Jokingly, Jules puts down his endurance to the fact that he is still an 'immature jerk', yet to grow out of his teen passion for collecting records. With a self-conscious laugh, he also apologises for being a 'long-winded' interviewee. (Hey -- nobody is perfect.)

Although Jules O'Riordan finished a law degree, he turned his back on the legal profession in the 80s for an altogether less secure career as a DJ, playfully adopting the title of 'Judge'. It wasn't an easy decision. 'When I left university, I was virtually muttering under my breath what my career ambitions were, because at that time it was almost embarrassing to be a DJ. There was nothing cool or cred about it. It was almost forced upon me by the fact that I didn't lose that kind of vinyl junkie passion. Eventually you cease being the coolest kid on the block when you've got the biggest record collection. You actually look a bit anal and anorak-y unless you go out and do something to justify it. And DJing is possibly your only option.'

At any rate, Jules has brought his entrepreneurial instincts to DJing over the past sixteen years. He has established himself as a remixer, producer and even A&R consultant for Manifesto, the label he helped launch. Currently he also holds down two weekend radio slots on the BBC's Radio One. And just to show how Jules moves with the times, he has actively encouraged the DJing career of his old school-mate, Sonique, who now belongs to Britain's new wave of female deck icons. So what exactly is the secret of his success? How does he maintain that consistency? And what is driving him at this point?

The Judge breaks it down. 'I think consistency is the key to popularity as a DJ. I mean, I've done really well. "Mixmag" did a readers' poll in which I came first and "Muzik" did a readers' poll where I was voted favourite radio DJ -- so it's been a very good year for me. But I do think consistency is the key. It's better to be consistently good than occasionally brilliant, which is something that can almost be applied to everything, I think. There's many DJs I could name, but won't, who I've heard on occasion and I've thought, "My God, this is absolutely fantastic," and then I've heard them on others and thought, "This is absolutely diabolical."'

At 33, Jules has not lost his teen passion for the turntables. And he says he will only give it all up when that passion starts to diminish. He cut back on some things after getting married and landing the Radio One gig in 1997, but otherwise, for Jules, it's the same as it ever was. Nevertheless, he identifies one of his peers whose example he clearly won't be following. 'At the risk of naming names, I will name one -- this guy in the UK called Jon Pleased Wimmin who started life as a transvestite DJ, and was actually a very good DJ and not just purely a novelty. Eventually he decided he no longer wanted to dress in drag; then no longer wear make-up; and now dresses like a guy -- and looks really miserable all the time. And his placing in the arbitrary pecking order of DJs and his popularity has plummeted as a consequence.

Although things look rosy for Jules at this stage, he admits there have been times when his own career has come under harsh scrutiny in the dance media. 'I was the butt of a lot of fairly snide comments from music magazines in the UK up to the point at which I joined Radio One,' he rues. The point here, Jules feels, is to always keep your 'eggs in a multitude of baskets'. That way you'll survive. Which is exactly what he continues to do.