Radio presenter, club DJ, musician and remixer – there are many strings to Kissy Sell Out’s bow.

But ask the man christened Thomas Bisdee how he describes himself and he will tell you just one thing.

“I am a record producer,” he says. “It’s quite a strange thing about my profile in the UK – abroad, people don’t know me from the radio show, although that is beginning to change.”

Kissy was snapped up by Radio 1 in 2007 to present a monthly instalment of In New DJs We Trust. A year later he had taken over Eddie Halliwell’s Thursday night slot with a weekly programme of jump-up rock and rave.

He is the special guest DJ at Audio’s fifth birthday party tonight, and is promising clubbers something they haven’t heard before.

“About 50% of the records I play are bootlegs,” he says.

“It’s quite weird in a way, if somebody asked me to do a compilation mix CD it would be incredibly hard as it would be impossible to licence half the tunes I play.

“I’m really passionate about playing new music – all this stuff happened to me so quickly, because people knew me through DJs playing my record when I was a nobody.

“Now I’m on the radio I am astonished how little effort people make to find new music. I trawl through MySpace pages to find someone who is fantastic.

“There are still a lot of money records around. My radio show is my way of saying, ‘Fine, that person has had £150,000 pumped into them, but this guy is from High Wycombe and has made this’.”

As well as making people’s careers, Kissy is building his own reputation as a musician.

His debut album Youth was released earlier this year – the result of 12 months’ hard graft with his cousin Danimal Kingdom, formerly of Bolt Action Five, providing the vocals.

“I still find it funny when people think it’s me singing,” laughs Kissy. “I can’t sing!

“Making the record was a very long, painful experience – I’m glad I’m out of that year.

I had no freedom at all, I was working until 4am every day doing various things. I’m very proud of what came out of it though.”

As the title suggests, Youth is focused on Kissy’s early years, growing up in Colchester, with songs about peer pressure and kissing his best mate’s girlfriend, all set to an electro backing.

“A few people were shocked how niche it was,” he says. “I liked that – all my favourite records are a bit different. We have toured with the band and now we are getting big crowds coming to see us who know the words to the songs.”

He has no plans to do a quick follow-up, with his focus now shifting to a stint on the other side of the mixing desk.

“I would love to produce an album with some bands or another artist,” he says. “I have never been an artist who does collaborations with anyone – I’m not the most connected guy in the world. It would be fun to share the workload with someone – it gets things done quicker and there’s more energy.

“It would be nice to produce someone and get that out of the way before I start another record.”

Support from David Parr, Pete Leeves, Blah Blah Blah DJs and Vincent Manganero.

  • 9pm, £7, call 01273 606906