RIP DJ Ajax – One of the unknown muses for Substance

It was on a cramped and especially humid Sydney nightclub where the initial concept for Substance was born in my head. Sitting on the side of the stage behind the side curtain I watched an ambient figure cut through a crowd like hot butter. You have to remember this was before Boys Noise, Justice and The Bloody Beetroots had made banging electro sound like a Yamaha home organ had slept with a 303 and ate two spoonfuls of Jacked.  Electro house was still very much an upcoming genre, with more basic synth arrangements and less abrasive bass kicks. Right now I am justifying my own reasons for being a fan of electro house, but it was heading out and listening to electro that prompted me to consider re-igniting my passion with the decks and more so my own event…..

As the DJ finished his set, my friend who worked for One Love in Sydney introduced us and we had a brief chat about the common misconception in names between himself and Melbourne’s Ajax, music and running your own club. It was a fifteen minute munted conversation that finished on the pretense along the words of “You have to do what you love and love what you do”. We had no emotional relationship, that is I never spoke to him ever again, but I kept an ever interested eye on the poles on the top 100, even after i deleted him for sending me ITM top 100 requests. When I woke the next morning, I started thinking and the thought process developed, it didn’t take long until I had sucked Jordz, Rich and Simon in for the ride.

I’m no longer in the scene and Substance has evolved, far removed from its humble musical beginnings. But I have to stop and say thank you and god speed, to Ajax and from everybody at Substance HQ our deepest sympathies to his family, crew members and friends.

Thanks for the initial inspiration…

– Taran M