Interview: Tommy Rogers Ahead of Pacha London's 9th Birthday

Pacha Ibiza landed in London nine years ago, and instantly became one of the hottest spots in London.

 Over the past decade some of the world's most famous DJs have graced its decks, with everyone from Danny Tenaglia to Erick Morillo bringing that sunny Pacha vibe to the UK capital.

On 8th January,  Pacha celebrates 9 years in London with a very special party. Looking after the main room will be Tommy Rogers from Studio 54, and Lee Dagger. 

DJ Tommy Rogers is amongst the most in-demand DJs on the Czech circuit, which is no surprise. His list of accomplishments on the local scene is endless. Prestigious bookings at the UK's Fire and Whitehouse clubs and, above all, at Ibiza's famous Amnesia club are proof of his quality.

Tommy Rogers has appeared at respected club-nights and parties such as La Troya (Ibiza), Creamfields (CZ), Lookbetternaked, Salvatin and Frisky, and alongside the world's top DJs including Tiesto, Roger Sanchez, David Guetta, Daren Emerson, Chris Cox, Alan X, X-Press 2, Antoine Clamaran, Bob Sinclar, Layo & Bushwacka, Lee Dagger, Eric Prydz and many more.

We caught up with the Czech dancefloor filler for a quick chat ahead of his headline slot at Pacha's 9th birthday party this weekend.

Hi Tommy Rogers. Introduce yourself to us…

Hi. I’m Adam. I was born in Gottwaldov and have remained faithful to this day. In other words I’m a proud Moravian and live in Zlin.

How did you start DJing, how long have you been working with your partner Peet and how did the idea of you two playing together come about?

I started playing about 9 years ago. I created a club in Zlin and started playing warm-up sets before the main guest came on, or ending the party once the guest had finished. It was good training because the DJ at the beginning of a party has to get people warmed up and hand a full dancefloor over to the headliner. It can be quite difficult. Even today, when we’re choosing a warm-up DJ, it has to be a professional and someone who knows what to play and do his job properly.

I met Peet in 2000 and we started playing together in 2001. My first gig in Prague was in 2003 when I first played at Mecca and I consider it to be the start of my career proper. I have fond memories of that great party! Mecca was completely full and I really enjoyed playing. It went down well so the promoter asked me to play again and that’s how it all got started. Following that I began playing at Duplex where I put on the Dirty Dancing events, and would invite various DJs to guest. After six months of my residency there I invited Peet. Peet’s been playing professionally since he was 14, and he’s also a solid and reliable person. We had played together a number of times around the country and the cooperation was always successful, so we agreed to promote the Dirty Dancing events together. For our first Dirty Dancing events together we would take turns for an hour each behind the decks with me playing house and Peet playing funky house and Rn’B. Yeah, that’s right – funky house and Rn’B. Back then it was a successful combination. After about a year we agreed to concentrate just on all types of house music and play together back to back, with him on the left side and me on the right. That’s how it remains to this day. It’s now been seven years that we’ve been touring with Dirty Dancing around the country and abroad.

How long did you work on your first track 'Get in the Flow' and are you planning another?

We did 'Get in the Flow' in two days in the studio of duo Bimbo Jones (Lee Dagger and Mark JB). We started early in the morning and finished late in the evening, by which time we had the basic track ready. During the night we listened to it and had a think about what we wanted to change. The next day we changed the bassline and breakdown and the track was ready. We kept taking turns at the computer and everyone did whatever they wanted. There were five of us – me, Peet, Mchal (manager), Lee and Mark. The lads have a well kitted out studio and it was a pleasure to work there. The track made 5th place in the PH Factor chart on London’s Energy FM. On Ostrava’s Helax Radio it even topped three charts and stayed amongst the top positions for three weeks. At the moment there’s already an excellent remix from London’s Alan X.

Our next track is already done! It’s called 'Open Your Mind' and it’s electro house. It buzzes and bleeps a bit more and is generally a bit harder. We wanted to do something different with this track than with the first in order to please those who like harder music. We're not going to release it just yet as having listened to it for a week we decided to change the bassline and the mix, but we haven’t got round to that yet due to other work.

You play at Mecca regularly, at the successful Studio 54 Nights. What do you think of Mecca?

Mecca for me is a second home. As I’ve already mentioned, my first gig in Prague was at Mecca and it was a great start. I’ve grown fond of Mecca and it was love at first sight. At the moment Mecca is the most prestigious club in the country and globally the word about Mecca is of a proper club! When you take into consideration the superstar DJs who have played at Mecca, such as Tiesto, Roger Sanchez, Eric Prydz, Felix Da Housecat, Svan Vath, Daren Emerson, Chris Cox, Oliver, Kurd Maverick, Armand van Helden amongst others, it’s amazing that someone is doing such events in our small country. We can be thankful to Mecca for that. Add to that the best sound system money can by – FunktionOne -  professional security, VIP service, a beautiful interior and excellent bar service, and there can be no surprise that I consider Mecca to be one of the best. You mentioned the Studio 54 night that we’ve been promoting at Mecca with my colleague Martin Bohacek. It takes place every first Saturday in the month and we‘re very grateful for the reactions we get to it. It’s often full, with a fantastic atmosphere and it has become popular because the very best from the world of house music is played, each visitor gets a free mix CD from one of our residents, and of course because of the venue.

Which famous DJs have you performed alongside?

On that list would be Tiesto, David Guetta, Roger Sanchez, Bob Sinclar, Layo & Bushwacka, Antoine Clamaran, Oliver- La Troya, X-Press 2, Lee Dagger, Eric Prydz, Chris Cox and many more. I’m glad I’ve had the chance to play alongside some of the best in the world, which has been a real education for me and for which I would like to thank the promoters who invited me to play with these icons!

You have bookings in your diary a long time in advance – how do you relax and recharge batteries with such a busy schedule?

I have gigs booked up to six or seven months in advance, for which we’re grateful as it means clubs are interested in us and want to book our events a long time in advance to be sure that it will take place. On the other hand time flies by very quickly when you know where you’ll be each weekend half a year in advance. As I said, I live in Zlin and travel to Prague, with is mega-exhausting. Last year I drove 100,000 km and since it’s been like that for about seven years now it’s quite a strain! I even know when they change the billboards on the motorway and sometimes is drives me mad! During the week I’m at work and at the weekends I’m travelling to gigs, so there isn‘t much time to relax, but when I can I like to get a massage or a sauna and I’ve also been doing Judo for the last 18 years which allows me to relax mentally. I listen to music and try to sleep as much as possible! As you get older you don’t last so much.

Tommy Rogers plays at Pacha London's 9th birthday party this Saturday. Tickets are available through Skiddle below.

Tickets are no longer available for this event