OFF SIGHT

W/ KEEP HUSH

Streaming live from Bristol and London, we teamed up with UK collective Keep Hush in an effort to pave the way for the next generation of DJs.

Scroll down to watch the sets, and read our interviews with each of the selectors to find out more about the backgrounds, aspirations and challenges of upcoming DJs in the current electronic music climate.

Words by Keep Hush

In collaboration with AIAIAI, we recently ran our open decks series - Off Sight. This project set out to address the gap in opportunities that many emerging DJs face.

The lack of spaces that exist for grassroots DJs to showcase their skills beyond the bedroom can perpetuate a cliquey & undiverse underground scene. We put a call out on our platforms to uncover 8 DJs from within the Keep Hush community. After receiving over 600 applications, we narrowed it down to 4 DJs from Bristol and 4 from London.

The Bristol event took place at intimate inner city venue Cosies, home to many low-key community centred nights. Whilst the London event was held in the iconic venue Tola, central to Peckhamโ€™s underground music scene. The proximity within each venue created an uplifting space for young producers & DJs to connect and collaborate beyond their individual performances.

Both nights were a celebration in musical genres, scenes and time. An ode to digital & vinyl, delivered in a range of mixing styles from speedy high-energy cuts, to thoughtfully drawn-out blends.

Big respect to AIAIAI for making this possible. These Off Sight events were nights to remember for both the DJs and the Keep Hush community - a taste of what the future holds for musical talent in two cities that are central to the underground dance music scene.

RINGERS

RINGERS is a multi-genre Birmingham-based DJ with an affinity for endemic UK rave tunes. Whether blending catchy breakbeat garage tunes or shelling infectious old-school jungle rhythms, her sets reflect a true love of the British party scene. As a member of Selextorhood (Brum-based female and gender minority DJ collective), RINGERS is passionate about increasing minority gender representation in underground music and making nightlife safe and accessible for all.

1. How & why did you get into DJing?

I started going to raves in Birmingham in my first year of university and quickly became a lover of the local underground music scene. However, I didnโ€™t start Djing until the pandemic hit. I was yearning for a good night out during lockdown, so I thought I might as well buy a controller and learn how to bring the rave to my bedroom.

2. What is your biggest source of musical inspiration?

At the moment Iโ€™m inspired by the garage producers Main Phase, Interplanetary Criminal and Bakey. I have their tunes on repeat, and their live DJ sets bring the maddest energy.

3. Do you look up to any DJs? If yes, who and why?

Holly 1-10 and Nikki Tesla are two DJs I really look up to, as they have both been amazing mentors during the start of my DJ career. Holly founded Selextorhood and she does amazing things within the Birmingham scene to increase representation and uplift DJs who are part of marginalised demographics. Nikki has been unconditionally supportive of my DJing, and has given me invaluable insight into how the industry works. (Not to mention both are insane selectas!)

4. What are the next steps in your DJing career- now that youโ€™ve done a KH Livestream?

Iโ€™m still super fresh onto the Birmingham scene, so my aim at the moment is to get more gigs playing in the venues Iโ€™ve enjoyed so many nights at- you can also expect a few upcoming guest mixes. I also want to be more active in promoting safe spaces and accessibility within nightlife as I feel there is still a lot of work to be done with this.

5. How has being involved in Selextorhood influenced your DJing?

Selextorhood has played a key role in supporting me at the start of my DJ career. I played at one of their open decks back in November 2021 and quickly started my membership after. Before I found this community, I had found the DJ scene to be toxic in a lot of ways: unfortunately a lot of the male DJs I have interacted with have been unnecessarily competitive and overly critical of girls trying to get started DJing. It was so refreshing to find a community of people who were unreservedly supportive and non-judgemental. Not everyone has access to resources such as decks so it can be super difficult to get started DJing- Selextorhood frequently runs workshops and open decks so new DJs can hone their skills in a safe space (with no mansplaining!). They have undoubtedly boosted my confidence and inspired me to push for representation and inclusivity in underground music.

OMADHAUN

Omadhaun is a left field music producer, inspired by a mixture of world influences and sound system culture. While adapting to his current surroundings, Omadhaunโ€™s sound lives at the boundary between the organic and processed. Utilising instruments, found sounds and exploration with technology, Omadhaun operates within a playful environment that is dense with atmosphere and detail.

