A DJ who always gives the crowd 110%.

Seb Fontaine is not your typical “love ’em and leave ’em” kind of DJ. He exudes a healthy passion for his work and every time he goes out to play Seb makes sure he gives more than his best to the people that have got him to where he is today. “Every time I walk into a club i’m thinking right, let’s give them the best night of their lives. Clubbing these days is bloody expensive so how can a dj not give 100%. It’s up to us.”

This attitude may explain why he has 3 silver discs to his name, was voted No.18 in the DJ Magazine World Top 100 and Best DJ at the London Club Awards in 1996 & ’97. Oh, and before I forget – Seb has been a resident at the world renowned Ministry Of Sound, played for more top name clubs than Paul Gascoigne, as well as appearing at the MTV Awards, Creamfields, Phoenix Festival and the Radio 1 Roadshow. The Clubs Seb fits into his hectic domestic schedule range from Gatecrasher to Golden, Cream to Colours and Turnmills to Kelly’s in Northern Ireland. He’s event graced the decks in such far flung exotic destinations as Hong Kong, Singapore, Milan, Australia and South Africa.

Who says Dj’s don’t have all the luck?

Seb’s rise to dj superstardom is by all accounts a fairly simple recipe. Boy with a passion for rare grooves and hip hop discovers the joy of the decks’. Boy bunks school to play decks, and before long, boy becomes obsessed. Throw in an exorbiant amount of talent, mix in lots of hard work and before long, a dj superstar is waiting in the wings of clubland.

During his time at Richmond College and Kingston Polytechnic, Seb describes his early days at clubs like The Fridge, Wag and Subterrania in London as purely warm up sessions for the likes of Jeremy Healy and Norman Jay. “Back then I was never really into the things that were ultra trendy, like the M25 rave thing. Then one day I went to a house club for the first time and was completely blown away. I’d gone from playing the same old records every week to guys doing their stupid dance routines, to walking into a club with a really cool crowd, a cool vibe and people dancing on speakers having the craziest time with an ‘anything goes’ attitude. That was enough for me!”

By this point, Seb’s dj’ing style had changed but his blend of harder housse and funky techno soon got him noticed, securing regular slots at Nottingham’s Deluxe and the now legendary Back To Basics in Leeds. Although Seb’s choice of music was not typical of the clubs in which he played, he was always confident of his style: “Playing the same clubs to the same people just got so stale. I started to see the energy at other places and felt I was being held back, especially by people telling me I was too hard, too banging, when I was certain that was the way forward.

After a stint in the clubbers’ capital Ibiza, Seb felt confident enough upon his return in November 1994 to co-promote his own Saturday night. This was the beginning of the phenomenally successful ‘Malibu Stacey’ at the Hanover Grand in London.

Named after the Barbie type dolls in The Simpsons, Malibu Stacey came along when London was crying out for an original night. Formed in conjunction with Craig Richards, promoter of the infamous Georgie nights, Malibu Stacey set out to provide a much needed boost toLondon’s Youth Culture. Not only did Stacey become renowned as babe central but the night also delivered musically, allowing the talents of dj’s such as Dave Seaman, Boy George and Mark Moore to whip the crowd into frenzy weeek after week.

Seb & Craig share the same clubbing philosophy that provided the foundation for the success of the night – good music, value for money and no pretension. As Seb argues, there has to be more to clubbing than Patrick Cox shoes and bottled beer. Although Malibu stacey attracted its fair share of celebrity clingers n – the late Michael Hutchence, along with Kylie, Robbie Williams and Yasmin Le Bon amongst others, Seb states that he ” never wanted to shove a VIP’s only sign in peoples faces. I mean, if you look cool it doesn’t matter whether your’e dustman or a lawyer!. He soon became bored with the whole glam aspect of clubbing and his only wish was that people made an effort. In this respect, he placed the emphasis on residents as opposed to montly guest spots. With the likes of Luke Neville, Craig Richards and Lee Burridge alongside his own talents, it’s no wonder he could afford to think like that!

Seb & Craig’s joint expertise and experience of club culture manifested itself into the provision of an ideal club night that lived up to the expectations of everyone. It gained the respect of fellow promoters and dj’s alike, but more importantly, the thousands of clubbers that travelled from every part of the country to cause mayhem and traffic jams outside the main entrance every week.

They say that all good things come to an end, but in the case of Malibu Stacey, it was more of a change. Even though the night was still on e of the most successful and respected in the country, Seb & Craig felt that it was time for a facelift. ” We wanted a more dedicated, older and serious crowd,” said Seb, “More interested in the music that the clothes people were wearing. We just wanted to get away from the glam image we had picked up and concentrate more on the music.” On the 31st January 1998, Malibu Stacey reopened as ‘Spacey’, keeping their home at the ever popular Hanover Grand. With a crowd who are there for the dj’s instead of showing off their latest labels, the night with such a deadly duo devastating the decks all over the globe, it was only a matter of time before they took to he airwaves. Dance music station Kiss 100FM in London approached them with the idea of them doing a weekly show together and the rest is history. Broadcast between 2am and 4am every Saturday morning, the slot is extremely popular and provides the perfect soundtrack for clubbers returning home after a Friday nights frivolities. However, Seb wastes no time in pointing out that they are still keen to retain their individual identities. “We certainly are not a double act. We are two independent dj’s who enjoy playing back 2 back on special occasions. If we played together all the time then we wouldn’t be able to create the same buzz that we do at the moment.”

Sexy, funky, elusive and professional are the four words used most frequently to describe Seb Fontaine. Still, only 27 years old and with the job, the car, the girl, a new baby and a beautiful house, some may be surprised that Seb’s feet are still quite firmly planted on the ground. Quite unlike his alter ego Bart Simpson , Seb is one of those individuals who is more concerned about the substance of his work and the way it affects others.

In January 1999 he took over the reigns as resident from Paul Oakenfold at legendary Cream and can be seen rocking the Main Room most Saturdays!

A dj who always gives the crowd 110%, a producer who knows how to set a dancefloor alight, a remixer who keeps the vital aspects of the track whilst adding his own unmistakable style, a radio presenter who grabs the listener by the ear and a promoter who genuinely understands what the clubbers expect from him.

Seb Fontaine is the most universal character this side of Springfield!