An Interview with DJ Andre Byford
Today, his love for cooking has encouraged him to start a business along with his wife called ‘ANDRE’S MADNESS & FOOD FREAKS,’ that caters to some of the most delicious food cravings in the city. A lover of gardening and hockey, Andre enjoys spending his free time flying kites and learning more about the world of animals and birds.
His Story
Before he even became a professional DJ, Andre worked as a bartender at a popular nightclub and was already extremely passionate about pursuing music. Curious to learn and explore it more in depth, Andre would find ways to sneak in a few hours to practice on the console before his shift began. It wasn’t long before he was discovered by none other than the owner of the club who, impressed by his talent and fine taste in various genres of music, taught him the basics and helped him understand his deep rooted passion and love for the art.
Very soon, Andre began playing professionally and found himself carrying the title of one of the best DJ’s professionally playing retro music. Hard work and passion has over the years given him the opportunity to open at some of the biggest night clubs back in the day, giving him the confidence and motivation to continue working towards one day becoming famous in his field of work. Andre also points out his learning gained over the years by observing other DJ’s and choosing to imbibe only those qualities that helped him grow as a professional and even on a more personal level.
He went on to establish, ‘Andre’s Madness’ and ‘League of the Legendary Events’ with an aim to bring together DJ’s from the past who would come together and play old school music and just spend the time doing what they most enjoy. Looking to create an opportunity to get them all involved, Andre has enjoyed hosting these events with the aim to continue celebrating the talent and passion of DJ’s across the country. Recently, Andre has been seen getting more involved in the space of wedding focused DJing and is excited to see what else is in store for him in the coming year.
His Take On 2020
Like all event and entertainment industry professionals, the last few months have been a struggle. However, Andre saw this as an opportunity to start something new and along with his wife began a catering service, selling some of the most delicious home-cooked Anglo-Indian food in the city. A true sport, Andre points out that while he absolutely enjoys the positive feedback they receive, he also waits in anticipation for the negative criticism as he looks at it as an opportunity to improve and work on perfecting his skill.
Quickly turning a passion into a business that has sustained them over the last 10 months, Andre is aware of the plight of other DJs and artists who are facing a financial crunch as a result of the pandemic and is willing to help out as best as he can. He is happy to see other DJs take inspiration from his new initiative to start their own business ventures to keep them going during these difficult times.
Famous for their Anglo-Indian Thali, Andre is excited to take his journey with food forward and wishes to one day open his own restaurant. In the meantime, he continues to remain a true musician at heart and cannot wait to get back to making music.
2021 And His Vision
Andre is all set to kick-start the new year with a boom, looking forward to hosting a carnival of sorts, one that will see the likes of some of the most reputed and promising DJs along with promoting small scale businesses by making provisions to set up stalls and other fun activities.
2020 has taught him a lot and given him the opportunity to see what else he is not only capable of doing, but doing exceptionally well and so he is excited to see what new avenues the new year will open for him and is ready to take it all in stride.
Parting Thoughts
“Start preparing for 2021 right away. Practice and use this time to get as many studio sessions as possible. It is important to keep practicing a set in order to perfect it. Always remember to visualize a crowd and interact with your audience even while practicing as it helps build your stage appearance, giving you the confidence and boost of energy to give it your all. Learn to use your equipment well while at the same time managing to keep the crowd interested. Enjoy the music you play and let it become an outlet for you to express yourself.”
Our session with Andre was a much needed refreshment in these distressing times, one that gave us a positive outlook on the year gone by. We enjoyed listening to him share his experiences and time spent working on his business.
Here’s wishing him the very best of luck for the future.
In case you missed out on watching the live session, do head on over to our Instagram Page to watch the recording.