Legendary DJ MistaJam explores Nottingham for the British segment of Palladium’s AW14 Explorer series

As the beating heart of the Midlands club scene, it made sense for MistaJam to explore his native Nottingham for the UK edition of Palladium’s ten-part Explorer Series.

While he may be a regular at international clubs like Ibiza’s Space, and set to perform at Snowbombing next year, the film proves that MistaJam has yet to forget his roots. Considering himself neither a Northerner or a Southerner but a contented Midlander, he offers an insider’s guide to the city that raised him.

Starting at the location of his first ever DJ-set, we follow MistaJam to the magnet for B-Boys, Fly Girls and Electro DJs in the ’80s: Rock City. Then, it’s a pit-stop at the Acna Centre – where the man himself honed his radio DJ skills – before ending up at a secret gig in the infamous Bodega nightclub. Hosted earlier this month, Palladium invited more than 150 of its finest Midlander fans to a homecoming set with MistaJam himself on the decks.

Palladium was established in 1920 to make tyres for the aviation industry. As interest in this market dried up after WW2, the company put their expertise in canvas and rubber into making boots as tough as their tyres had been. The Palladium Explorer Series collaborates with creatives the world over to uncover alternative cities and cultures through innovative film and photography content.

When it came to Nottingham, there was no better fit than MistaJam, was there?

Words: Heather Gwyther