After five years of retirement, I’ve resurrected my DJing career out here. I got a gig playing at Avalon bar in Costa Mesa – a small, hard to find ‘hipster’ joint consistently empty on the Thursday nights I play. I spin alongside Matt, a friend of mine out here who comes from Leeds and is a music connoisseur.

My last DJ gig was of course Chamonix which proved to be the nail in the coffin for playing records due to acute tinnitus. That’s what five hours a night of banging tech trance will do to your ear drums. Thankfully the tinnitus has waned – or maybe I’m just used to it.

I felt like a crusty old rocker wheeled out from retirement. I blue the dust of my upfront – well actually five years out of date – records and span a selection. I’d only been able to bring over one box from the UK so I bought a handful of faves from each genre.

My first night went well. DJing’s like riding a bike – you don’t forget it. I had some positive comments from the crowd (of three). I played funk, hip hop, UK soul, then moving into deep and funky house and picking up the pace with a lickle bit of DnB. I had to drink a lot to keep my tinnitus worries at bay. When I woke up the next morning my ears where indeed ringing like a church steeple on a Sunday.

I’ve been playing every Thursday. I’ve really enjoyed it. Gets me out the house. Maybe that elusive gig at Space Ibiza may happen after all.