This mixtape has been created to celebrate the launch of Kicks N Mixtapes and to commemorate the 15th Anniversary of the UK B-Boy Championships. Dj Hooch is the founder and chief of the UK B-Boy Championships and he has been backing the scene from day one.

As this feature is all about Dj's and their love for sneaks, what was your first pair?...Was it love at first sight?
My first pair that I remember were a pair of Adidas Leaders, green and white. I still remember the box-fresh smell when I took them out of their box. From that point on I've been addicted to sneakers! HaHa

Back in your school days, did you ever get jealous of other kids because of their kicks?
From that first pair, I always had nice kicks!(Ok, maybe a few bad choices along the way!) I think it's what I would have done, design sneakers, if I wasn't doing what I do now. There was this one pair of white Diadoras with gold stripes that a friend of mine had. I really wanted them but never got them for some reason. As soon as I started making money I was buying sneakers that I wanted whenever I saw a pair. Luckily I'm sponsored by a sneaker company now.

Are you a box-fresh collector or do you love to wear your favourites? What is your current top pick?.
I like em "Fresh" but I also have favourites. I did go through a phase of buying fresh Airforce 1s every two weeks. Crazy!
Right now I'm rockin' everything ASICS, they're my sponsors! But they are really the most comfortable kicks plus the colours are always dope. I have about 20 pairs.

Are you loyal to a brand or colourway? Why?
Like I said ASICS is the shoe of choice. The are the official footwear sponsor of the Sony Ericsson B-Boy Champs and we have a signiture GT II version out for this years event. There has been an incredible take up of the sneakers by the b-boy community world-wide. A lot of the world's illest b-boys now wear ASICS to battle in!

Do you have a favourite city when it comes to picking up new kicks?
London still has a lot of great stores. Tokyo is cool but expensive, New York is similar to London I think. There's some cool boutique stores in LA. You go in and it looks more like an art gallery! Seoul in Korea has the most incredible fakes! You don't buy them but its insane to see how they cross 2 different brand kicks and then wrap them in cellophane and put them on display like they are some ultra rare collabo. China does the same!

Tell us about a Highlight or fond memory from the Champs?
There's been a lot of amazing battles. Some have gone into legend. 98, Spartanic Rockers from Japan beating Style Elements from the US was pretty big. 2002 Vagabonds(Fr) against Project Korean was still one of the most insane battles! Pokemon winning the Title after three times trying was great to see. B-Boy Mouse from the UK finally taking the solos with 5000 people going crazy willing him on! That's just a few that comes to mind but there are many more.

Tell us a bit about the scale and production of the first ever championship event?
Wow , 15 years ago! It was a lot smaller back then. The flyer was just a graffiti logo. We did everything by phone ,fax and post, no internet! Now we are sponsored by Sony Ericsson, ASICS and New Era. We have eliminations around the world with hundreds of crews competing for those final 8 places at the World Finals plus a TV series on Channel 4. The one thing we always make sure, is that the battling is straight up, raw and un-cut. There's no dumbing down of the culture. People know they are going to see incredible skills on stage and that's why the audience love it!

SoleHeaven.com Presents Kicks N Mixtapes Vol.1 - Dj Hooch & Mr Blue by SoleHeaven