Circus Liverpool’s long standing resident Lewis Boardman can truly be considered as one of the finest openers in the scene. His 12 year tenure at Liverpool’s most important club night, has seen him play alongside and learn from the biggest names in the scene. As a producer, he’s made releases on some of the industry’s most important house imprints. He’s also involved behind the scenes on BBC Radio 1’s introducing program, which focuses on developing up and coming talent in the UK.

Hi Lewis, thanks for taking the time to talk to us today. How has 2017 been for you so far?

Lewis Boardman: 2017 has been great so far. I’ve opened up a pub called The Merchant and a pizza bar called Nightcrawler Pizza in Liverpool.

Can you tell us about what kicked off your interest in club music?

Lewis Boardman: A mixture of Bugged Out! @ Nation and James Barton in GQ magazine and Yousef in The Annexe at Cream.

You’re from Liverpool, how has the city’s scene shaped your musical education?

Lewis Boardman: Liverpool as a city is very open to new things so that has influenced me in so many ways. We are very early to adopt new styles and trends for the North.

How does playing in Liverpool compare to playing in London?

Lewis Boardman: I enjoy playing in both cites but Northern’s tend to let loose a little more should we say.

Your residency at Yousef’s legendary Circus spans 12 years. What have you learnt from your time as a resident?

Lewis Boardman: How to start a party, a lot of DJ’s even today have no idea how to warm up a room. I’ve seen a lot of new DJ’s just starting banging away from doors. Saying that I’ve also seen a lot of very big DJ’s struggle at Circus and panic and just play big room stuff so nobody is perfect. But foreplay is important when you are a resident.

You mentioned foreplay was important. Can you elaborate more on that please and what tips you would give to aspiring DJs other than don’t bang it out?

It’s important to keep a close eye on volume and tempo, most club nights are 8 hours long if not longer and my job as a resident is to welcome people and to set the tone musically. So, there is no need to bang away with high tempo, high energy records and start waving your arms around and clap like you’ve just won the world cup. And always watch the corners of the room! this is where it all starts, the groovers and the freaks are in the corners so build and work with them.

In your opinion, what makes a great resident?

PATIENCE this is not your time to shine, it’s for the person after you who has more likes on social media 🙂

There’s a lot of energy surrounding Circus as it continually supports an exciting roster of up and coming dj/producers. What sort of influence has Circus had on Liverpool?

Lewis Boardman: A massive one I would hope. When we started the was not many around, but now the is some great local talent

What can fans expect from your set? Any surprises to keep look out for?

Lewis Boardman: I test a lot of new productions in my sets that are mixed in with some old bits that still sound great today.

Can you name one track of the moment that never fails to kick things off on the dancefloor?

Lewis Boardman: ‘It put me well’ by Phil Weeks. It’s an old tune on Robsoul

Finally, what are your plans for the rest of the year? Any new releases, collaborations or big shows that you’re particularly excited about and that you’d like to share with our readers?

New Ep on Moan and a joint track with Ninetoes for Play It Down.