Part 1

Name: Ollie Mundy
Nationality: British
Occupation: DJ, producer, label founder at OVAVA
Current release: Ollie Mundy's most recent release is "The Mountains," out via Adesso. His next EP is "PRAMA / Centame," featuring Estefa Silvera. Get all of his music at beatport.
Recommendations: For visual art, I’d say Android Jones, whose psychedelic, multi-layered digital work I often associate with Burning Man. Then there’s Olly Howell, an English artist who’s created work for me. His style also blends intricate digital layers with hand-painted detail, and both artists create pieces you can get lost in.
For music, classical has always been the most emotive for me. Not to be too obvious, but Ludovico Einaudi …. especially some of his earlier work,  has literally brought me to tears. There are special memories attached to those pieces, and they’ve stayed with me in a way few other works have.

[Read our Ludovico Einaudi interview]

If you enjoyed this Ollie Mundy interview and would like to stay up to date with his music, visit him on Instagram, bandcamp, Soundcloud, and Facebook.



Do you think that some of your earliest musical experiences planted a seed for your interest in DJing? How and when did you start DJing?

It all started in a small Berkshire town called Newbury, where the soundtrack of the local nightlife left a lot to be desired. By the time I was 19, I’d spent countless nights on the dancefloor thinking, I could do this better.

My love affair with dance music had begun years earlier. At 14, I was already deep into house, rave, hardcore, jungle, UKG … and, every Friday evening at 6 p.m., I’d be glued to Pete Tong’s Essential Mix. Those broadcasts became a weekly ritual; it was my only access to amazing new house music.

When the clubs in my hometown didn’t reflect the music I craved, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I bought a pair of belt-drive decks and taught myself to DJ. This was pre-YouTube, before tutorials or classes, just two records, a lot of patience, and the trial-and-error magic of learning to beat-match by ear.

The real turning point came when I was 21 and took a holiday to Ibiza. I entered a DJ competition at Plastik in the West End; the winner would play at Eden that night. I entered, I won, and that one moment turned into a full season on the island.

Those early years in 2003, exploring every club, soaking in the different energies, meeting people from all over the world, hearing the biggest international DJs, feeling the magic of the Space Terrace, or dancing on the beach at Bora Bora or at DC10 on a Monday, that took everything to another level.

It wasn’t just about DJing anymore; it was about living and breathing the culture that shaped who I am as an artist today.

Today, DJs are rarely just DJs. Very often, they can be producers who are also DJs or DJs who are also producers. Where do you see yourself on this spectrum and what kind of potential issues and cross-pollinations does this create?

I definitely sit on the “DJ first, producer second” side of the spectrum. It took me the better part of 20 years behind the decks to really start grasping the production side of things. When I started out in ’99, the scene was led almost entirely by DJs, with only a handful of producers doing their own thing.

These days, it’s much easier for someone to step into both worlds, and that’s a good thing; it’s helped me enormously. But I think when you’re a producer first and a DJ second, the one essential skill you have to master is reading the crowd. It’s not just about playing tracks you’ve made, it’s about taking people on a journey, moment by moment, and that’s something only experience on a dancefloor can teach.

The reality now is that very few DJs are just DJs anymore. To succeed, you really do need to wear both hats. That’s been a big motivator for me to keep honing my production skills. The flip side is that, because the tools to DJ and produce are so accessible, there’s an overwhelming amount of music out there.

As a DJ, part of my job is to filter through all of it to find the real gems. I think it’s brilliant that technology has given so many people the chance to create music who might never have had that opportunity 20 years ago. Fair play to them, art should be for everyone. My hope is always to discover that spark of magic, whether it’s for me to play in a set or to sign to my label, OVAVA Music.

What were some of the most important insights you gained from teachers/tutorials, other DJs, or personal experience? What does it mean to be a “better DJ?”

I never went through formal training … no production school, no college courses. In my mid-20s, I wanted to, but the cost was in the thousands, and it just wasn’t possible at the time. Back then, the tools weren’t as accessible, and YouTube wasn’t the resource it is now. So my real “teachers” were my friends and the DJs around me.

I learned a lot simply by watching … seeing how other DJs played before and after me, and soaking up the energy from the dancefloor. On the production side, it was my friends who were already doing well that pushed me forward. Some had big hits, and I’d spend Friday and Saturday nights in their studios making silly tunes, experimenting, and just having fun.

As time went on, I started diving into YouTube tutorials, and during lockdown, I invested in a few online courses. Living with a producer was another game-changer; sitting in on their sessions was like getting a masterclass without even realising it. More recently, I’ve been able to pay for professional studio time, which has been invaluable for finishing tracks I’d been stuck on and building confidence in releasing my work.

For me, being a “better DJ” isn’t just about technical skill, it’s about enjoying the process, staying open to learning, and remembering that at the end of the day, it’s all art.

For you, is there still listening outside of looking for music for your next sets? If so, what do you prefer to listen to and how does it possibly nonetheless have an influence on your performances?

Absolutely. I still listen to plenty of music outside of digging for my next set, in fact, I think it’s essential. When you’re constantly searching for tracks with a DJ mindset, it’s easy to start hearing everything in terms of “Will this work on a dancefloor?” Listening purely for enjoyment keeps me connected to why I fell in love with music in the first place.

Outside of digging, I’m drawn to deeper, more down-tempo sounds, emotional, immersive music rather than pop, rap, or grime. Some of it can be on the commercial side, but it’s always rooted in that deeper vibe. Spotify has actually done a great job of curating recommendations that match my taste.

My dance-music fix comes from the clubs and festivals I go to, and from diving into other DJs’ mixes on SoundCloud. Social media also plays a big role in shaping what catches my ear. All of it feeds back into my sets, even if indirectly, influencing how I approach mood, flow, and storytelling on the dancefloor.

When digging, what are you looking for? Is the process all about taste for you, or is it about “going beyond taste?”

While I enjoy popular trends like Afro House, the music I connect with most is deep and melodic.

When I’m digging, I try not to lock myself into one specific genre. Instead, I’m looking for tracks that will let me move between different styles seamlessly, creating a journey that feels natural for the dancefloor.

Part of that process also means diving back into my own archive, nearly 25 years’ worth of collecting music. I’ve got around 16,000 tracks in my iTunes alone, which means I could hit “play” and not repeat a single song for more than 85 days.

There’s a lot of gold in those older cuts, and pairing them with fresh finds is one of the ways I keep my sets unique and personal.

On the basis of one of your most recent gigs, tell me about how the preparation- and decision making process works during a gig with regards to the inclusion of key records, the next transition and where you want the set to go?

My last few gigs couldn’t have been more different. I spent some time in Ibiza recently, where I played a sunset set, a more house-focused party, and then a high-energy, party-tunes set at 528. Preparing for each one meant approaching them in completely different ways.

For the sunset set, the preparation came naturally; that’s the style I resonate with most. I pulled together a large selection of tracks I felt would work, arranging them in a way I thought might flow. But once I’m in the moment, I let the environment guide me, the mood of the crowd, the timing, even the position of the sun. Sometimes a track will just pop into my head mid-set, and I’ll dig into my deeper playlists to find it.

The 528 gig was a totally different story. I followed Jo Mills, who had already lifted the room’s energy sky-high. In that situation, my preparation took a back seat to instinct, and I ended up ad-libbing the entire set. It kept me on my toes, but that’s the beauty of DJing: no matter how much you prepare, the magic often happens in those spontaneous, unplanned moments.