Team Brisk Stream Of The Week: Char

We head to Perth, Western Australia for this week’s featured stream as we visit the Queen Of Drum & Bass on Twitch, the legendary Char!

Where are you from and where are you living now?

I was born in Plymouth, England. I emigrated from the UK at the age of 9 with my parents and brother to Perth, Western Australia, where I still currently reside.

What’s your equipment list?

DJ Controller: Pioneer DDJ-1000
Headphones: Sennheiser HD25
Studio Monitors: KRK Rokit RP8
Subwoofer: KRK S12.4
Camera: GoPro Hero 8 Black
Microphone: Shure SM58
Audio Interface: Behringer UCA-222
Streaming Laptop: Lenovo Legion 5
Elgato Streamdeck
Lights: Elgato Key Light, Nanoleaf Lines, Flood Lights, Philips Hue Bulbs

Where did your musical journey begin?

I don’t remember a time before music, music has surrounded me my entire life. As a young child, my grandfather and uncle were both always playing music, whether it was the piano, organ, guitar or singing.

My parents are massive music lovers and always had music pumping in the house, they loved to party. That’s something I’ve always loved and still cherish about them. Music has definitely been the one constant for me throughout my life.

I got into the harder dance genres at around 14 and started attending under age raves and events, that’s when I discovered my unwavering love for Drum and Bass. At age 16 is when my brother and myself realised we both loved Drum and Bass. It brought us together as friends and re-connected us. We would absolutely geek out, sharing tracks, DJ sets and discussing MC’s with each other. We loved every aspect of the scene and culture.

If my love of the music wasn’t already strong, this truly propelled me into an absolute obsession. I was hooked.

What made you decide to take up DJing?

My pure obsession for the genre and the love of the music. I’d always be the one in control of the music, hosting all our friends gatherings and parties and I’d be the music geek in the corner, playing all my new discoveries. Constantly listening to DJ sets, attending events and hunting new tracks, I wanted even further control myself. I loved hearing how DJs would craft a set, it would feel like telling a story through music with how they would take you on a journey through sound.

Hearing two tracks come together to create a whole new sound would always excite me and I knew that’s what I wanted to do whenever I found new tracks. I wanted that creative freedom, to be able to fly through tracks, curate a story, manipulate the sounds, take elements from one track and lay it over another. Transition from something that hits you in the chest emotionally to something that just makes you want to get up and jump. It’s as if there was no other choice but to take up DJing for me. The natural progression bred from obsession.

In 2006-2007 myself and my best friend would host massive open parties at his mum’s property.
We would hire DJ decks and PA systems, of course that’s where I’d spend my whole nights, around the decks and tinkering with the tech. It was in 2008 where I could finally afford my own set up and that was it. My love only grew deeper and it became my outlet, my down time and my time to energise. Therapeutic.

What are some of your interests/hobbies/passions outside of streaming/DJing?

Horror! My love of the Horror genre runs almost as deep as my love for music. That has to easily be one of my biggest passions outside of DJing, another obsession if you will.

Beach days is something my mates and I love. There’s no better way to unwind than to get together and chill out with a beer and tunes pumping. 4WD’ing (Off road 4 wheel driving) is something I also love to do. Put on some music, drive and get lost in the world where nothing else matters.

Exploring and travel, is one thing I love and would love to do more of.

When did you start streaming on Twitch?

I started streaming on twitch at the very end of July 2021. Like a lot of people, I thought Twitch was a site just for gamers. I wish I had known that there were music categories sooner. I’ve been missing out on not only so much talent out there, but the opportunity to create bonds with so many likeminded people who are just as passionate as myself.

Is there anything you really hope to accomplish in your life, whether it be related to music or not?

Honestly, this may seem cheesy, and not the way others interpret this question. What I want to accomplish in life is simple success. Of course everyone wants success, but what success is to you, may be different to what that is for me. For me success is being happy within yourself. It’s being passionate, loving what you do and staying true to yourself and helping others with kindness and compassion.

It’s living a fulfilling life, loving your lifestyle, being appreciative for what you have and what comes your way. Never losing sight of why you started something to begin with. To me, this is what some of the greatest accomplishments in life can be. This is what living a rewarding life sounds like to me, true success. Now that’s not to say I don’t have bigger goals, we should always aim higher, strive to be better. Learn. Grow. Dream big. But without accomplishing those basics I don’t think I’d feel nearly as happy and successful as I do.

Music and stream related, I’m so grateful and humbled with what I’ve already achieved on the platform in this short span of time. The reason I started twitch was to share my love and passion for music and meet likeminded people. Everyone faces hardship in life, so I wanted to create a space where we can just share a laugh and hopefully help people take their minds away from all the daily struggles, even if just for a brief moment.

I want to continue doing that, helping support and build up other streamers, all while expanding and growing myself. I’ve grown so quickly in such a short period of time. My biggest accomplishment was definitely achieving partner in less than 6 months and I couldn’t be more proud or grateful for that achievement.

