Photos by Sam King
Red Bull recently embarked on a two-week project called ‘UK Mixtape’. The basic idea is to round up some of the UK’s most diverse and forward thinking young music talent, put them in a studio with Toddla T, and release the results as a set of original tracks in the form of a mixtape – the purpose of which would be to have a snap shot of this countries current dance music scene.
In the first of two interviews I’ve done with UK Mixtape participants, I sat down with Liverpool resident and a producer we’ve championed on here many times before; Mele. I asked him about his upcoming mixtape track, his thoughts on the UK scene as it stands, and what the next six months have in store. Check it out.
You’re here as part of Red Bull Mixtape with Toddla T, tell us about the track you’re making. How is it working? Is it your track? Or are you and Toddla doing a collab?
Well it was an idea I had on my computer, and Toddla’s helped me with arranging and stuff, but it is my track. We were doing like, a club tune first, and then my logic crashed, and we lost everything. So I was just like….
What time of the day was this? Quite early?
Yeah it was early in the day, luckily.
….So I was like ‘shit I gotta find something good. So I found this 808 thing that I was doing, like a hip hop thing, so I’ve just finished that.
So the project is a UK mixture, it’s bringing a variety of artists from around the UK together to grab a snapshot of the UK scene. It’s obviously going to be quite eclectic. Your taste in music is quite diverse, what’s your favourite part of the UK scene right now?
I dunno man. It’s like, I cant really explain. I like how good dance music is at the moment I suppose. But there is a lot of copying and it all seems to be getting a bit serious, and a bit wanky. I’m not naming names, but I’v been to nights and its just really good DJs on, but they’ll just be a group of lads at the front, like 10 lads, all just standing there. It’s cool, I suppose the whole dustup thing has really helped, being a DJ because people love that shit. You know?
Receently we’ve seen DJs like Oneman, Jackmaster, Ben UFO etc get massive recognition, without being producers. There’s a lot of producers who DJ and aren’t very good, but you’re an excellent DJ and producer too, which not many are. Do you think with the aforementioned, they’re the way things are going? And they’re paving the way for other excellent non-producing DJs to grab the limelight?
Yeah I reckon so, cos if you look at dance music over the last few years, it hasn’t really been like that has it, it’s just been producers really. So I think the way Oneman’s gone is just crazy, how quick he’s blown up just off the back of being a really good DJ, The past few months he’s just been like, he’s doing like 3 shoes a week and its just crazy. I think this time next year him and Jackmaster will be up there with, you know, the people who are, I dunno how to say it, you know your Bengas and your Skreams and stuff, all that lot. Hopefully anyway.
Last time I spoke to you was the back-end of 2010 and I was asking you what you expected in 2011 and where it’s going for you. Has this year met your expectations so far?
Yeah it has a bit. I’m just taking every week as it comes, I’m not trying to plan anything too much, because it just never works like that. I’ve got to travel a lot though, and meet loads of amazing people, DJs that I really like and producers I’ve listened to for years and stuff. I just want to do more traveling. I think me and Brenmar might be doing a tour in Europe with someone else, I don’t know yet. Me and Brenmar were talking about it last night, cos he plays like a lot of party stuff, and I’m a party DJ as well I suppose.
Are you happy you finally got ‘Mugged’ out?
Erm
How many versions did you make?
35. [Laughs]. I honestly made 35.
Because Brodinski charted it a year before it came out?
Yeah I know, and I made it when I just turned 17, so it took so long to come out. I’m still not happy with it to be honest. I don’t think I’ll ever be happy with that tune. Even if I mix it down a million times I still won’t be happy with it. But I’ve just listened to it constantly, I’m overexposed to it. Thats why I never really play it when I DJ.
Do people bug you to play it?
Nah I don’t think anyone really cares.
I love that EP though, I love ‘Voulezvouz’
Yeah, people seem to be saying that. It’s great because that was supposed to be the B-Side, just as a filler, but with Annie [Mac] putting it on her website, it’s definitely helped. I think thats the most popular track off the EP.
What do you think of Grizzly? I mean, Sinden has been your mentor for a while now, and the label is coming on in leaps and bounds.
