Issue 041
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Let’s start with a bit of history. What<br />
was the music that inspired you most<br />
growing up and how has that<br />
influenced the music that you produce<br />
today?<br />
I grew up listening to all kinds of music growing up,<br />
my mum was African and listened to a lot of African music +<br />
pop, my dad European and ONLY listened to classical music<br />
and had it on in the house from morning till night.<br />
When I moved to the UK at around 8, funk, reggae & hip hop<br />
were what I was exposed to mostly. We actually lived next<br />
door to DJ Martin’s of LFO parents house and he would give<br />
me records like Elektro’s which gave me an education beyond<br />
my years. I feel like all those influences are what I draw on<br />
instinctively. I recently made a record with Steve Silk Hurley<br />
which was insane as I remember Martin playing ‘Jack Your<br />
Body’ and me being obsessed with it. I actually appreciate<br />
the classical music now (not that I particularly enjoy it yet)<br />
but I think I know how to compose in layers due to this.<br />
How did you start out as a dj, what<br />
music got you into the dance scene,<br />
what did you start out playing?<br />
I always wanted to DJ, since being. A little girl<br />
watching DJ Martin and my brother & his friends playing<br />
records but I didn’t see other women doing it so assumed it<br />
wasn’t viable. Also, I could sing so I had a place in music.<br />
I went through a period where I just didn’t want to<br />
write or make music and found myself listening and digging<br />
for music. That got me excited and made me fall back in love<br />
with music and also I wanted to share what I was playing. I<br />
asked a friend of mine, Malcolm WeLove who ran parties if I<br />
could do a DJ set (never really thinking he’d say yes) and he<br />
booked me straight away. I didn’t even know how to use a<br />
CDJ lol but I had tunes so I had a go, and it went well. I know<br />
that 212 was on the playlist as was Hudson Mowhawke &<br />
Henry Wu.<br />
I did go on to play live sets as I was more<br />
comfortable with that, coming from a live back ground so I<br />
used an APC40 and did loads of live edits, stuff like that. I<br />
went on to vinyl and digital. My thing was low lung jazz<br />
broken beaty house / minimal and garage haha!<br />
What music do you normally play at<br />
home these days?<br />
My music lol I’m in the process of writing an album<br />
so I tend to listen to what I’m doing and intentionally stay<br />
away from looking for music just in case it takes me off<br />
course. I am about to start doing a radio show on Balamii so<br />
that will force me out of that.<br />
Tell us about the clubs you like to play<br />
in? and what do you prefer…..festivals,<br />
clubs, bars?<br />
I love anything outdoors. I feel you can play<br />
anything you like and it’s a different more open<br />
experience. So yes love festivals. My favs that I’ve<br />
played are Lost Village and We Out Here, both in the<br />
UK. My favourite little underground party was a party called<br />
Hold The Relish. The ethos was vinyl only B2B sets. Was<br />
always the best crowd and such fun to play. I love small<br />
intimate clubs too and mid size, I think I’d be scared of a<br />
huge club environment. I like to have a connection with the<br />
crowd.<br />
So, what are some of your favorite<br />
clubs that you’ve played in and why?<br />
My favs are a few in Leeds Distrikt, Wire, Freedom<br />
Mills and Mint. In all honesty I’ve not played many clubs<br />
outside of Leeds so no offence to anyone lol. Love Distrikt,<br />
they allowed me to put on my 1st party Moonunit booking<br />
Sweely who was pretty much unknown at the time in the UK<br />
so big shout to all they do for the music scene.<br />
Tell us about your next projects, what<br />
does the next 12 months have lined up<br />
for Sara Garvey and the Moon Unit<br />
brand?<br />
So, like I said I’m writing my 1st solo album so that’s<br />
taking a chunk of my year up. Ive just released the 1st<br />
release on my new label Moonunit Records. It’s vinyl 12” with<br />
my friend Sy Sez on the A Side with a amazing track that I<br />
have personally tested on every dance floor called Change The<br />
System and one of mine on the other side called Knights with<br />
is a low slung jazz house tune with (even though I say so<br />
myself) an ridiculous bass solo at the end curtesy of my longtime<br />
friend and sick bassist Hamlet Luton. It’s a very exciting<br />
year!<br />
You have been running a weekly<br />
terrace party during the summer LIT<br />
Ibiza in Leeds over the 8 last year,<br />
how did that come about and what<br />
were the highlights? Any Favourite<br />
DJs<br />
I love LIT! It happened by accident really, I started<br />
to do Sunday afternoons on city centre terrace in Leeds<br />
through summer and it started picking up attention. I then<br />
asked Café Del Mar if I could licence their brand for a summer<br />
Café Del Mar curated summer series and they said yes. It<br />
went from there really and I’m hugely proud of it.<br />
My fav DJ’s is hard to say as there have so many! A<br />
hight light was booking Little Dragon tho (huge fan) Sebb<br />
Junior is insane. TBF all the DJ’s I booked were fav’s that’s<br />
why I booked them. Self indulgent but hey…<br />
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