built on emotion, release, and collective energy. From early aliases and studio pressure to record label politics and creative control, this conversation pulls back the curtain on what it really took to create records that still resonate decades later.

This is not nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake.
It’s about understanding why this music mattered, why it connected so deeply, and why it continues to hit differently today.

If you lived through the golden era of trance, this will resonate.
If you are discovering this music for the first time, this episode offers vital context into a moment when dance music felt truly timeless.

🎧 Take your time with this one.

We talk about:

🎶 The story behind Castles in the Sky

🌍 How Ian Van Dahl broke through globally

🧠 Making music before laptops and DAWs

⚖️ Record labels, pressure, and creative control

🪩 Eurodance, trance, and why the UK scene was different

🔮 Why modern DJs struggle with identity

Chapters:
00:00 Intro and meeting Ian Van Dahl
01:31 How the name Ian Van Dahl was created
03:16 Early music career and multiple aliases
10:50 Making music in the 90s before laptops and DAWs
22:02 Eurodance vs trance and why the UK was different
30:04 The Ian Van Dahl project and Castles in the Sky
39:24 Record labels, pressure, and creative control
54:35 European club culture and the rise of Eurodance
1:19:22 Why modern DJs struggle with identity
1:29:00 What’s next for Ian Van Dahl as an artist

For guest invitations, sponsorship proposals, and collaboration enquiries, please contact Dexter:

[email protected]

What happens after Ibiza?

For many, Ibiza is a moment in time.
For others, it becomes a turning point that quietly shapes everything that follows.

In this episode of The Dexter Jones Podcast, I’m joined by Lisa Good, a former Manumission performer, to explore what life really looks like after the lights come up and the music fades.

We begin where it all started.
The Manumission years.
The madness, the freedom, and the surreal experience of living in Ibiza during one of its most iconic cultural eras.

But this conversation goes deeper than nostalgia.

Lisa shares the journey that came after Ibiza, how travel, the ocean, and a series of life-changing experiences led her away from the party world and towards a new purpose rooted in environmental action, community, and long-term legacy.

This is not a charity pitch.
It’s an Ibiza story that didn’t end when the island chapter closed.

At its core, this episode is about evolution.
How a place like Ibiza can change you, challenge you, and quietly influence the rest of your life in ways you don’t always recognise at the time.

If you lived through Ibiza in the late 90s and early 2000s, this will resonate.
If you’ve ever wondered what happens after a life built around music, freedom, and excess, this conversation is for you.

🎧 Sit back, take your time, and enjoy this next chapter.

To find out more about Pure Sea, visit: www.puresea.co.uk

We talk about:

🪩 Life during the Manumission era in Ibiza

🗺️ What happens when that world ends and reality returns

✈️ Leaving Ibiza and searching for identity afterwards

🌊 How the ocean became a turning point

🎗️ The connection between music culture and community action

🎧 Ibiza DJs and creatives giving back

Chapters:
00:00 Ibiza, Manumission & Losing Identity
02:03 Welcome Back: Life After Manumission
05:43 When Ibiza Comes to an End
08:18 Travelling Thailand Changed Everything
10:04 Swimming With Sharks in Thailand
12:09 Australia, Diving & Marine Conservation
16:20 Cage Diving With Great White Sharks
19:29 From Ibiza to Ocean Activism
23:09 The Birth of Pure Sea
27:23 Why Registering a Charity Is So Hard
32:47 Beach Cleans With DJs & Fatboy Slim
34:00 Cleaning Up Camden Lock
40:38 Teaching Ocean Awareness in Schools
45:15 Why Helium Balloons Kill Wildlife
51:22 Why the Education System Must Change
57:04 Animal Testing, Activism & Awareness
1:01:43 Food Waste & Overconsumption
1:03:53 Why Everyone Should Watch My Octopus Teacher
1:07:21 One Last Tune From Manumission
1:09:45 A Labour of Love

For guest invitations, sponsorship proposals, and collaboration enquiries, please contact Dexter:
[email protected]