Charlie Sparks: I Didn't Even Know What a DJ Was Until 18 - Now I'm Headlining Awakenings

Charlie Sparks sits down for a raw, wide-ranging conversation about the philosophy that fuelled one of techno's fastest rises. From discovering electronic music at 18 in Fabric to headlining Awakenings just a few years later, Charlie breaks down how a Japanese anime, One Piece, became the blueprint for his entire career.We go deep on his half-Japanese heritage, a near-death experience in the Colombian jungle on his first ever tour, playing sober for two years, and why his mum is now more of a VIP than he is. Plus: the story behind his debut album and why hard dance is exploding right now. ↳ Charlie Sparks maps his DJ career directly to Luffy's journey - from nobody to king of the pirates ↳ "I didn't even know what a DJ was until I was 18" - discovering electronic music late and catching up fast ↳ Crying in a taxi when the Awakenings booking came through ↳ First-ever tour: four shows in Colombia, landing the day before Europe went into lockdown ↳ Getting into a stranger's truck in the Colombian jungle and ending up 45 minutes into nowhere ↳ Returning to Japan 7 years later as a touring DJ after leaving as a student ↳ His Japanese mum handing out water and taking selfies in the crowd at Terminal V ↳ Going sober behind the decks: "You have to not — it's not plausible and it's not enjoyable" ↳ Why hard dance exploded post-COVID: "people were stuck inside with all this energy built up" ↳ The 3-year journey to finish his debut album while learning how to be a DJ CHAPTERS:0:00 — How One Piece changed his life 3:19 — Never being content: always chasing the next goal 7:04 — Crying when Awakenings came through 9:05 — Discovering electronic music at 18 in Fabric 11:22 — From drum & bass to tech house to techno 15:18 — The track that made him fall in love with techno 17:10 — Producing in final year of architecture 19:34 — SPONSOR: LabelWorx 20:37 — SPONSOR: Trackstack 23:04 — First gigs: Mumbai, Poland 25:31 — Cold-messaging Colombian collective Doom for a tour 28:29 — The Colombia jungle adventure 34:37 — Has the rapid rise been overwhelming? 37:53 — Half-Japanese heritage and growing up in Japanese school 39:47 — Playing Japan for the first time, 7 years later 43:40 — His mum: the real VIP at every show 45:31 — Two years sober while DJing 48:06 — Why being a raver first made him a better producer 49:47 — His community and connection with fans 51:38 — Why hard dance is exploding 57:32 — The debut album: a 3-year journey back to himself 1:01:48 — Quick-fire questionS 🎧 MORE INTERVIEWS Find more dance music artist and industry interviews here: 👉 [   • Luuk Van Dijk: You Can Always Want More… B...  ] 🔔 Subscribe for more in-depth conversations with the people shaping dance music culture. Follow Katie:   / katiehayknight   Follow Can U Put Me On Guestlist?:   / canuputmeonguestlist   Follow Charlie: https://www.instagram.com/charliespar... This episode is powered by LabelWorx - the engine behind thousands of independent dance labels. Distribution, royalty management, promo tools, and industry insights - all built by people who live and breathe dance music. Check them out at https://www.labelworx.com Also powered by Trackstack - the all-in-one platform for music creators. Send and receive promos, get unreleased tracks into DJs' hands, and create social-ready promo videos. Use code CUP for 10% off for life. https://www.trackstack.app/