DJ STORM (METALHEADZ / GROOVE CONNECTION)

    Any credible retrospective of the drum 'n' bass movement would need to devote several pages to the remarkable achievements of the much-loved British DJ duo Kemistry and Storm. No doubt these two longtime friends will forever occupy a special place in the history of 90s pop culture. And not just as the two women who impressed their peers in the male-dominated DJ ranks. Or as the two who showed other women that they, too, can break into those ranks on their own terms. No, these women expressed in every way the power of their chosen music - drum 'n' bass - to transcend the boundaries of nationality, race and gender.
    It was this pair who first convinced Goldie to visit the breakbeat club Rage, where Fabio and Grooverider held their own, around 1992. Later, Goldie would dedicate a song to Kemistry (his sometime girlfriend) on his album, Timeless. Much more significantly, Kemistry and Storm nurtured their own identities with a show on the radio station Touchstone FM. They also helped Goldie establish the hallowed Metalheadz label and club, overseeing daily operations until it all became too much with their own escalating DJ careers. Earlier this year Kemistry and Storm released their well-received first mix-CD in Studio K7's DJ-Kicks series. Tragically, Kemistry lost her life soon after in an accident on her way home from a UK gig. Yet Storm has bravely vowed to continue doing exactly what her kindred spirit would have wanted. Spreading the drum 'n' bass message.

    Question
    You must have gone through the whole gamut of emotions over the past few months since Kemistry passed away. From where have you drawn your strength to continue?

    DJ Storm:
    "I draw my strength from Kemi's belief in what we were doing - the music. Drum 'n' bass was always our inspiration. From the moment I met Kemi all those years ago music was something that we believed in and when we found drum 'n' bass we knew this was for us. We worked very hard to push something we totally believed in and I feel Kemi would have wanted me to carry on. Kemi would not have wanted me to be sad all the time. So I try to carry on in our beliefs."

    Question:
    How would you like Kemistry to be remembered ?

    DJ Storm:
    "As an angel. She was the best person I have ever encountered. She touched me so completely. When I think of Kemi, I think of her beauty, her sereneness and her love of now. She did not look to the future. I always see that smile of hers and, in turn, it makes me smile."

    Question:
    Do you have a favourite memory of her you would like to share ?

    DJ Storm:
    "All my memories of Kemi are good and pure, but I think my favourite memory of Kemi is the fact that no matter what we were going through she had this incredible way of making me feel everything would be all right and the way she would encourage us both to laugh in the face of adversity. We laughed so much over the last few years."
    Question:
    Earlier this year the two of you brought out your first bona fide mix-CD in the excellent DJ-Kicks series. Can you explain how you put the CD together and what you wanted it to convey ?

    DJ Storm:
    "With the CD we felt that we were able to capture a moment in drum 'n' bass history. We chose the tracks by producer rather than label, and I think we managed to get most of our favourites in there - the people who had always made sure we had their tracks. It's hard to do a mix-CD in drum 'n' bass because it's always progressing so quickly. But I hope people enjoyed it. We had a lot of fun making it and it was all done in one take."

    Question:
    Folks would love to hear more studio productions from you. Have you made any plans to cut some tracks ?

    DJ Storm:
    "No plans as yet." Question:
    The drum 'n' bass scene is almost a decade old now. Where do you think the music is going ?

    DJ Storm:
    "As always, forwards. If the music still didn't excite me I wouldn't be able to play it. I think we have turned a corner recently and I think at present the sky's the limit. So many different styles - it's wicked."

    Question:
    Where would you yourself like to go from here ?

    DJ Storm:
    "At the moment I take each day as it comes and, as Kemi taught, deal with everything that life has to throw at me. I am content to still be able to be an ambassador for this music and to play it as always from my heart and see what happens. Not much surprises me anymore except this music. I'm ready for everything."

    Interview by Cyclone.
    The interview took place in Melbourne, Australia.