Romanian Cuisine: Nachos

He may have long, curly luscious hair and a manly beard, but Nachos is not Mexican. Also, his nickname may sound Latino and crispy, but the only thing you can do to Nachos, is dance. To the music that he plays. If you ask where? well, you must have been out of Canterbury for some time now.


Leaving behind the sunny western part of Romania, in 2007 Nachos arrived in rainy England to start Christ Church University in Canterbury. Not long after his arrival, he became popular amongst his fellow nationals as he always brought music to parties thrown in campuses and made everybody happy (especially after numerous beers) that they could hear the tunes from back home. Narcis Rădoi - his real name - knew what made people tick when it came to music.

With some experience gained playing at a few clubs from Romania, he took his chance and started spreading his mixtapes to as many clubs and bars in Canterbury that he could. He gained recognition after DJ-ing at a few official parties and it was suggested by his friends he should regularly be the DJ of the night.

A week after a particular sensational party in one of Canterbury’s renowned club Loft, he received a call from the music manager of Alberrys, the drum and bass club of the same town, calling him for a test. As DnB was one of the genres that he was known for playing, he went, he showed what he got, everybody was happy and he got called again and again and again...

On a gloomy Wednesday afternoon, I went to see Nachos preparing for a gig and he briefly answered my questions, in his enthusiastic manner. About music, about Dj-ing, about his future career.
Nachos, for how long have you been dj-ing now?
Well...I think it's almost 5 years now.

Can you remember the first time when you played at a proper party?
Yes I do. I was 15 and it was a drum and bass party...almost 300 people showed up.

How many tracks did you mess up when you first played and how many do you mess up now? Well, when I first started I think I messed all of them up(laughing).I don't really thing I mess up a lot now. Probably would say 1 or 2 a night.

Well, at least you're honest. Do you still play at Alberrys?
Yes I do. Every day now.

That must be tiring! Some students work serving tables or flipping burgers. Your job is spinning records for drunk people. How do you feel about that? How much do you enjoy it?
Well, it's true. I don't enjoy it as much. Sometimes it's ok but most of the time it's just work, like any other job.

I don’t believe you. Isn't dj-ing all about...music and partying?
Not really. Playing music is one thing but playing music for the people, the right way, is another. So for me it’s mostly work and it’s fun every once in a while.

Do you think people that come to Alberrys, come especially for your music or for them it's just another night out?
Well when I started playing there...they didn't care but after a year I do actually get regulars that come there because I am playing, depending on the night and on the event.

Do you play somewhere else besides Alberrys?
I am a resident at The Bizz every Friday night and I am a resident for Corrupted Dj's playing monthly in Pacha and Ministry Of Sound

I’m glad you brought that up. Ministry of Sound. That must be big for you.
Well it actually is. I first played at Pacha last month and my first event at Ministry is scheduled for the 29th of February.

Could please tell me, how you managed playing for such famous London clubs? I started off by doing some funky house events and some guys that I did events with started their own thing and they called me, as I called them for mine.

So, having the chance to play at the MOF was a returned favor…you either must have great friends or you're just lucky.
Not really. I played at an event and got in touch with them. They got me a trial set in Pacha, then when they saw what I did. They called me again. I did not get any help, even with people coming to see me, nor did I have any luck involved.

How are the London club people different than the ones in Canterbury? Are they more aware of the music that they listen to?
Not very different. If they know the song they like it. You can't play songs that they don't know or in the style that they don't like or they will boo you off stage

But the feeling of playing in front of so many people must be different than at the Student's Union… Well, I think it's less pleasurable because you have to concentrate more.

Do people still call you for private parties?
Yes they do.
Last year, wherever I went to a party, you were there cranking it up. Is it the same now? Depends on the party. Now I do parties that involve proper sound systems. Last Sunday I played at the Kent College Winter Ball.

Alberrys, The Biz, Ministry Of Sound and college balls. And you still have time for Uni work? Ha-ha, yes, I manage somehow. Everything is indeed time-consuming.

Did you ever use dj-ing as an excuse for not meeting a deadline?
Unfortunately, even if I wanted to, I did not.

Why not? You think playing at the Ministry of Sound in front of 1000 people is not a good enough excuse for a late hand-in?
Well, I do put my Uni work on high priority. So until now I have yet to hand in a late assignment...

Why do you think people call you up for their parties? Is it because of your style of playing or of the tracks that you bang? I don't think that everybody just loves drum and bass.
Well I haven't played a set that was just drum and bass in a while now. Mostly I play whatever the occasion.

So you change your style of playing according to the party? Yes...definitely. Lately, at most of the parties I played rnb, hip-hop, house and dubstep more than DnB. Some drum and bass tracks always go well at the end...but now I focus more on urban.

Keeping in mind the vibe of the parties and the scale of fun people have, which of the Canterbury clubs you think is the best?
If you like having a lot of people around, not really caring about the music, I would say go to Chill or Baabars, but in Alberrys the music has been and will always be better. I know this because deejays from Chill and Baabars often come to Alberrys on Saturdays to see me play.

In the end, I would like to ask you what your plans are for the near future. Do you ever think about playing in Ibiza?
For the near future I would like to finish some sound projects that I am working on, as my promo will come out in February 2010 on C3 Records and I am hoping to get some good feedback on this. As for Ibiza, this summer I have played there in Godfathers and Viva, and am hoping that by next year I can play in bigger clubs in that part of the world.

I thought it would be best to stop talking about any other issues, as the only ear left out for hearing my questions was covered, (like the other one) by a pair of black headphones. Here is a man that fights for his right to party by actually being in the center of it.

You can check Dj Nachos' productions by visiting his Soundcloud account.