Spinning Wheels
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday March 16, 2007
DJ Carl Cox takes a well-earned break from the club circuit to spend time with cars. TIM COLMAN reports.
English DJ Carl Cox knows how to get the most out of New Year's Eve. For the 2000 celebrations he celebrated the stroke of midnight twice. He started the soiree on Bondi Beach mixing up techno and house to a 15,000-strong crowd; then did it all again several hours later in Hawaii."It was very tiring," Cox says. "The whole build-up was amazing - no one slept and everyone was on pins. I played up until midnight and the music was electric, the people were on fire, it was unbelievable. "I played for three hours, jumped off the turntables, jumped on a flight, crossed the dateline and landed at 7.30 in the evening in 1999. Here we are again: 10,000 people, wallop."Cox, who was being broadcast home via the BBC, was forced to keep sober while chaos ensued around him."It went across via satellite to the UK on Radio One. They got to hear two sets from me: one in Sydney and one 12 hours later in Hawaii. It was awesome to have done that in my lifetime, I'll never be able to do it again. I had to keep it together - everyone around me was trashed."Given Cox's hectic touring schedule, it's unsurprising he attempted such a feat. Since emerging from the English acid-house explosion in the late-1980s he has been on an almost constant gig cycle. Cox pioneered the three-turntable techno set and his skills are in high demand. After more than 20 years on the road, though, the DJ is taking a breather. He recently bought a house on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, which has provided a respite from the clubs."I'm putting the brakes on a bit because I haven't had a holiday since I became a self-employed DJ back in 1985," Cox says. "Ever since I first came over here, back in '88 or '89, something always attracted me to [return to] Australia. "I went back home and thought, 'What a fantastic country.' I kept having a sense of purpose when I came over DJing. I wanted to spend longer here."His love of Australia goes well beyond the picturesque coastlines and beaches. The car fanatic recently invested in a Holden Monaro."I could have bought a Mercedes, a Porsche, anything but I went for a bit of Aussie muscle," he says. "If you are into your motors then the Monaro always seems to come up. "When they made a new 21st-century Monaro, some of the old school were like, 'No, it will never be the same.' "When they saw the shape, though, people just loved them, even the girls. They were like, 'Take me out in your car.' I love this motor. Australia should be proud."He enjoys two wheels as much as four. Recent business dealings could yield a motorbike brand bearing his name."I'm buying a motorbike dealership right now," Cox says. "You could soon be seeing CCB - Carl Cox Bikes - in your town. It's something which has been burning me for many years but I've finally been given the opportunity to buy into a dealership. [I can use] what I've learnt, in respect to business with record labels, in selling bikes."Don't be surprised if you catch Cox combining his love of fast vehicles, techno and Australia with a future set at Canberra's revhead festival Summernats."Now you're talking."Carl Cox Saturday, Future Music Festival,Royal Randwick Racecourse,sold out.Cox's Global compilation is out now.
© 2007 Sydney Morning Herald