Who knows what the future brings. I’m just excited to be on this journey and am going to enjoy the ride.

Who are some of your favourite streamers? Why?

Argh, there are just too many! I’m going to have to keep my list short, as I could list 100’s as I have so many favourites and I’m discovering more every week! I have to start with the entirety of Team Brisk. I truly love watching everyone on their journeys. What a talented group of individuals, always incredible vibes and we’ve all shared some amazing moments and laughs together.

DJ Brisk (the well endowed studmuffin!)
My ladies in bass MissChessKnight & HeyItsIpo
DJ Magic Mike
Rallen (top bloke!)
Violit
DJ Brady
Mr Relax
Vlouue

What is your favourite genre to play? Why?

Drum & Bass! It’s my favourite genre to listen to and play, there’s just so much variety in the one genre. No matter your mood, there’s a subgenre of D&B that fits that mood. The atmosphere and ambiance that varies from track to track. I love how energetic it is, also how hard hitting emotionally it can be.
There are no limitations to how you can mix it, so the level of creativity you can have with it is unlike any other genre. It’s always fun and interesting which keeps it fresh, exciting and I’m constantly able to push myself.

What are some of the most memorable events you’ve participated in or streamed?

Easily the Team Brisk events, they’re such a blast and level of camaraderie we feel when we all come together to support each other in what we do is
just beautiful to see. Makes me so proud to be part of this community.

Bass nights with MissChessKnight & HeyItsIpo. 16+ hours of all bass music with two incredibly talented women is an absolute honour. From flute tings to running on no sleep, streaming in delirium is hilarious. It’s an absolute blast and pleasure to work alongside them.

What does Team Brisk mean to you?

When I see the words “Team Brisk” a few keywords spring to mind. Love, Support, talent, passion.
Team Brisk is an extremely supportive community of likeminded people, all coming together to help build each other up and achieve our goals. We’re all super passionate about what we do, and want to be able to help each other succeed in our own individual journeys.

Watching the team all rally around another team member when they’re close to a goal is so heart-warming, I’ve not witnessed anything else like it. The team boasts some of the best talent on the platform and I’m always in awe watching other team members. The Variety and diversity are unlike any other, and the quality is unmatched. The team is full of the kindest, loving, accepting, and not to mention hilarious people I’ve ever come across in my life.

It’s a joy, an honour and a privilege to have met all the amazing people on the team and to be part of it! I couldn’t be prouder. The love, compassion, care for one another, support, encouragement, all while staying true to ourselves, as we work together to kick our goals, is everything I love about Team Brisk.

Without the love and support of the team backing me, I don’t think I’d be where I am today. So, thank you Team Brisk, all of you.

What’s your favourite thing about DJing on Twitch?

The community. When I started on Twitch I had no idea the bonds I’d be making on this platform. The friendships I’ve made are something I will cherish for life and I was really naive about how much Twitch would actually change my life in that regard.

The love and support I have received from the community for just being me is overwhelming and more than I’ve ever felt in my day-to-day life. I’ve laughed the most, cried the most and shared some of the most incredible moments with everyone on here. I feel like I’ve finally found my place in the world, where I can just be unapologetically myself thanks to Twitch and the incredible community.

DJ wise, the freedom and flexibility. The ability to be able to play what you truly love and are passionate about. You can play whenever you want and to be able to fit it into your own lifestyle is a massive draw.
Being able to just be yourself and share your love and passion with others is huge.

What is a challenge you’ve faced as a DJ/streamer?

It has to be my internet! Those tech issues are painful. I won’t lie, I’ve shed a few tears over it.
Australian’s will empathise with that one.

Do you have any special projects, streams or events you would like to tell us about?

I’m looking forward to helping organise more Team Brisk events in the near future and I truly am so proud when they come together. Bass nights will now become a monthly thing, on the last Wednesday of every month and of course, I am looking to my back to back set with Brisk too.

Is there anyone you’d like to shout out and/or thank?

Big love to the entirety of Team Brisk and my beautiful community. Each and every one of you who has supported me on this journey, without you this could not be possible. Your continued love and support have humbled me and meant the absolute world and you have all changed my life in the best possible way. I couldn’t be where I am without you all.

DJ Brisk, you saw something in me and supported me from the start and I can’t thank you enough for always being there supporting me and pushing me to be better. You not only became a mentor, but even more so a great friend. Thank you.

My incredible team of mods, your hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed and I appreciate you giving up your time to help me. DJ Brady, Mr Relax, Sytryx, Karoliina, Patrick, DJ Brisk, Sachey, Stumpmeow, IPO & Tony. Thank you all.

An extra special thank you to Nox. The amount of work you put in not only during stream time, but behind the scenes is overwhelming. The amount of gratitude I have towards you is immense. You have supported me in every way possible, always in my corner and looking out for my best interest.

My family, I love you. Thank you for all your help and encouragement. You’ve helped make this possible each and every day x

Give us your links?

Twitch
Instagram
SoundCloud