London House Head Paul Heron Spills the Tea.

Paul, tell us a bit about early life and growing up? 

So my early childhood was in a sleepy little fishing village in South West Scotland on the Logan Estate on the Mull of Galloway, it's super remote but a really stunning part of the world - not exactly the ideal place for a baby gay who was designing dresses aged eight and who desperately wanted to be a fashion designer. My folks later relocated to Twickenham for work and I grew up with my sister in London. I love my homeland but I’m really glad they did as London offered me far more opportunities and the ability to be myself. It provided the perfect playground for me to experiment and find myself.

Who was the first boy you kissed?

The first boy I ever kissed was a really hot Spanish hippie at the hippie market in Ibiza. I was there with my mates and their parents when we were about fifteen staying in Santa Eulalia. As we were walking around the market he was blatantly checking me out as we walked past his stall so I walked on a bit then accidentally on purpose lost all my mates and their folks and wandered back around past him, we started chatting and then snuck off and hooked up. Needless to say Ibiza and sexy Spanish hippies still hold a very special place in my heart!

What was your first DJ gig and how bad were you? 

My memory of those early years is hazy to say the least but I do remember one of my first big ones playing at a pre party for DTPM called Cartel for Oliver Mohns. I was playing b2b with my mate Ricardo before one of my heroes Steve Thomas. My hands were shaking putting the needle on the record and there were definitely a few, er... 'loose' mixes. It was frustrating as I knew I could do better but it spurred me on to practice which served me later when I landed my residency at DTPM at Fabric.

In three words, what makes a great DJ in your eyes? 

Passion, dedication and conviction. You absolutely have to have an inexhaustible passion for music and searching for it, to be dedicated to it as it takes a lot more preparation, research, promotion and sacrifice than most people think. You also have to have a strong confidence in your taste and musical choices. 

Any celebrity encounters you care to share?

There have been quite a few mad ones. There was the time I ended up in Grace Jones' hotel room at the St. Martins Lane Hotel partying with her, Alexander McQueen, Philip Tracey and Paul Richardson, the promoter of Sweet Suite where she had just been and where I was DJing that night. After getting introduced to her at the end of the night her manager invited us back.

Christ, I've had quite a few nights with celebs. There was the night Lady Gaga was our PA at Le Mix club in Paris after my set, she was there promoting her first album. She was super sweet, gave 100% in her performance and even though she was relatively unknown at the time you could tell she was gonna go far! I ended up in Valentino’s apartment in London with Bryan Adams and Gwyneth Paltrow after getting invited to dinner that evening  by David La Chapelle, who was a real hero of mine at the time. I went for lunch with Frankie Knuckles in Melbourne. He was the sweetest man. We sat and chatted for ages and he took the time to hear about my journey to DJing. We discovered we had both started out as fashion students but hated it and both realised that music had always been our constant enduring passion. He encouraged me to just keep doing what I was doing and what I loved.

Patrick Cox booked me to play for David Furnish’s 40th birthday party, that was a mental night!  I was standing in the booth and looking around seeing Elton, the Beckhams, Dolce & Gabbana and countless other ridiculously famous faces partying to my music. There were quite a few nights. One memorable one was when the Pet Shop Boys rocked up and were hanging out with me in the DJ booth at Shadow Lounge whilst Cilla Black was swinging around the stripper pole totally leathered! She was a lot of fun when she used to party in there with Paul O’Grady. 

There is also a few stories about the lead singer of a huge band who I had a fling with or the Hollywood actor I shagged but I’m saving those for my memoirs. [We want the tea but not the libel so we'll leave those ones...]

What is the most bizarre song request you’ve ever had? 

One of the Sugababes asked me to play her new  unreleased solo single in the middle of my set at Shadow Lounge years ago. As much as I adore them I said no as I wasn’t about to stop everything in the middle of a rocking Saturday night to drop a ballad. She wasn’t very happy with me! 

Every gay has a secret drag queen name. What’s yours? 

Travesty Abortion (pronounced in your best southern bell accent).

If you can go back in time to one club you never made it to: which one and why?

I know you said one but this has to be two, possibly three. Studio 54, obviously. I’m obsessed with disco and also it was just utter iconic insanity! The Loft listening to David Mancuso and to be there to see the birth of club culture as we know it would have been incredible. And finally Paradise Garage to dance to Larry Levan. I know I would have been in heaven on that dance floor. 

Which night are you most proud of? 

This is such a difficult one as there are so many moments and events that I have been super proud to be involved with. My 17 years with La Demence in Brussels has brought me so many great memories. So many moments on international tours and my recent work with WE party at Fabrik in Madrid. But I think getting to play on the Terrace and main floor at Space Ibiza for Cafe Ole is definitely one of my proudest ever moments.

I had been going to Ibiza for years so those dance floors were hallowed ground to me! 

I’m also incredibly proud of our second year of sold out pride parties for Discreet x Induztri that we held at Century Soho this year. After months of planning to see it rammed and see our community having a joyful pride day together is a very special feeling for me! 

Which night are you least proud of? 

The night a really drunk girl leant over the booth and dropped a cocktail directly on to the decks. The music went off and it scratched the shit out of one of my favourite records. The room fell silent just as I screamed at her so loudly that the entire club heard it and she burst into tears and ran out the door. She totally fucking deserved it, but I felt bad afterwards and I’m not particularly proud of it. 

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever seen as a DJ?

The new AlphaTheta decks that come with software for people to request tracks directly to the decks like you're some kind of pound slot jukebox. It’s an insult to the art of DJing and DJs everywhere! 

It’s your final song, of your final set before the Good Lord calls you home. What are you going to play and why? 

Danny Tenaglia feat. Liz Torres 'Turn Me On'. It's the record that got me into house music. I will never forget the first time I heard it whilst sat on the rocks watching the sunset next to Cafe del Mar in Ibiza. It’s the record that got me into house music so it’s the record that can take me out! 

Paul Heron will be playing Handsome on August 8th at Eagle London with Vienna's Rumi de Baires. Tickets here.