Annie has hit the clubs regularly, and has just completed a DJ tour entitled Annie Mac Presents, where she personally chose DJs, both established and up-and-coming, and brought them to play in her favourite clubs. 2006 will see another UK tour, as well as dates all over the world. Meet her…

How did you get into clubbing?
Not until I left home in Dublin aged 17 to go Queen's University in Belfast. The first time I went to a club was just after I'd left school and I thought, 'Wow this is amazing!' Then when I was at uni I stared working as the door girl at (legendary club) Shine, which is where I fell in love with dance music.

Did you teach yourself to DJ?
When I got my first decks I was living on the top floor of a house on a residential street, it was the summer and I spent the whole time just playing records. I knew how it all worked, because I used to watch the DJs from the balcony above the booth at Shine. I still practise all the time.

What comprised your first DJing equipment?
A Gemini Scratchmaster mixer, Soundlab 2000 belt-driven decks and a massive box of records which cost £150 altogether from a friend - a bargain! Obviously the decks were ruined and the records were mostly terrible techno ones, but the mixer worked fine. I had a vinyl copy of Handel's 'Messiah', which I tried to use as an acappella over a techno tune. God knows what my neighbours thought! The excitement of putting sounds together, like a jigsaw and thinking, 'Oh my God that works!' kept me going.

What about your first record?
The first ones I bought were Moloko, “Sing it Back” and Basement Jaxx, “Rendez Vous…” the really big house tunes at the time. I just used to check out Belfast's HMV for new releases and the second-hand shops around town for old Motown, soul and funk records.

How did you get into radio DJing?
I did a BA in English Literature in Belfast and moved to London to do an MA in Radio for a year at City University when I was 21. When I was studying for that I started to do work experience on SBN (the Student Broadcast Network) where I hosted a couple of weekly shows.

When did you first DJ for an audience?
It was once I'd moved to England. My friend had a party and I played to maybe about twelve people in the living room - it was a pretty special evening. I remember playing Les Rhythmes Digitales and it was amazing, but I recall thinking even then that I wanted more. My break came thanks to my older brother. He was in an angsty indie band in London and they used to have a residency at a place called the Kashmir Club near Baker Street and he asked me to DJ in between bands. I thought I was a really good scratcher at that point, so I was scratching in acappellas over Primal Scream's 'Loaded' and stuff like that. Now I think it was a fantastic experience, because although it was an indie club, I was still DJing regularly to an audience.

How did you get into Radio One from doing student radio?
The whole time I was studying, working at SBN and playing venues I was like a sponge, just taking it all in. After I'd graduated from the MA, I got back into rock music again and was DJing at the indie night Silver at the Underworld in Camden. In the meantime I had a regular alternative new music show on SBN. Then I was thrilled to get a job as a producer at Radio One, which I loved doing. One of the senior producers suggested that I make a show-specific demo so that if the DJ was away I could deputise. I made one for Mary-Anne Hobbs' Breezeblock, which was my favourite show on the station. It turned out that Mary-Anne was off sick one day and I got to host the show, which eventually led to me presenting my own programme. It's been weekly since July 2004.

How many records do you own?
I don't know, I've actually stopped counting! I keep all my old classics in a cupboard arranged according to genre, but I'm very strict and make a point of only keeping records that I know I'll play again. I get sent so many because of the radio show and I plough through them mercilessly in the listening room at Radio One every week.

Who has influenced your club DJing?
Jacques Le Cont is amazing. He's the reason that I got into dance music when I did. I bought his “Darkdancer” album in 1999 and it was that album that made me cross over from rock music. When I heard that album, I started buying everything I could find on Wall of Sound, the label who released it. Last summer I found myself DJing on the same bill as Jacques Le Cont at the Cream night in Ibiza and couldn't believe it. He's a brilliant DJ and his remixes are scarily spot-on. His production is outstanding, even as a DJ, because live he uses lots of effects and he's not afraid to play big room records either. Some DJs are more concerned with looking cool than what's going on…on the dance floor, but Stuart Price is someone who is totally in tune with what's happening in the crowd.

Do you think that you were able to get to a point where you could do a show like yours which showcases a range of dance music, because of people like him and 2 Many DJs who crossed over from the indie/dance/pop scene?
Yes, even when I was into indie, it wasn't hard for me to like his album, because it was really accessible to people who didn't necessarily like dance music. The whole point of my radio show is that there are no rules or barriers and there's something for everyone. Except perhaps heavy metal fans...

What are your future career plans?
I love being able to play a mix of dance music on the show and playing live. But then I do think, maybe ten years down the line, I'll be 37 and although I'm loving it now I don't know if I'll realistically want to DJ on Friday nights in a club when I've maybe got kids at home! I think it's easier for men to be older DJs than women. I do know that I definitely want to stay at Radio One, though, I love it.

At 26 you were the youngest ever female presenter on Radio One when you were given your own show - that's quite special.
Yes, I'm very proud of that. On the specialist dance programming side on the station there's only Mary-Anne Hobbs, Annie Nightingale - both absolute legends - and me. We belong to different generations, but it's very inspiring.

What's your fave guest mix from the radio show so far?
Loaded's old-school hip-hop set, which introduced me to lots of tunes I hadn't heard before. I also loved the very clever Krafty Kuts one, and Friendly's and Erol Alkan's were brilliant. But they’re all fantastic.

What was it like DJing in Ibiza?
I played at Cream at Amnesia. It wasn't muso at all, which was refreshing in a way, because as long as everyone has a good time I'm happy really. There were certain tunes I'd play thinking everyone would go mad for, say 'Washing Up' but the crowd were more interested in 'Shot Me Down' by The Audiobullys. It's always about pleasing people, but not loosing your credibility while you're at it. It was a really good experience for me out there and I felt that after I'd played once it was as if I'd overcome a big hurdle. It was VAST - one of the biggest gigs I've ever played.

Do you ever have an 'entourage?’
Ibiza was great because there was a big group of us out there. One of the things I've discovered is that DJing's quite a lonely business and unless you've someone to keep you company, it can be quite lonely, especially as a girl. Sometimes people will come up to me in the DJ booth and tap me on the shoulder wanting to chat and I'm normally totally up for talking to people, just not when I'm trying to cue up a record! I find my boyfriend comes in quite handy on those occasions - when he's not drinking my rider that is! I have to confess he's got some issues with being a DJ bitch. He refuses to carry my bag. But then I don't like him carrying my bag, because he just thinks I'm using him to carry my bag! (laughs) It's never this complicated when you're a boy DJ! Their girlfriends just turn up and look pretty, but when it's a girl you've got this whole other world that you have to worry about. Someone should probably invent a record bag with pockets for your make-up and accessories...

And finally...What's your favourite venue to play?
I always really enjoy playing Shine because I know that the whole club's behind me.

Favourite labels?
Gomma, Get Physical, Southern Fried, Sonar Kollectiv and Kitsune.

Record shops?
Phonica and Sounds of the Universe, both in Soho, London.

Do you have a secret weapon track?
My trademark for a while was “From Disco to Disco” from Darkdancer. It's really easy to mix in, it's recognisable and if all else fails, it does the trick. It's also a great transitional record for going from house to breakbeat. Sharam Jey's “Feel Nobody” is also fantastic.

Annie Mac's show is on BBC Radio 1 every Thursday from 7-9pm (GMT). Archived shows are available to download from www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/dance/anniemac.