Besides an abundant offering of live dates and special club nights, the musical foundation of 45 Special is laid by the resident DJs, who are responsible for playing good rock and pop music for 45 Special customers at least five nights a week. On these nights, there is also a dancefloor (on weekends two) free for the music-loving crowd to show their moves on.
According to 45 Special traditions, the music selection of the bottom floor is based on older and more classic material from the 1950s onwards, including rock music seasoned with essential elements of funk, soul and pop. The top floor has a different atmosphere, with music mainly from this millennium, ranging between indie, alternative, electro etc. naturally dodging worn-out mainstream or dance club hits.
Over the years, more than twenty resident DJs have been working to get the 45 Special dancefloors worn by partying customers. Now, in early 2008, there are three resident DJs, all of whom have been handpicked from the clientele by active 45 Special colleagues.
DJ Samituinen
Sami is a Lapland lad who was born in Tornio. He has been deejaying in the basement of 45 Special since 2006. Well and truly the music man he is, Sami spends most of his free time making and playing music. The singer and songwriter for his recording and gigging band Blue Frequency also listens to a variety of music at home, e.g. Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, Ismo Alanko, and Katatonia. On the whole, Sami likes to spend time on the sofa, and watch a LOT of movies. When he grows up, Sami plans to become a musician, and he would like to marry a meatball... If you want to please Sami, stop yapping about a request he's denied for a perfectly good reason. Here's another hint: DJ Samituinen hates The Doors.
DJ Anna
Anna started deejaying at 45 Special in the spring of 2007. She spins her records in both the dancing floors, and also co-hosts some of the special nights, for example Open Decks. Anna likes different types of music and all sorts of genres outside of country music and the heaviest of metals, foremost electro, new wave, glam, etc. She mentions bands like Roxy Music, Of Montreal, Prince, YUP and XTC as some of her her favourites. Anna says she is an eternal student, who will grow up to be supported by her son, who will by then be playing in the NHL. In addition to her music hobby as an active listener and collector, Anna spends her time doing graphic design, also for money... DJ Anna's least favourite customer is someone who asks her if she really does NOT know who the person in question is?! And you might also want to forget about Guns'n'Roses...
DJ Pyhis
Pyhis is almost a part of the 45 Special furniture. Having now already celebrated his 10th Anniversary at 45, he began his work as head DJ at the club in 1997, when the former deejays were retiring around the time the top floor was introduced. Originally from Rovaniemi, Pyhis came to Oulu to study, and got sort of stuck. Now he does all sorts of things besides deejaying, such as translating and journalism, but has never (yet) got around to finishing his Master's degree. He likes to spend a lot of time with music also outside of 45 Special, for example with his band 80th Disorder or Mieskuoro Huutajat, the choir of screaming men. As his other hobbies, he mentions active TV and movie watching, cooking, hanging online and enjoying the company of people. As an "almost omnivorous" consumer of music, his all-time favourites include The Cure, Depeche Mode, Kate Bush, and The Smiths. Pyhis gets along with any customer, as long as he or she does not request "something people can dance to" when the dancefloor is packed, "some good music", or "anything besides this shite"...
