DJ AG has redefined DJing. Festivals are next.

This story is originally published in Huck 83: Life Is a Journey – The 20^th Anniversary Issue. Order your copy now.

A warm, personable man who is supremely comfortable in himself, London’s DJ AG has something very few influencers possess – a totally breezy and relaxed attitude to being interviewed. We’re talking on a dark, rainy evening in February about a day coming up in peak summer – his inaugural festival, AG Fest – and he couldn’t be more like his ultra-chill, king of the uncs online persona. 

After joining TikTok at the suggestion of his teenage kids, the 40-year-old father from Tottenham was inspired by a streamer called SUAT, who defined the start of the pandemic for many by broadcasting his walks through deserted city centres with a DJ controller strapped to his waist and a camera attached to a beam out front.

But after a few tweaks, AG’s streams started to take shape into what they are today: grand pop-up music performances in various public places of London, operating in a hazy semi-legal capacity, yet drawing huge crowds thanks to their community feel. They aren’t just streams, they’re spectacles. They’re beloved for focusing on community – something I discovered cuts deeply with AG, so much so that he’s intent on opening his own care home one day. Most of his streams offer a platform for a swathe of upcoming artists to showcase their music, giving genuine exposure to new talent. 

But also, it attracts star power too. Extreme star power. AG’s sets have become a magnet for an ever-growing cavalcade of legends, from Ed Sheeran, Alesha Dixon, Jessie J, Rita Ora, Skepta, JME, Jill Scott, Jason Derulo and even Will Smith popping on to do ​‘Summertime’ on Kings Cross’s concourse. When Huck started 20 years ago, stars would clamour to be on the BBC’s Radio 1 or Top of the Pops. Now, they all want to be on AG’s show and now his festival too. Last week, he announced the first AG Fest line-up, which will take place on July 25, with the likes of JME, D Double E, Lady Leshurr, Frisco and others across grime, UKG, reggae and more.

He’s changing the idea of what a DJ can be and how their influence can extend much further than the dancefloor. DJ AG doesn’t even need a dancefloor, he just needs some WiFi. Staying humble, helping the community both young and old and bringing music to the streets is what it’s all about.

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As this is Huck’s 20^th anniversary issue, we’re discussing the lessons people have learned on their life journeys. Have you got any to share? 

A major one is don’t be scared to take or even copy an idea, and run with it until you find your own niche. The thing that got me streaming my sets outdoors was seeing a guy called SUAT and copying his set-up. When I did it, it got heavy – physically heavy from having the generator on my back – so I said to myself: ​“Why am I carrying this crap around?” When I sat it down in the middle of Wood Green, I had more viewers than when I was walking. So I knew I was on to something. I give massive credit to SUAT. We’ve spoken, we’ve chopped it up. But my platform was able to pivot, because it evolved after that. 

An even bigger pivot for you is organising your own festival, AG Fest, later this year. What can you tell us about it? 

Well it’s been one of my goals to just have a nice community day out. So essentially, it’s two stages for all ages. A discovery stage for up-and-coming artists and a main stage with artists that you’re probably going to be aware of. Like my online DJing, it will be open format, so expect different genres – everything from dancehall to reggae to UK garage to funky house to R&B and hip-hop. 

The festival is the first thing you’re doing that actually you will charge for. Is it a struggle to always keep your outside broadcasts free? 

It is. Because of how big it’s all become, we spend around £1,200 every time we do a live stream. I need risk assessments and security to protect the artists. We have two people on site that will focus on cameras and edits, another who works just on social media – for those quick TikTok posts. And then we would generally have two people working with the artists that day, getting them ready and reminding them of the rules. It’s a big team of people basically. That also doesn’t include travel or the cost of a generator to power it all, so it’s definitely a costly operation. 

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What other sacrifices do you have to make now that your influence has grown so big? 

Not everything can be PG, but personally I feel like I don’t need to swear online. The English dictionary is vast. There are so many other words that we could use to get our points across. But I also go into schools a lot and I see how the kids are influenced by everything that they see and they hear online. I just think I’ve got a responsibility to say the right things.

Another way you’ve grown since the early days is doing shows internationally. Do the cultures in those countries ever mean you have to rein in what you do? 

Yeah, I’m grateful to be given the opportunity to travel and go and spread the good word in Jamaica, Kenya, New York, Miami and Barcelona. Every host nation has a different way of operating, but so far I haven’t had any problems. If I did come up against it, I wouldn’t go. I’ll never be told what to do. 

It’s interesting as a lot of people have wondered why you don’t have brands plastered all over your livestreams. 

Well so far I have an ambassador role with The North Face. But I wouldn’t let any company stop me from doing what I’m doing. I’m not going to be told what to do by anyone. I didn’t leave my job to be told what to do! Obviously I’m focused on being able to pay my bills, that’s important to me. But I’m not interested in being the richest person in the graveyard. I make my decisions based on what I enjoy, what I think is the right thing to do. Can I give someone a leg up or give them space to showcase talent or their message? If I’m going to go to a different country, it’s got to be on my terms. 

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Are you still performing in care homes? 

Definitely – it’s probably the thing I enjoy the most out of what I do. 

Why is that? What do you see when you’re visiting them? 

Most of these elders have dementia and are forgotten for the most part. A lot of them don’t get visitors for whatever reason. It’s hard to have the best of conversations with some of the elders but when you play a song they know, it takes them into a different realm. It’s heartwarming to give them that joy for a few minutes. I genuinely want to start my own care home franchise one day. 

Genuinely? Would you actually get involved in running a care home for real? 

Absolutely. I’ve been to so many now, I know what a good one should look and feel like. If I can make AG Care Homes happen, I will. I would love it if I could partner with someone to make this come to life.

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It’s interesting that you have such a grounding in the value of putting back into society – either in schools or care homes. Is there an obvious inspiration in your life that made you this way? 

Well my aunt used to run a play scheme in Lewisham, south London and once Ian Wright [’90s football legend and now a mega sports pundit] came to visit us kids. I was about 12 or 13 and the positivity was unreal. I also supported Arsenal! I also met a comedian and actor called Robbie Gee [star of groundbreaking Black comedies Desmonds and The Real McCoy, among other things]. They would come to visit, at the height of their careers. Those moments always stuck with me. I’d think, rahh, you’re this big celebrity and you’re finding time to do these things. Now I have this influence, I made sure not to forget that and try to make myself accessible too. 

Does it make you arrogant to have that kind of influence now? 

No – you have to take it with a pinch of salt, don’t you? You stay humble. You give people your time and you have those conversations and you hope that by giving someone your time, they remember that moment – similar to me being with Robbie Gee or Ian Wright. And you hope that they’ll use it to their advantage later on and pass it forward.

It’s all very – dare I say – hopeful for this quite depressing period in life right now? 

Hope is the main thing that I like to focus on. I want to give hope to people watching the live stream, who can watch for free and forget about their problems for a few hours. I want to give hope to the artists who are trying to break through. Give hope to the kids by trying to be a good example and give hope to the elderly – whose days must drag when you get to that sort of age. Hope is the main word. 

Oliver Keens is a freelance music journalist. Follow him on Instagram.

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