This weeks interview & mix comes from Lokah
Stream the mix: http://www.mixcloud.com/SelectorRadio/selector-afterdark-lockah/
Introduce yourself and tell us about the part of the UK you’re from?
I am from Aberdeen originally; I’ve been making music under the name Lockah since 2010. Releasing music on my own Tuff Wax label, as well as labels like Mad Decent, Donkey Pitch and Activia Benz. I recently moved to Brighton to pursue music full time and step things up a bit.
What have you been working on recently?
The debut album Yahoo Or The Highway just came out, so I’m in promo mode for that. Doing mixes, radio shows and touring as much as I can. The albums nearly 45 minutes long, it was recorded and produced last year. It’s supposed to tie in a lot of Miami bass and electro influences, with synth pop and so forth. And it’s supposed to be a complete album listening experience, rather than just a collection of songs.
Excellent and talk us through the mix?
The criteria was to keep this very UK based, but when it comes to a lot of my influences there American, the Miami bass and early hip hop stuff. The UK things I like are more break heavy, ravey, jungley things, so it’s a collection of artists pushing that aesthetic. In the last year there’s been a lot of it coming out.
Lovely and talk us through some of the British music featured?
Yeah Mumdance is in there, still killing it right now. He’s not scared to change his sound, he like organically moves from one project to another. Everything Tessela is doing is incredible, for someone who has a big ear for pop, I find some of that really hard stuff he does great. And the Special Request stuff, again most of what he does is an instant win for me.
Some great artists on there, were there any British DJ’s or producers that influenced you in the beginning?
For British heroes, who got me in to what I started doing, it would be like Hudson Mohawke and Rustie and Glasgow people like that. It doesn’t really influence me today, but it got me in to more typical hip-hop and stuff, a few years back. It was guys like that that influenced the jump in taking that in to a club context.
Two great influences! So what is on the cards in the immediate future?
I am trying to get some money together to invest in some hardware to shape a project that isn’t straight up Lockah music. It will be more samples and edits of Miami things and LA music from the 80’s. Aside from that the response from the album has been excellent, so I kind of hope to keep working with that kind of music for a while. Meanwhile I have a few remixes coming up for artists and labels, so watch out for those.
And finally where is the best place in the world you have DJ’d and why?
Well the most interesting place was Russia last year. It was kind of chilly as well so you got a taste of the cold Russian weather without getting snowed under. Amsterdam’s great fun, maybe the most fun I had last year as a short trip to Prague. A friendly bunch and I’m heading back there in a few week’s, so looking forward to that.