A DJ, a podcast host, a content creator, and an electric personality, G2 is one of the city’s best club DJs. Described by Mike Skinner of The Streets as ‘the greatest to ever do it’ He’s spun tunes for people such as Usain Bolt and Robin Van Persie during his time behind the decks, we spoke to G2 to find out more about the crazy career he’s already had.
“I grew up in Stretford but moved out when I was like eighteen, or nineteen years old, moved to the city centre and fell in love with clubs. I got into the nightlife through glass collecting at M-Two, it closed years ago. M-Two was a superclub on Peter Street, it could hold like 3000 people and was open every night, that was also where I got my first residency.”
One look at G2’s Instagram and you can see an array of famous faces, we asked him about a couple of the standout stars including RVP, Bieber and Skinner.
“I don’t know anything about football, but only for my mum I’m a United fan, I have got zero clue about football. I’m working at a restaurant, Yours, on Deansgate, and every footballer has been in there, footballers and musicians. So I didn’t know who Van Persie was, that’s how much I don’t know football, but all my boys I was with were like oh my god that’s Van Persie, and I was like okay, talk to him. I just shouted ‘Van Persie!’ across the room at him, he looked around and came over and we had a little chat. I was like ‘I don’t know who the f*ck you are but if these guys say you’re someone, then you’re someone’ and that’s how that went.”
“I met Justin Bieber through connections, I got a call, ‘Bieber wants to go out in Manchester and you’re the guy.’ Do you know how weird that phone call is? I’m sat at home scratching my balls, and I get that phone call like ‘yo Justin Bieber wants to go out and you’re the right guy to take him out.’ My friends in LA sorted that, whenever they come to Manchester, I always show them a great time, which comes through me being the character that I am. ‘He’s in Manchester for four days, look after him’. I was like ‘why not?’ This was when Justin Bieber was Justin f*cking Bieber, shoutout to JB.”
“At his show, I was backstage, and Bieber had this section where he brings out the kids to dance with him on stage. It was a tiny space to get on stage and I’m a big guy, this lady comes to me screaming and shouting trying to get her kid on stage, all the lady needed to say was ‘hello, can you move out of the way’ but I get it, you’re a parent and you want to get your kid up there, whatever. But she was rude and because of that I didn’t move too quickly, and she ended up not getting her kid up in time, which I still feel bad for. Whatever that lady said afterwards to the bouncers, it worked, so she had the last laugh and I ended up getting kicked out.”
“Even Bieber called me the next day like ‘yo man, security was saying some crazy sh*t dawg’ what can I do?”
“I met Mike through Murkage Dave, this motherf*cker put me in a movie and every time he’s around he’s like ‘G2’s the best DJ in the world!’ which I am by the way. You can put that in the article.”
G2 does a lot alongside his DJing, he hosts his own podcast called Close Friends, and hosts a show called Let’s Eat, because of this we asked him to name his favourite spots to eat around town.
“If there’s one thing that always brings everyone together it’s food, and I realised every time I’m hosting people, the most communication, when people are just sitting and connecting is through food. Food and conversation are always good, but for me to pinpoint my favourite place, you’re going to get me in trouble. It’s like picking your favourite kid.”
“We’ve got two go-to spots. I’ll start off with Yours on Deansgate, food, drinks, a fantastic atmosphere, and I work there, there’s nothing better than having a dinner and then DJing. Also, Pho Cue kitchen in Chinatown has got the best food in Manchester and I can put that on my life!”
We also asked whether G2 sees himself sticking to the DJing, with all of the other projects he has on currently.
“DJing is always going to be my main bread because it has brought me all these other opportunities. I did media and performing arts in collage and DJing has always brought me around people, and so I was like how can I capitalise off the DJing brand? It’s not about DJing all the time, it comes into networking and just hosting people and getting to know them, putting my thoughts into what music they make and being like a tastemaker of what music you make.”
“It’s like your first kid, ‘do you have kids?’ I don’t even have kids I was just praying you did I don’t know what the f*ck I’m talking about. DJing is always going to be my main love.”
G2 has had some wild nights, we asked him for his wildest within the city, which involved a certain ex-Manchester City striker.
“There was a character in town called Mario Balotelli. One night I decided to throw a house party, thinking maybe 10-20 people would end up there, chill you know. It gets to like 50 people now, in a place that Is not big enough for 50 people, Murkage Dave was there that night so he can vouch for this. Balotelli hits me like ‘yo what u doing.’ I’m like ‘we’re at mine’ he’s like ‘I heard you’ve got a house party, I’m coming.’ I’m like ‘who the f*ck is here that’s told you I’m having a house party!’”
“He shows up, and this is when he’s playing for City, I know nothing about football, but my flatmate at the time was a big United supporter, and he’s got United scarves hung up in the house. That motherf*cker Balotelli walks in there and rips all the United scarves off the wall and flushes them down the toilet. Just ‘f*ck this sh*t, City is the best team ever!” Everyone in the house party couldn’t believe it, like what is he doing!? So that’s one of the craziest nights that I can tell you.”
G2 also admitted to us which icon has had him the most starstruck.
“Music people don’t strike me enough to be like starstruck, but athletes, I do get starstruck. Serena and Venus Williams, I saw them, and I couldn’t even speak. Also meeting Ronaldinho and Connor McGregor is up there as well. Every club I’ve worked at in Manchester has always been the hotspot in town, so people like that have ended up pulling up and coming in because they want to party and know that crazy guy G2 is there!”
“With Serena and Venus, that was at Wimbledon, that was another thing though, it’s like ‘what the f*ck am I doing at Wimbledon?’ I should not be here, I’m at Wimbledon in flip-flops, my toes are out. Like crazy.”
“Usain Bolt is another one, he was the whole of athletics, and he’s just outside partying with me for like 7 days in a row. It’s up there, there’s too many people to name. One thing someone told me that stuck with me was Drake’s producer 40, he just said ‘never change’ because I didn’t treat them like celebrities, I just treated them like they were my boys from down the road. That’s always stuck with me, and I will never change. I could be in any room, and I will still be the same person. Hey, it’s paying the bills.”
To conclude our time with him, we asked G2 what we can expect from him in the future.
“What to expect from me? I don’t know, that’s one question I get asked the most, but in my head I really don’t know what I’m doing, but its working! so hopefully I’ll be writing movies, or like directing a tv show, or just doing the same sh*t that I’m doing until my hip falls off.”
Keep an eye on the editorial page for more interviews with more of the line up from the Union launch party.