This weeks interview & mix comes from Après.
Selector Afterdark – Apres by The Selector on Mixcloud
Introduce yourself and tell us about the part of the UK you’re from?
I’m Hugo Ellingham, a House producer and DJ that performs and writes under the name Après, I’m 22 and I’m from Kent but am studying Music Technology in my final year at Falmouth University.
Can you tell us a bit about what you’ve been working on recently?
With the popularity and exposure that Chicago has had, my main focus at the moment is to write and create as much new music as I can (while focusing on my dissertation of course…) and generate a catalogue to promote and hopefully keep the hype going. There’s a few exciting announcements on their way soon but I can’t make them known just yet.
And can you talk us through the mix?
The mix was put together with new music in mind with the first 15-20 minutes focused strictly on new UK house and included a brand new, unreleased track of my own. I tried to represent a selection of producers and labels that I have a big appreciation for like Bodhi, Howson’s Groove and Love and Other.
Nice, give us a taste of some of your favourite British artists at the moment?
Drums of Death opens up the mix with his addictive freebie, “Calloutchaname” which is just destined to be a summer hit. The Golden Boy is next up who has just become a staple name within the British house scene and never disappoints. His latest remix of Krystal Klear’s ‘Dancin’ is no exception. The 3rd British feature is a new one from myself, ‘Rebels’ which I’m really excited to start playing out and finally is ‘Picking You Up’ from Howson’s Groove, a London duo that I can’t get enough of recently with a really fresh sound.
Cool, tell us about some of your British DJ Heroes and influences in general
Mr Beatnick’s Dub version of AtJazz’s ‘Underlined’ was a turning point in my appreciation of house music. As cliché and predictable as it may sound for my generation, Disclosure played a big part in locking down my love for House and really got me committed to the genre. From there I started loving the likes of Bicep, Leon Vynehall and Shadow Child so I guess they’ve been big influences for me.
And what’s on the cards in the immediate future?
First up on the cards is Chicago’s second wind as it’s due for a release on Subsoul in the near future along with a collaborative release on Love and Other later this month. Following that, it’s a case of producing a heap of tracks ready for the summer and festival season, which never fails to disappoint.
And finally, where is the best place in the world you have DJ’d and why?
For me it has to be Val Thorens in the French Alps. I’m really into my Snowboarding and being called Après, it couldn’t have been a better location to DJ. I can’t wait to get back out there. It’s safe to say I’ll be a happy man when I see a poster for Après Ski with Après DJing.