PROFILE: Keeping the party going

Tuesday 01 September 2020

DJ Nelson has been entertaining islanders for over two decades and he's determined that lockdown won't stop him.

It’s been a devastating year for many people working in the hospitality and entertainment industry. What was gearing up to be a busy 2020 changed in March with venues closing, parties cancelled or postponed, and plans changed.

DJ Nelson set up Aant Entertainment over 20 years ago and he has been providing the music and fun at weddings, parties and island events ever since. He recently became a licensed celebrant and he joined other DJs in keeping the party going during lockdown by providing live streamed DJ-sets over the internet.

As you might imagine, he loves his job, as he explained to Chris Rayner...

Pictured: DJ Nelson has been a familiar face at local parties, weddings and events for over 20 years. 

I remember the first time I met DJ Nelson was at a wedding fair at St Ouen’s Manor. My wife was exhibiting her cakes and I was probably trying to keep the children amused, as we packed up ready to load the car after a long day. My stepson went up to him and, without any prompting by me, asked him if he knew ‘Monkey Man’ by the Specials, to which DJ Nelson replied, “Yeah, that’s my music. I’m a Ska DJ.”

As I recounted that tale and explained how at the time, I thought to myself, ‘My work is done here,’ Nelson chuckled.

“One thing I really love about music is that children have no inhibitions. They’ll come up to me and say, ‘Can I have We Will Rock You?’ when I’m doing their kids’ disco, I’ll look at them think, ‘Fair play to you.’ Or they’ve asked for something that’s just made me go, ‘How do you even know that?’ It’ll be because mum and dad play it and they’ve realised it’s really good.”

Pictured: The local DJ plays for a range of audiences, which often span several generations. 

DJ Nelson went on, “When you say something like Ska, it actually makes me go that’s one of my loves. It makes me look at you and think you’re a child of the 70s and 80s and that’s translated over to the kids. You haven’t forced it on them, they’ve taken it and really liked it. There must be some songs that really resonate.”

Perhaps less so now as my stepson is older and his thinly disguised views on my music taste are...well, let’s just say I’m concentrating on our youngest.

But should I be doing that? Is it up to me to influence what music he likes? Music is deeply personal and I’m terrible at dismissing other people’s taste. I also fell into a trap early on in my conversation with Nelson when I assumed people would expect him to play a certain type of music. It's true, he loves reggae and ska - “I’ve yet to meet anybody who’s gone ‘reggae is rubbish’,” he says. “I can’t think of a reggae song that’s actually rubbish” - but it’s not about what he likes when he’s playing for clients and their guests who span several generations.

Pictured: It wasn't until he moved to Jersey in April 1989 that Nelson felt his music really gelled.

“There’s got to be that element of what are you expecting for your day? It might be that Aunt Gladys is going to be there, and she likes a bit of the Nolans and Abba. The bride says she likes a bit of RnB, but the groom likes a bit of Ska. So, I do that universal party thing and try and read the crowd right. If I put on Abba, you may not really like Abba but you’re dancing to it, and everybody’s onboard, and we can have good laugh.”

Nelson Terris’ earliest recollection of DJing was helping others at parties and dabbling at nightclubs in England, but it wasn’t until he got to Jersey in April 1989 that it really gelled. He worked for a large window firm in Lincoln, and when a newly set up company in Jersey needed qualified staff, he planned to be here for six months, before pursuing a career as a recording engineer.

Pictured: Nelson was grateful for locals' openness, and the welcoming nature of Jersey. 

“It was a mentality of no worries. You had that real mix of people. You had people from up north, from down south, you had people from Ireland and from Northern Ireland. Anywhere else they’d be killing each other, but here they were sat in the pub having such a laugh. And the locals were very open.

"It was a very welcoming place. And for me personally, after seeing certain elements, and I don’t like to use the word racism, but certain mentalities, and then turning up here and that mentality really didn’t exist. We were outsiders, but we were all in the same boat. And most of the locals were, and are, beautiful people and that made it a place to be welcomed to.”

But his conversion to playing the music that gets everyone up at a wedding didn’t happen overnight. There was a growing dance music scene and plenty of DJs playing the clubs where Nelson played too.

