Dance Policy Shorts: Mike O'Mara

In your own words, who are you mike? What do you do?

Apart from DJing, I am a 41 year … Old man. In my day job I work for the drug and alcohol team in Manchester in the hospitals and providing the link between that. Aside from that, im trying to think what else I do! Pandemic wise it’s just been me and my girlfriend Heather at home and we’ve made it through these 16 months so I think we’re gonna do alright… yeah!

How long you been DJING for? Because on your R.A page I saw you’ve been active since 2007!

Probably more! Probably 20 years this year. I probably predate R.A and facebook which is terrifying. I started when I was 21. I was buying records before I had decks. I was getting gigs at back rooms at clubs, which in the olden days a different room from the main room would play different music but… but without being too much of an old moody man now … but I walk into different rooms and its the same BPM haha! But I was getting lots of gigs playing music in the back rooms of clubs from friends who were DJs and learnt how to DJ whilst in the club which is a bit of a backwards way of doing it but…

So you’ve lived in Manchester for awhile?

Yeah I grew up in Manchester. When I was 29 I had a mini mid life crisis. I was working call centres and offices and that was absolutely fine, not a bad job, but I had done it for 10 years while DJing quite a lot and lost a lot of jobs from being off sick and didn’t take it seriously. Then at 29 I wanted to do something grown up and I went to do a social work degree in Sheffield and left my records in Manchester and went to Sheffield and then within 6 months I was the busiest I had ever been as a DJ! So I was there for 3-4 years. I then ended up coming back to Manchester.

You were paid to DJ?

Yeah! My friend dan, who sadly passed away last November, me and him did a party and got some friends up and then we were getting booked at loads of different places. It’s a lovely scene in Sheffield, people say its like a big village and it really is. Its a nice size. Everyone knows each other and is dead supportive of each others parties. We did quite well… I mean we got paid in rum an awful lot and looking back I wish I stood my ground and said “can I have the cash not the alcohol” haha.

Compared to Sheffield or Manchester, which one have you enjoyed more?

From 21 I played in bars a lot and it was almost a job and then I got some gigs playing in back rooms but pre my 30s promoters in Manchester were more likely to book me at their weddings then their club nights. I would be thinking I’m a good DJ! But then I went to Sheffield and it wasn’t like I was reinventing myself but you didn’t have any baggage so I got to play some records in great clubs so I definitely had better gigs I think in Sheffield. But Manchester… its brilliant. I think going away for a few years when you’ve grown up there its just a town and you go out and enjoy it but when you come back, like when I go to London and come back its quieter but when I come back from Sheffield to Manchester you think god its busy. So I think theres one of everything in Sheffield and in Manchester if theres one type of night theres at least 2 or 3 of em. It’s just bigger but both have their advantages. Trying not to get myself cancelled in Manchester… big fan of both!!

When you’ve lived in Sheffield I remember going to the butchers, they go “there you go love” its like another level of friendliness from Manchester. But I think I used to love this 2-3 year period I played in London a lot for a party called Soul City which was in the basement of this restaurant which closed at 11 and took out the tables. I always loved playing down there. I think especially now with the Youngers ones there seems to be a lot more collaboration and less competition, I don’t think my era there was in competition but I don’t think were as supportive as a lot of the younger ones are now.

People always look back at the 90s… people have always been really nostalgic about the 90s and acid rave i’ve often found its … you shouldn’t be looking back that much because illegal raves and stuff kids would die …

Its interesting you say that because I see people post footage from places like quadrant park and these big raves and they like… I would love to go back and experience that but I remember Sankeys when I was 18 and my drugs taken off me by the doorman and it was terrifying! And then a minute later another doorman would come up and try and sell em’ to you. There will always be people who look back like they will now, but going to the white hotel or hidden the atmosphere is as good as anything from back then. I think the footage from back then its just so rare that you don’t see … I think its good to look back in a respectful way but not pining for it and I think literally some of it it wasn’t sort of what it was held up to be. the atmospheres in clubs now are as good as anything from back then.

Never got to go to Sankeys….

if you speak to the older generation they would tell you there was 2 or 3 incarnations of sankeys. When I started going in 98 there were bullet holes in the roof! Gang members and such. But there was probably less trouble in there because there were gangs there but then it changed again towards red light when Christo was a resident and they had some great residents. It got a little bit more shiny and you had spectrum upstairs with the lights… but I think each generation who were 18-22 it was their period the old ones will moan about its newer incarnation but im sure people who were young at that point loved it. Its all relative.

I also never went to the Hacienda! The first year I started going out was its last year. Im quite glad in a way because in my group of friends growing up in north Manchester a lot of the ones who went there … any club we went to, Middlesborough, Birmingham, wherever, it would always be like that was amazing! But they would be like yeah but its not the hacienda was it! Im so glad I just got to enjoy this nightclub and not… and still now that was their absolute peak of going out.

What is your favourite thing about DJing?

Anything over 150 people… I have terrible anxiety so .. theres been a couple times in my life where there has been 100, 150 people in a room and that connection … there was this night in Sheffield with all these young people there who had this real shared moment and I’ve DJed several times but I think i’ve only had that genuinely where by 7am everyone had become friends and still now im quite good friends with people there and we talk about it. There were moments where it really connects and doesn’t feel like work.. you don’t get loads of them but its so special but I was completely sober it was like 7 in the morning.

I’ve been “DJing” for 3 years or so, I don’t DJ like you or look for bookings but it wasn’t until the other week where I played for a crowd and for the first time felt like they genuinely enjoyed my music.

yeah! I can remember and afterparty and we’re just playing records in the front room but it was a similar thing and it was really lovely and its hard to explain. There are those rare moments, where its really special where theres no rhyme or reason for it. I was once in the third room of a massive gig but people just stayed in there. It was lovely.

Sometimes its things you can’t control, like it could be the music you’re playing but its whether…. These people will happen to enjoy the same type of music.

And happen to be in that room that night! Im not saying the guy in the front room wasn’t good but if wasn’t playing different music they wouldn’t have made it to us and to be honest it got to half past 12 it felt like they were gonna shut the room but all of a sudden there were people in the room. Just last week I was talking about that night to a friend and yeah it was really good. I think since theres been such a break im genuinely excited about playing some records.

I’m absolutely going to try and catch you soon as I can! so… whats the worst thing about DJing?

Going back a few years, that sort of measuring yourself against other people it can chew you up. I would be doing a mix and look how many people are listening or… the guy I used to DJ with Dan he just loved to party and just enjoyed it. If I could go back now I wish I could do that more because I used to get so stressed and anxious and probably the busiest I’ve ever been DJing when I should have been enjoying it. The mental health side of it, because it seems so stupid, you’re going out playing records to 100 people which should feel great but I remember a New Years eve playing for 600 people at 5am and as I got into the booth I had a full on panic attack and just completely… I had to go outside and let em play the first four records and came back in. Don’t remember anything about that hour, and was probably the most amount of people I’ve played to… but I was just looking at my watch thinking “come on, there’s only 10 more minutes left” instead of wishing for another hour! So thats not so much DJing and more on me and the pressure I put on myself.

You’d be surprised. I’ve only been doing this for a year and a half or so and the amount of people who have mentioned that very thing. Nearly every single dj has said that.

The good things far outweigh the negatives though!

Thanks mike, I think thats a lovely place to end the interview.