Yeah it’s going great, I think I might be doing another EP with them at the end of the year. But, I think it’s just growing as we’re going to try doing more Grizzly parties and stuff, and the Grizzly roster is really cool. You’ve got Brenmar, Sinden, SBTRKT, Jon Giovanni, Wafa, so it’s kinda massive really. I don’t see any reason why it couldn’t’ become like, a Mad Decent, or a Fools Gold or one of them, you know what I mean?
You doing any festivals this summer?
Erm
Have you done any festivals at all yet?
No, it’s then thing I really want to do. But I’ve missed out again this year [Since the interview Mele got booked for Glastonbury] But I’m doing one, it’s literally 5 mins walk form my house. It’s basically Public Enemy headlining, and there also Oneman, Deadboy, me, and then there’s people like Yasmin and Foamo. So yeah it’s good man, but one of the things I really want to do is festivals. So hopefully next year, you never know. I’d love to do Glastonbury and Bestival and stuff.
I was going to ask you about living in the Wirral, do you love it, do you hate it? Do you still like being at home?
I still like living at home and stuff, I couldn’t really afford to move down here at the moment, because I just know how expensive it is and stuff. I also don’t know if I’m ready to move out yet. I’m still living at home, it’s kinda cool. I’ve got my music, London’s only two hours away by train if I need to be there. So I’m not rushing into anything really.
Because you started playing so young, and I know you were playing club pony in Sheffield when you were 17, did you ever go clubbing as a punter, as a fan and be in the crowd dancing and stuff and not be in the booth DJing?
Yeah I used to go to Chibuku in Liverpool all the time, since I was 16, 17. Oh maybe 15 actually. I used to always go there. I still do though, I still go and not hang around the booth, just go out.
Was it a personal milestone to play there then for the first time?
Yeah it was, I’d always be there thinking, “I really want to play here one day”, and I did and it was really cool man.
Where/when was your first ever gig?
It was in a club in liverpool called the camel club and it was fucking awful. I didn’t get paid anything, it was in essentially a hip hop cub, and these guys who didn’t know what they were doing put a night on, and I played it for nothing. It was awful, people coming up asking for Beyonce and all this shit…
How old were you at that point?
… err, probably nearly 17? so, 16, yeah.
So you’ve been playing a lot recently, what has been your favourite gig in your career so far?
I played at Koko for Red Bull. It was amazing because Diplo is one of my favourite DJs and producers ever, so playing after him was kinda a big deal for me. So I didn’t really know what to do, because I thought everyone was going to empty out of the room after him. So I was like, literally the only thing I could do, is play Jungle. So I did it, and everyone stayed and it really went off. So yeah, that was my favourite gig I’ve ever done.
Did you play a 100% jungle set then?
I played jungle for like, 20 minutes? And then just brought it back down to grime like I usually do. That was really good. But Bigger Than barry, their nights are kinda like my favourite nights to play.
What do you have planned for the next six months? Ar you working on any new tunes, apart from the mixtape one obviously. Whats going on?
Basically I’ve got like, two EPs ready to go. One of themes coming out on Ikonica’s label, but it’s been pushed back. I’ve got a techno one ready to go. Three tracks, and I just need to find out who wants to put it out you know? We have got a label, but it’s not.. you know.. But I’m not trying to do much remixing, I don’t like doing it. I don’t really like recording mixes either [laughs] I always get asked to record mixes and I just feel bad saying no, but I just don’t enjoy doing it. It’s just like, getting new tunes together, and spend an hour recording the mix, and get asked to do another the next week, they just all start sounding similar if you do too many. So it’s a bit…I just don’t see the point in doing that many . So I’m kinda trying to chill out on them, and just trying to do more bookings.
One last question. You produce a whole range of stuff, like techno, bass, etc. Are you sitting on anything secret? Like grime instrumentals or anything? And have you ever made any? If you were given the opportunity?
I’d like to, but… they don’t seem to like my instrumentals [laughs] I’ve tried, but it just doesn’t happen. But maybe? I’m not really into like, making like grime as much any more. I like making 140bpm shit, I kinda just like making hip hop, and techno and stuff. But that’ll probably change in about two months, you never know.