“I was all about Jazz-Funk and Jungle when that came around. I wanted to be a dance DJ. So, if you had said weddings would be your business, I would have told you in no uncertain terms where to get off the boat.”

Pictured: Jersey's mix of people made him realise that all he and others wanted to do was enjoy themselves, whatever was spinning on the decks. 

But it was Jersey’s mix of people and venues that he says made him realise that all he and others wanted to do was enjoy themselves, whatever was spinning on the decks. He remembers nights at La Buvette hosted by Channel 103s Peter Mac.

“It was almost like an education. It doesn’t matter what type of music you are into; it is a universal vibe where we can all turn around and say ‘alright, a few more beers and that’s on now...Dirty Dancing!’ I find that lovely. The biggest buzz I get is seeing a group of people, bride and groom, or a birthday party, getting them to the point where they are all having fun. I know I’ll have got them to that point when I haven’t said a word for an hour.”

Through his work within the party and events scene, other projects have come up and Nelson has helped with the Prison! Me! No Way! Scheme. He plays a DJ set at the end of the day, a chance for the children to let their hair down after a day of seminars and workshops learning how making the wrong choices could end up with an unwelcome brush with the Law. The benefits of presenting those issues in a fun and interactive way clearly work.

Pictured: Nelson's company Aant Entertainment provides complete entertainment services for any event. 

“Seeing a police officer going up to a group of young guys and girls and then saying something, and the immediate reaction is one of the kids turns around and goes ‘Hang on. I remember you from Prison! Me! No Way!’ Now the ice is broken, and that police officer can say he needs them to move away and make their way home. I’m positive the end result is fewer arrests and less negative interaction.”

Aant Entertainment is the company Nelson set up with his partner Anne who, in his words does all the real work while he gets to be the showman.

“Anne does what she does – basically, keeping me on the straight and narrow and making sure the bills come in. But this year was to be the year where she took some time back for herself. The idea was that Anne was going to work part-time. We got to March and went ‘Whoa!’ But we have managed to keep our heads above water.”

Pictured: 2020 was supposed to be a 'big one' for many in hospitality and entertainment. 

He’s normally busy anyway but being a new decade and 2020 having a nice ring to it, this year was supposed to be the big one for many in hospitality and entertainment, Nelson included. 

“It’s been devastating on one hand. Not just for me, but anyone in the industry. We took the hit and that hit, because of where we sit in the big circle of things, was not good at all.”

Although it has been quiet for Nelson, it’s made him look at other opportunities. He’s been focusing on the site music.je where DJs have been live streaming their sessions during corona virus from locations such as outside at the Watersplash and the rooftops of their homes. And as we adapt to what’s next, Nelson, who is also a licensed celebrant, can video stream a wedding which means those guests that can’t make it can still be a part of a couple's special day.

“It gave me something to focus on and it’s helped a lot of people, but many have been hit where they’ve got to move their events to next year. I’ve been lucky because most of the people that had to cancel have moved to next year. The downside to that is come next year, I won’t be able to take on any other work. I don’t know how many people this has wiped out, but certain elements such as marquees and caterers have been hit really hard. The economics of this are dark.” 

Pictured: While this year has been quiet for Nelson, he's been keeping islanders entertained throughout lockdown. 

For two decades DJ Nelson has been out making other people’s days and nights memorable, but because of covid-19, he’s been able to enjoy a few of the things most of us take for granted – having weekends off. It’s been a rare chance to spend time with his family who are more used to seeing him heading off on a Friday only to see him again at some point on a Sunday.

“I make a living doing something I love. And anybody making a living doing something they love I have the greatest respect for, because you put up with quite a bit. You can make what you need to out of it, but you are making sacrifices. I could go and work for finance and earn three times what I make, but would I be happy?”

And it’s that simple. Job satisfaction for DJ Nelson is making sure others have a good time, and whatever their taste in music, as long as he plays music what will make people dance and smile and have a good time, that’s satisfaction enough.

“If I can get grandma, granddad, mum, dad, uncle, auntie, cousins all together by playing something that’ll get everybody on it, job done.”

This article first appeared in Connect Magazine, which you can read HERE.