Welcome back to ‘Matchday DJ Of The Week’, where in each issue we put 10 serious and not so serious quick-fire questions to a matchday DJ from the world of sport! This week we sat down for a chat with Tottenham Hotspur & WWE DJ, Zoe London.
- Name: Zoe London
- Occupation: DJ @ Tottenham Hotspur & WWE
The Interview
SM: How long have you been DJ’ing?
ZL: I started DJing in 2010, so almost 13 years now!
SM: How did you initially get your foot in DJ’ing in football stadiums?
ZL: I got my foot into match day DJ’ing from an incredible DJ called Andy Purnell. He’s been at Spurs as a match day DJ for years since the new stadium opened, but in the recent year has been a very busy bee himself as Central Cee’s tour DJ, so he subbed me in as he knew I was a Spurs fan and also experienced in corporate DJ performances for clients. I played for the first time at the start of the year for the last season and I’ve since returned this season. It’s so important as a female in this space to have those voices amplify you and lift you and Andy has always been a truly fantastic cheerleader for me – something I think should really be so key to this industry! We all benefit from people lifting others like Andy.
SM: Can you give us a rundown of the clubs & organisations you’re DJ’ing for currently, and those you used to work for?
ZL: So I currently DJ for Tottenham Hotspur on match days, and most recently I was honoured to be WWE’s first ever UK live show DJ at the Cardiff Principality Stadium.
SM: Can you remember your first football match/stadium experience as a child?
ZL: It was actually at White Hart Lane – the old Tottenham stadium. I remember it really vividly! My dad took me along when I was only about 8 years old, and I absolutely loved it. I was hooked ever since and love experiencing live football. I feel at home at Tottenham Hotspur especially working there now.
SM: Would you say your first experience of live football and the memories of that day were motivation for taking on stadium gigs?
ZL: Oh my gosh it absolutely played a huge part! I think back a lot to that little girl very wide eyed and excited to experience this culture for the first time and how happy I am that it’s come full circle and how truly honoured I am to represent my team. So many DJ sets in my career mean so much but day in day out turning up to that stadium I never stop feeling thankful that I get to perform for a team that have been so instrumental to my life and my family growing up. I recently got to bring my dad along with me and that meant the world having me bring him, just like he did with me when I was little.
SM: Who’s the best player you’ve seen play the beautiful game live?
ZL: So when I was 9 I was a mascot for the England squad! This was 1998 so that was a pretty strong squad we had Beckham, Owen, Shearer, amongst others so that was a huge highlight of my life and I’ll never ever forget the feeling of running through the tunnel at Wembley as the crowd roared! In more recent years though I think Heung-Min Son is absolutely world class and I never ever tire of watching him play at Spurs!
SM: Who is your favourite artist/band of all time?
ZL: This is so tricky because I’m so open-format I love so many artists! I grew up listening to The Clash thanks to my dad so they will always be my favourite, and I love bands like Alexisonfire, Thrice, The Used, Bring Me The Horizon etc.. but in my career I’m super inspired by house and EDM DJs – which help me create my unique fusion sound of house with alternative elements. I really love Dillon Francis, he inspires me massively because of how he constantly crosses genre. But I’m very open minded and I listen to music from all cultures and all genres, I think when you make and play music it’s truly the best way to be!
SM: Which piece of music do you think is the ultimate track for motivating a footballing side?
ZL: I’m a big fan of Talamanca by Burns, it builds up so well and makes such a good atmosphere. I also think you can absolutely never beat Eric Prydz – Pjanoo!
SM: Which tracks are regulars on your matchday playlist?
ZL: I really like to play remixes of popular songs that all ages can love, as we attract a big mixed crowd at Spurs, so most of the tracks I play are house remixes or mashups of popular songs and I really think you cannot beat Chic – Le Freak! That one always makes people feel good and want to dance, especially with a slightly boosted beat behind it! I also play remixes and mashups with samples like Destination Calabria – Alex Gaudino, Anyway – Duck Sauce, Junior Senior – Move Your Feet, Two Can Play That Game – Bobby Brown, Break My Soul – Beyonce… I could go on but basically my style at Tottenham is to fluidly mix from 70s+80s to 90s,00s and 10/20s by using funky, disco and future house beats to bring it all together. It’s quite a unique DJ set that makes everyone happy from the young kids to the older crowd! Of course it isn’t a Tottenham match day if we don’t play a bit of Chas n Dave as well and I love playing those old classics!
SM: On a final note, are there any funny mishaps/cock-ups that have taken place that come to mind when you think about your career so far?
ZL: I think the funniest thing that happened recently was that WWE had let me know I would be featuring on the giant screens inside Principality but as far as I was aware it was going to be from about halfway through as it got busier but it turned out it was from the very minute I started playing – and I didn’t notice for about 15 minutes until I turned around and saw the biggest screen ever with my face on! Luckily I didn’t do anything questionable on screen but it did really make me laugh that I had no idea I was projected on a giant screen until I had started!
We’d like to say a huge thank you to Zoe for taking the time to talk to us. We wish her the very best for the rest of the season!
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