More DJs With Surprising Pasts

Active for over two decades, DJ EZ (real name Otis Roberts) is one of the finest and most highly regarded DJs on the planet. Known as the “DJ’s favorite DJ,” the London-born garage artist is a creative mixer with unparalleled instincts and exceptional technical abilities. He has some of the quickest fingers in the game, showcasing his cue button action during his sets.

Roberts is the man behind many of the biggest UK garage compilations to date. His Boiler Room live stream is touted as one of the greatest UK garage sets of all time, with millions of views. Another notable live stream, Roberts played a 24-hour set in 2016, with all proceeds going to Cancer Research UK.

Across multiple decades, the UK DJ has won many awards, solidifying his place at the top. He won ‘Club DJ of the Year’ at the 1998 Underground Garage Awards, ‘Best DJ’ at the UK Garage Awards in 2000 and 2002, and won three awards at the 2004 People’s Choice Music Awards, ‘Best DJ,’ ‘Best Old School DJ,’ and ‘Best Radio Show.’

Being inspired by pirate radio and his love for house, hip-hop, and electro, Roberts began recording mixes in the early 90s in the hope that he would have his own show one day. He landed his first DJing gig with the pirate radio station Dance 93FM, where he played house music and was known as Easy O. He tried his take as his own station called Dimension FM, but it wasn’t long-lived. Instead, he went on to host his own show every weekend on Freek FM 101.8 in 1994, changing his name to EZ.

Roberts finally hit commercial radio in the late 90s, covering for Steve Jackson and Bobby & Steve’s shows on Kiss 100. In 1999, Kiss offered him a permanent show, starting with just one show a week and quickly progressing to two more shows. He hosted a range of shows over a 14-year period, which came to an end in 2014.

In 2020, he held a monthly residency with BBC Radio 1. This was also the year he started his own record label and globally syndicated radio show called NUVOLVE. It quickly became known as the place to discover some of the hottest UK garage talent, both emerging and established.

Also as of recent, Roberts goes beyond UK garage and back to his roots with his alias Elvin Zedo, dedicated to house and techno music.

Roberts has performed at some of the biggest festivals, including Coachella, Glastonbury, and Creamfields, on top of countless sold-out tours globally. Over two decades later, Roberts continues to perform live and on air, soon hitting events like Boiler Room London, Dekmantel Festival, and Contrair Open Air.