DJ James Grenside

LIVE MUSIC

Top Liverpool DJ James Grenside aka Grenno chats to Lifestyle

When did you discover your love of music?

I've always loved music ever since I was a kid and I played drums in a band growing up. My entire family played some form of musical instrument and it's just something I grew up with. My mum was into classical musical and used to try to teach me the piano and clarinet. She won't admit it but she was definitely gutted when she saw me picking up drums as I got older! She wanted me to be the modern Mozart.

When did you get your first decks?

I never actually had much of a desire to DJ at first. I just loved music and was always very creative. I started to appreciate Dance music when I was around 18. I got to know the DJ in the club I used to go to because I sent him silly mashups I made and he thought they were great! We became friends and one time he asked me to cover him while he went on holiday. It was a bit of a baptism of fire as I'd never DJ'ed before. So that week I got the cheapest possible set I could find to practice at home. They were absolutely terrible. I ended up just going into the club to practice instead. I loved it though. I've never looked back since.

What is your style?

I suppose I'm quite aggressive and energetic with my sets. Which is funny because I'm pretty chill in real life. But when I'm throwing tracks out, I want them big and bold.

How did you get into

producing? I always wanted some career making music. That was a decision I made from a young age. I knew it would be difficult but I knew I wanted to give it a go. And then when I fell into DJing, it just seemed like a natural progression. I can produce dance tracks and then play them in my sets. Production is so hard though. Playing in a band, there are of you and you have one single instrument. When you're producing, you're writing, arranging and then mixing the entire thing yourself. And you also have to choose which instruments you want and decide whether they all fit together. It's a nightmare. But there is no better feeling to playing your music out and getting a reaction from the crowd. It really is worth all the hard work

What were your views on Spotify last year?

I'm fairly new to spotify, I've only been releasing music on there for 18 months. And I'll be honest, I didn't use it before then! I always got my music from podcasts or DJ mailing lists. I can't imagine my life without it now though. It's great.

Where is your favourite

place to gig? Fusion. That place feels like home. And when it's rammed and popping off, there is no place like it.

Do you have a rider?

Actually, no! People always look at me shocked, because I always turn up to gigs with my own food and water! Haha. I'm just so used to eating and drinking on my own schedule I just bring it with me. I got given a bottle of grey goose as a thank you once though. That didn't last long.

Is it hard working such

irregular hours? The hours themselves aren't difficult. You get used to them fairly quickly. What is difficult though is the sleeping pattern. You can do the hours and sleep fine but one tiny thing - a night out or an early morning - and it can completely destroy your sleeping pattern. And with no exaggeration, it can literally take months to get your rhythm back. You'll spend weeks not being able to get to sleep. That really is a killer.

Tell us about your chart

success last year? It was a bit mad really. My first ever original/spotify release (that's a non remix track, so all my own work) ended up in the top 100 most downloaded tracks on Beatport, which is the DJ version of amazon music. So at one point my track was in the top 100 most downloaded dance tracks in the world. Absolutely mad.

Who would you like to collaborate with?

There's definitely a hint of imposter syndrome here. I think if anyone big asked me to collab, I'd be tempted to refuse because I don't feel I'm at that level yet. That happens a lot in that industry, there are no qualifications or grades so you don't know where you fit into everything. You just have to guess the level you're at. If I was going to choose someone though, it would be my best mate Josh Samuel. We got halfway through a track last year and it was a rammer and we just never finished it. If he's reading this he needs to get round to mine so we can finish it!

Who is your music idol?

When I was a teenager, my absolute idol was Travis Barker (a drummer obviously). I admired him so much for how humble he was even though he was so talented. And I admired his insane work rate. The guy never stopped grinding. I definitely took a lot of that with me growing up. Stay Humble, practice your craft and work your a**e off. I think that's a great way to aspire to be.

How do you keep on top of musical trends?

I listen to music non stop. When I'm in the gym, whenever I'm moving, whenever I'm working, whenever I'm with friends. In my spare time I go to events and gigs. I love it. It's very easy when you get older to slow down and stop seeking out new music. And you just end up regurgitating how you loved certain bands/ artists when you were 16. And music isn't the same now as it was. I couldn't imagine doing that. Music is great.

What do you love

about your job? I only recently discovered that it's not actually normal to completely enjoy what you do. I had a conversation with my brother and he was saying how he was unhappy in his job; he didn't enjoy it. And I said "well why don't you leave?". He replied saying "If only it were that easy". It was then that I realised that its normal for people to be stuck in jobs they hate; working for people they don't know. I could not imagine that. I absolutely love going into work. I love what I do. And I love that everything I do progresses me as a person. I'm not working for anyone but myself. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

SHOPPING Liverpool ONE steps into 2022 with the signing of Russell & Bromley

Russell & Bromley, the premium British footwear and handbag brand, is to launch a new 3,000 sq ft site on South John Street, its first in Liverpool. Set to open this spring, the new Russell & Bromley store will showcase the brand’s extensive collection of fashion-led luxury women’s and men’s footwear and handbags. The new Liverpool ONE unit will also present its new contemporary store format reflective of the brand’s luxury offer, providing an engaging customer journey that allows the perfect curation of its handcrafted products within a premium setting. Andrew Bromley, CEO, Russell & Bromley, added: “We are delighted to have secured this key location in Liverpool ONE to further enhance our presence nationwide. It is a high-quality destination with a great reputation and unique appeal that attracts customers from across the region. We look forward to joining the Liverpool ONE community and welcoming new (and existing online) customers to experience the Russell & Bromley brand firsthand in store and to our exciting new collection for the Spring/ Summer season ahead.” The signing of Russell & Bromley follows a very successful year for Liverpool ONE, with 37 brands, totalling 280,000 sq ft, signed, opened or renewed in the year. Highlights included Tessuti, Bershka, OMEGA, Castore, Rituals, Gym + Coffee, Escape Live, Gordan Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen, Bean Coffee, Maggie Fu and Mamasan. Furthermore, new and existing occupiers invested £11.5m in their Liverpool ONE stores and restaurants in 2021.