James Haggarty DJ Biography
From the age of sixteen, Jim started his career in DJ’ing in his hometown of Kilmarnock, just outside Glasgow. He learned his trade playing local nightclubs, in Kilmarnock and the surrounding areas, such as The Manor (Ardrossan), The Bond (Kilmarnock) and other local venues. It was this period in the music scene where he takes most of his current inspiration and influences… Italian house! “It’s the groove and emotional elements from this period of music that I try to portray in my current DJ sets”. His current sound ranges across the whole spectrum of underground house music.
During the summer of 1998 he got his first big break in the music industry. A chance meeting with the Glam brothers, while holidaying in Ibiza, brought him his first major gig in November 1998, at the Tunnel nightclub in Glasgow. Jim was mixing alongside ‘A’ list headliner Judge Jules.
The success of this gig saw the beginning of Jim’s residence with Glam playing the length and breadth of Scotland at venues such as The Tunnel (Glasgow), The Temple (Glasgow), The Waterfront (Arbroath), The Forum (Aberdeen), Fat Sams (Dundee) and many more; supporting top DJ’s including head liners Judge Jules, John Kelly, John 00 Fleming, Guy Ornadel, Scott Bond, Steve Lawler. Jim held his residence with Glam for a year and soon sought bigger and better opportunities to develop his own style of music.
Progressing through mid 2001 to 2002 Jim started as the Thursday night resident at Velvet Rooms (Glasgow). During this time Jim’s passion for music mixed with his professional skill of DJ’ing brought him the opportunity of a short tour of the Far-East (May 02), performing 2 gigs in China and Hong Kong, in conjunction with T.I.L.T. Club and Roxynet / VIVA promotions.
In April 2004, Jim was selected to appear on Simon Foy’s Beat 106 show, which broadcasts across central Scotland to an audience of over 80 thousand listeners, as a ‘Future Hero’… with Simon Foy hailing him as a “3-deck-wizard!” During which he performed a live 30-minute mix, over 3 decks, in the Beat 106 studios. As with most talented DJ’s the studio is a natural progression for them and the end of 2004 was no exception. Jim built his own mini-studio to allow him to start working on his own productions. This is something Jim is consistently developing in conjunction with the ever growing advances in technology, such as the birth of software controllers.
2005 was a productive and busy year for Jim in which he gained three new weekly residencies. The highlight of this year was when he staged the huge Xpress event in August of that year alongside headliners including Inkfish (Sweden), Steven McCreery and Dave Begg!
From the success of 2005, Jim progressed in the music industry through 2006 with inclusion in the much publicised Flamingo Charity event in September. The expansion of his Xpress Club night developing into a monthly event in November attracted guests such as Huggy, Neil Bartley, Lisa Littlewood, Amanda Pryce and Michael Patterson. This night has been advertised on numerous occasions as a recommended club night by Stuart Barrie (Daily Record – weekender) and Mickey McMonagle (Sunday Mail).
October 2006 saw Jim featuring in International DJ magazine as a runner up for the monthly competition. His mix was described as having a ‘winning combo of Glasgow’s undergroundness and main room oomph’. His Xpress night was also mentioned in this article as being a catalyst for further success and recognition in Jim’s career.
The start of 2007 saw Jim headline a new up and coming event which fuses a range of different music from indie rock to underground house. This concept amalgamates bands with club DJ’s and invites a broad range of people.
Working for the G1 Group on a weekly basis, Jim is always spinning at various clubs and bars (Social – Fri night resident, JAM – Sat night resident & November – Sat night resident) in and around Glasgow Central City. He also co-promoted, with good friend Stevie “Kingy” King the club night – XPRESS. The launch of this event in a new venue, Corinthian – one of G1’s biggest units – is expected to attract over 500 people and will cement it’s place in Glasgow’s underground scene. A catalog of fantastic DJ’s in the line up for this event start with Jim Shaft Ryan (Miss Moneypenny’s) and Timmy Vegas (Soul Central).
Catch Jim every Friday in the Social, alongside the super talented Craig Nelson on Sax, seamlessly supplying the sounds necessary to keep The Social on the move.
For further info or a demo mix CD, please contact Jim on 07966 167165. Alternatively, e-mail j_haggarty@btinternet.com
