- what / DJ
- likes / Techno
He's one of Indigo's resident DJ's, spins discs regularly on Radio Active, organises The Drill - a goth/industrial music event, and has plans to start his own record store. Meet Shane Hickmore, a.k.a DJ Forge.
Shane got into DJing at just 14, when a friend's sister gave them the chance to choose the tracks played at a skating rink . From then on Shane knew he wanted to become a DJ, and today he's well on his way into a very promising DJ career.
"I kinda caught on to the whole electronic thing when I was about fifteen. I got into house, which then progressed into jungle. Later on I got interested in the Goth/industrial side of things. But (on Active) now I play a bit of everything, you never know who's going to be listening."
But what kind of name is DJ Forge?
Shane laughs.
" It's from my youth really, a group of friends and I had stupid names for each other, and I kinda took it from that. Also in olden times the forge was all metal work and about creating something new and different out of the raw elements and I like to try and do that with my mixing.
You get two tracks and when you put them together, if you put them together in the right way you can make a completely different piece of music, something new from what's already there."
He's one Wellington DJ that certainly seems to make a lot of sense.
"One of the best things about DJing is when you play a really good set and you can see people in the audience smiling and just enjoying themselves, it's like a good feeling, you know that you're helping people have a good night and that they're enjoying the music you're playing.
I think that's what DJing is all about but sometimes there are some DJs that have lost sight of that and they're kinda just in it for the money, the fame and the fortune. Really you're just up there to entertain people and if you don't get off on people having a good night, then you're not in it for the right reasons."
He'd like to do some more Goth/industrial stuff and play some huge gigs, but at the moment he's just forging ahead playing shows, such as a packed out gig with Trinity Roots at Indigo last week. Shane also plans to open up a record store, hopefully by the end of the year.
"I'd like it to be in Cuba St, (Wellington) somewhere, and stock a lot of darker stuff. I'd also like it to be kind of a forum for New Zealand musicians who record and make maybe fifty CD's and then have an avenue to sell them through."
With great aspirations and the talent to back it up we can all expect to hear a lot more from DJ Forge in the future.
Check him out on Radio Active 89FM Wellington and on Tuesday nights at Indigo bar, Cuba St
