And the beat goes on: Carl Cox on DJ superstardom and nights at Sir Henry's

As he publishes a memoir recounting his decades-long career as one of the world's top DJs, Carl Cox chats to Marjorie Brennan about hard work, what Covid means for dance culture, and the joy of playing the 'sweatbox' that was Cork's Sir Henry's

Carl Cox: "I always went back to Cork — I felt the love, the generosity, the warmth, the energy, the power of it all"

He is one of the original superstar DJs, a pioneer of club culture and a legend in dance music across five decades, but Carl Cox is no diva. When I log on to our Zoom chat with a few minutes to spare, he is already waiting, and eager to chat. Having been double-jabbed, Cox is on a quick visit to the Isle of Man, where he has a holiday home and also where he indulges his love of motorsports — he even has his own motorcycle team. 

As well as being a strict timekeeper, he is a jolly soul, our conversation punctuated with loud bursts of laughter, and it is clear that he believes life is there to be grabbed with both hands. However, for the past 18 months or so, all has been quiet on the dance floor, and Cox has taken the opportunity to write a memoir, recounting his rise from working as a shelf-stacker and scaffolder to becoming one of the world’s best-known DJs and producers.