After years of playing music in clubs, I have ended up back at the jumping-off point as to why I got into music in the first place. Essentially looking for samples of my favourite hip hop records over the years and whatever falls around the side from there. And weird obscure edits that don't get much play anymore.

Talk us through the flow of the mix, what is the ideal listening environment?

I would say that this would be best in headphones on some sort of commute, or while doing some gardening or something similar, I don't know… definitely going slowly and switching off somewhere.

The mix spans a few genres, so hopefully, there will be some surprises in there, even some influences maybe, I think one of the best things about music is that we all have a unique experience of when we first heard it; It takes us somewhere.

If I could pick one or two tunes in here that have that for me it’s Red Hot Car by Squarepusher. When I first moved to Melbourne I was lucky enough to be booked by my good friend DJ Kuya, Arsenio Fabay who sadly passed away some years ago. He and his brother Dexter (avalanches) were idols of mine growing up in the DMC turntablism era. He put out a Dubstep mix years ago (he actually dropped it at the shop on CD) where he mixed this tune into a Mala DMZ tune. Anyway, it blew my head off at the time and have loved this tune since. I was way late to it but that's how I came across it.

Secondly, Where to Turn by James Litherland, James Blake’s dad... I only found this out via an interview with James Blake recently, however essentially his first big tune in 2011 'Willheim Scream' is just an interpretation of his dad's Yacht Rock song from 2006 ish. Dunno, but that blew my mind.

Describe the kind of music you usually gravitate towards, do you listen to the same kind of music that you make or are those things separate for you?

I'm going backwards with my music taste these days. As a DJ I found myself getting caught up in the "new" too much and to be honest, that's a pretty stressful place to be. Especially with the lifecycle of music these days. I now, and seemingly accidentally, gravitate towards the experience our parent's generation would have had with music. There are so many genres and styles that we would have missed over the years so why not try to find them again? I realise how much I don't know and with music there is always an opportunity to learn something.

I think I’ve realised that this is why I got into djing/music in the first place, Collecting records, learning about records and taking the time to do so. So I want more of that moving forward.

What are the touchstones that you refer back to that you think that inform your sound? (Could be an artist, an era, a place etc)

Djing wise, I came up in the blog era of all the early beat stuff (think flying lotus / low-end theory / LA sound era). There was a massive network of people sharing music that was coming out all over the world, which made it feel like there was this little community of like-minded people who were open to sharing this stuff. In my mind, this was a huge shift at the time, before this the record nerd old guys were a bit more gatekeepy and kept their cards/sources close to their chests.

Additionally, this sound was familiar to me. Hearing electronic music from the UK growing up as well as early days of playing corny hiphop the 'future beat' / 'Low End' sound kinda ticked the boxes, 90ish bpm, electronic, wonky and additionally attainable as it was literally people making stuff in their bedrooms.

What are the touchstones that you refer back to that you think inform your aesthetic?

Studying Design gave me an eye for objects, design and architecture and additionally an understanding of the context of these ideas and where things come from. So I guess there was always an interest there. Then, early days of Footlocker in my teens; Carhartt for the years I was there; spending time in Japan and looking to brands from there; and just in general keeping an eye on what is happening in streetwear/culture over the years; also just not really ever accepting boring or normal as an option.

Black is easy.

Are there broader ideas of design that are influencing you at the moment? (i.e. books you've read, architecture, a perfect mug, iconic period, fashion hero)

Without sounding like a wanker, I think simplicity is where I am at these days. I've watched a few things come and go over the years but everything bounces back. If anything I have gone back to how I was dressing as a teenager. I buy the same shoes, the same pants, and the same blank tees and pretty much rotate that and base anything I wear on that. I guess functional simplicity is the key. Additionally, I repair most of my clothes that wear out.

Perfect design to me is just anything that works, Since moving back to NZ I have tried to fill my home and life with things that I like and need, some second-hand, some new, some bits I've picked up along the way. If there was something I could point to that speaks to an influence it is my 60's A.H Mcintosh Sideboard that I found in a pretty bad state second hand. It had been used as a sewing table for some years and was covered in oil stains and 60+ years of 'use' I spent a few weeks in my garage restoring it. It's certainly not the easiest or most time-effective way of living. But to me, that object holds so much more meaning and value now, and for years to come. I like to think I approach what I buy, or have around me in that way products/objects to last.

Who would you invite to Friday beers... (living or passed, famous or non-famous)?

André 3000, Easy. I don't think he drinks though. But I'd invite him over for a tea.

What's your go to performance look or formula for a look?

Whatever I am wearing on the day. There really isn't any costume or anything these days, Overalls with a hoodie is always a good uniform though. More pockets to keep stuff in. A fresh white T-shirt is always a staple in the rotation too.

What is your favourite item of clothing you've ever owned, or an item that you have a strong memory of?

Good Question, I've had a bunch of things that I could answer this with that all, unfortunately, I either sold or wore out. But the one piece I wish I could repurchase was some Visvim fluxus 05 non-washed Jeans from maybe 2008/9 ish. They were perfect until I (stupidly) tailored them to fit the "slimmer" flyknit trainer aesthetic of 2013ish. They now look like tights whenever I try them on. Still in the wardrobe though. Maybe I'll frame them one day.

Have you got anything coming up that we can help boost/ anything else we should know?

On the last Sunday of the month I am currently running a gig at Civil and Naval in Lyttelton. Where I invite people who aren't really DJs to bring a stack of records and play them. My goal with it is to get some of the many people I know with wonderful music taste / collections out to showcase the vast differences in everyone's tastes. Just happens to line up with The Drifting Tables Yakitori night too. So it's a win-win

Links:

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