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GET THAT HEALY-ING FEELING

at the Tangerine. City Times had a pre-event chat with him.

Nice threads, where are they from?

This shirt's from Australia. The white funky shoes are Zoltar. It's a new English fashion company run by a couple of my friends. And these silly cotton trousers are Vivienne Westwood. I love cotton trousers. I have got a wardrobe full of them.

What's wrong with your voice tonight? You are barely audible.

I have had a wicked schedule the whole of this summer and all the travelling, lack of sleep and frantic zipping in and out of various climates have left me with a bad throat. My voice has gone for a toss.

Are you nervous?

(Laughs) No, I'm too tired to be nervous. Like I said I have been travelling like a man possessed and have only been sleeping on the flights.

You have performed in Dubai before. How did you find the crowd?

I really had a good time the last time I came here. I have been here four times already. Dubai is the entertainment centre of the Middle East. A lot of people from the region come to Dubai. It's a great party place to be. It's developing quite fast and it's got a strong infrastructure in place.

How do you plan your set? Do you have a scripted start and an end?

Yeah. But I'm not telling you that (guffaws!). I mean you choose the records that you are known for. And then you use a lot of variation depending on the mood of the crowd. Thanks to the modern technology, it allows you to use various versions. Yeah, there is a beginning and an end. That's what DJs do. The set has to have a shape, a structure. A start, finish and the main body.

How long will your set be tonight?

About two and a half hours.

What or who inspires your music?

I'm pretty corny. I mean, in terms of taste. I like regular music like U2 and stuff. The sound I'm interested in is kinda like rock. But I don't like the rhythm sections in rock music. I just like really good pop music, which is beefed up and has chunky rhythms.

What is the Jeremy Healy brand of music?

I like party music. That's what I'm famous for. Music that makes people jump up and dance. It's not cool, it's quite uncool, actually. (Lets out his trademark, self-effacing laughter.)

And are you still doing any fashion shows?

Yes. I have been working with John Galliano for 20 years. My girlfriend got me into it. I do about eight shows a year for Christian Dior, John Galliano, and Victoria's Secret. In the last one, the girls are great. You get to work with stars like Mary J Blige and Beyonce. Unfortunately, Janet Jackson's bit was cancelled for this year's show because of the famous 'wardrobe malfunction' incident.

What do you think is the reason, that DJs like you and Sasha are stars in England?

Well, it never really occurred to me until someone wrote in a magazine suggesting everyone under 20 knew who I was. I think the music has a profound effect on people. It is not like watching TV where you can turn it off or switch channels. Here people actually go out every weekend to watch you perform. I feel extremely lucky that I get paid to do something that I'd do for nothing.

How's your relationship with Boy George?

We've known each other since we were kids. When we were a band, there was this silly rivalry that only one of us could survive. So we fell out. But after a while things calmed down and we became friend again. We did a couple of records together. We still see each other. We are mates, but we don't hang out that much any more.

What's your take on the great debate - vinyl vs CD?

Well, I change my mind everyday. I just came from a gig where they used CDs and they actually sounded a lot better than vinyl. I really hate to say that, but it's true. CDs are definitely the future, but having said that I feel more comfortable with vinyl as I've been using that for so long.

What are the biggest festivals you have played at?

I have done some big ones. I did one at a train station in Johannesburg, South Africa. We didn't know what to expect, and when I got there I saw a crowd of about 40,000 people there. That was a bit scary. The tent was absolutely rammed. When I looked up, I saw there were thousands of people and then a 20-feet gap and then thousands more. And I was looking at it trying to figure out what it was! As it turned out, it was a twenty-feet wide river of mud, running right through the middle of the dance floor. It was incredible.

Your most favourite place to perform at?

I have just come from Ibiza. Ibiza has been the epicentre of dance music and it continues to be so. It's great during the summer season. It only goes for two months when all the who's who of dance music perform there. So that's my favourite place. I also love to go to Australia. I go there every year. I love to perform at Establishment and at Home in Sydney.

Any upcoming projects?

I am doing a gospel with my friend and Britain's premier female R&B/Soul artiste called Mica Paris. We have done a couple records, which are about to be released.

Your favourite DJs?

There is a guy called Tom Middleton. He's an up-and-coming guy from England. A very talented bloke. I really dig his stuff.

Your favourite tune at the moment?

I have been listening to this track called 'The Hardest Button To Button'. That's my favourite song at the moment. We were taunting one of my fatter mates with it. We were like, the hardest button to button is the top button of your trousers.

What about your life, your spare time?

I haven't got any. Not at the moment. But usually it's just vegging in front of TV.

Plans for the rest of the summer?

I'm going back to England for the weekend and then I'm off to Cyprus. And the week after that I'm back in Ibiza. The week after that back to Cyprus and then I'm going to Brazil for a couple of weeks in September.