This weeks interview & mix comes from Ink Project.
Introduce yourself and tell us about the part of the UK you’re from?
I’m Jez and I guess I’m the main producer for Ink Project – wearing many hats. Live–wise, I play electronic drums, keyboard and trigger samples in Ableton Live. I’m lucky enough to live by the seaside in sunny Brighton, although our singer, bassist and thereminst Coreysan is currently based in the thriving city of Bristol. Our other singer Mel lives in Barcelona.
Can you tell us a bit about what you’ve been working on recently?
We’ve just released our second album Satellite On, which has been several years in the making and fuses various styles including down-tempo/ambient, house/techno, modern soul, leftfield pop, reggae/dub and electronica. Right now, we’re getting ready to play some live shows this summer and also working on a few sound design projects whilst running our Blind Colour record label. Busy busy!
And can you talk us through the mix?
It’s a journey through some of my favourite tracks I’ve heard recently, as well as a few from our singer Coreysan. It’s generally quite soulful and most of the tracks have such a strong sense of melody, musicality, spirit and groove, which is generally what I look for when I’m putting together my sets.
Nice, talk us through the British music featured in this mix? Which British artists are you most excited about?
70% of this mix actually features British artists. 3 new songs from Ink Project, a tribute to the late, great David Bowie, some of the best new soul music I’ve heard from The Hics, Mo Wax’s newest signing Elliott Power who really reminds me a lot of Tricky, some classic’s from Burial and Jah Wobble, a crazy new track from Ash Koosha on Ninja Tune, Submotion Orchestra whose trumpet player features on our new album and fellow Brightonian Leon Vynhall who is one of my favourite house producers at the moment.
Cool, tell us about some of your British DJ heroes?
My tastes in music are generally very eclectic but being a child of the nineties, I grew up listening to and raving to everyone from James Lavelle, Gilles Peterson and LTJ Bukem, to more underground house and techno DJ’s Jeff Mills, Carl Craig, Underground Resistance, Mr C, Terry Francis and Layo & Bushwacka, through to more down-tempo and funk/soul sets from Mixmaster Morris.
Great and what’s on the cards in the immediate future?
We plan to gig as much as possible and promote our new album. Our singer Coreysan, also plays the theremin live so that’s always a highlight of our set as he’s a proper ninja and fantastic performer.
And finally, where is the best place in the world you have performed and why?
My favourite live gig was probably the Jazz Re:Found Festival in Italy a few years ago – mainly because people we letting off sky lanterns during our set which was amazing and fitted the vibe of our set and the Italian countryside so well. DJ–wise, although I rarely play out much, it was probably playing a techno set at a house party in Tokyo, to a room full of students off their heads on sake and good sushi.
You can stream Ink Project’s new album Satellite on Soundcloud: