Radio1 | Presenters
Schooly
From his roots as a club DJ, Schooly is one of the most respected and established mainstream DJs in the UK and the UAE.
Who: Schooly, Presenter
What: Soulful Session
When: Saturday (4pm – 7pm)
Schooly's story:
Simon 'Schooly' constantly has his ear to the ground and is subsequently a leading authority in his field. His extensive knowledge of music and unparalleled understanding for Urban/Dance music, especially its new forms, has made him a force to be reckoned with and respected across the board. Since 2000, Schooly’s Capital Radio evening show was the centre piece for London’s new music, gaining international acclaim for hosting and showcasing the likes of Shakira, Kanye West, The Pussy Cat Dolls, James Blunt, Nelly Furtardo, Rhianna, Eminem, Ja Rule, 50 Cent, Outkast, Gnarles Barkley, Coldplay, Sean Paul, all before they had gained commercial success. Instrumental in launching the careers of Craig David, Destiny’s Child, Corrine Bailey, Akon, Maroon 5 and Coldplay among many many others, Schooly’s unique combination of specialist with mainstream puts him in a category that only few can match.
Catch him on air:
Soulful Sessions
Unlike any show in the UAE, Schooly’s Soulful Session is aimed at like minded individuals with a thirst for quality music, with memories of records that they heard while growing up or artists that have been the sound track to there lives, the nostalgia that the classics invoke and the quality of the new school artists, mixed together with the nu forms of soul makes an explosive mix of the world of soul in 3 hours
Fun facts:
What does music mean to you?
My life, it’s my world and my reason for living, without it I’m not quite sure what I’d be doing or if I’d even enjoy life without it.
Do you have any hidden talents?
I'm great in the kitchen.
If you had to choose a movie title for your life story, what would it be?
“Music & Mischief: The Life and Times of a Frustrated DJ”
If you could have any super-power, what would it be?
That there were two of me and one could be at my desk doing the boring stuff and the other would go gallivanting and DJ’ing around the world, or be able to add extra hours to the day as there never seems to be enough.
What do you think is the greatest invention in your lifetime and why?
MP3’s, Serato and the Macbook! Being a DJ who travels the world and always wants to take as many tracks as possible, this has been a godsend and has saved me thousands of pounds in airport taxes and extra tickets for my records or having to book business class just to accommodate them.
Now I have no problems taking my whole collection and never feeling like I’ve left something at home as sometimes it’s about that one record that can make or break a set.