1. How & why did you get into DJing?

I sent my 2019 self-released EP to [...] Culprate, for one of his twitch feedback sessions. He emailed me asking if Iโ€™d play out on his new album tour. Iโ€™d never DJd before, but having produced electronic music for some time Iโ€™d realised that learning would be necessary as a means to play to an audience. With no restrictions on which genres, tempos or styles I could play, I experimented with basically all of the music that I would want to hear at a gig. I eventually whittled it down to an hour [...] I enjoyed this process so much, and canโ€™t wait to do it all again.

2. What is your biggest source of musical inspiration?

I was exposed to lots of music growing up by my family, including my uncle, who is featured playing percussion across my Internal Locust EP. Since I was pretty young Iโ€™ve chewed his ear off about whatever music Iโ€™m into at the time and heโ€™s pointed me in the direction of stuff [...] Also, my friends who I play in a band (Pink Ocean) with, and other mates who share the drive for hearing new stuff all the time.

3. Do you look up to any DJs? If yes, who and why?
Skee Mask - Heโ€™s a lover of music and it shines through in the stuff he produces. I saw him b2b with Tasha and they just had so much fun showing each other all this eclectic dance music. [...]

DgoHn - He does live manipulation of breaks and percussion stuff and it all just sounds so crisp and atmospheric. Probably the favourite set Iโ€™ve seen this year.

Tim Reaper - Heโ€™s unbelievably prolific with putting out tunes and doing shows, and his curation for his jungle label is top notch.

Sherelle - Thereโ€™s always a huge energy to Sherelleโ€™s sets. [...]

Culprate - It's either gonna be the heaviest shit youโ€™ve ever heard or a weird and wonderful journey of pure originality. Or both. Simply unique and unmissable.

4. What are your next steps now that youโ€™ve done a Keep Hush Livestream?

I am super excited about the gigs with Culprate in April (and possibly some more dates in summer). Iโ€™m going to focus on finishing up some more music of my own, so that it can be the basis for my next DJ set. Part of the process is listening to new music every day, and soaking up as much of the live music in Bristol.

5. The tunes which popped off most during your KH set were from your 2019 EP Internal Locust - can we expect any more releases from you soon?

I have a remix which is a sort of old skool club tune ready to be released this summer. In terms of stuff in the vein of my 2019 EP, that takes a little more time. [...] With the encouragement Iโ€™ve had from this KH set and with the help of the great people Iโ€™ve met in the Bristol scene in the last year, Iโ€™m pretty confident that the completion of these ideas will be possible in the near future.

HELLA

Hella is a DJ, Producer & Emcee born in Uganda based in Bristol. In the early days he was raised on Hip Hop which led to him emceeing from a young age. Once he moved to Bristol he delved into the world of production which then opened his world to DJing. His production is primarily Grime & Left Field Bass orientated but his Jazz influence seeps through the cracks and can be heard on many of his releases.

1. How/ why did you get into DJing?
I started off as an emcee, and when I came to Bristol and through my housemate Koma slowly delved into the world of production and as my catalogue built up, DJing just seemed like a natural progression.

2. What is your biggest source of musical inspiration?

Hip Hop but currently in my own production artists like Kendrick Lamar, MF DOOM primarily Mad & Danger Doom, Earl Sweatshirt and Commodo.

3. Do you look up to any DJs? If yes, who and why?

Hands down each and every time Mala, he never disappoints. The way he carries the vibe alongside the back catalogue of amazing tunes that hit that sweet spot on a system, he just doesnโ€™t miss.

4. What are the next steps in your DJing career- now that youโ€™ve done a KH Livestream?

Progression wise I want to play a festival, I vocal alot of my own tunes so would be interesting to do a production set which I then vocal at the same time. Before looking forward towards something like Boiler Room when Iโ€™m ready.

5. Youโ€™re a producer as well as DJ, can we expect any new releases soon?

I have a few 3 releases lined up spanning different genres but that all rely on my ability to finish a track before starting the next.

6. Is your production style influenced by your style of DJing?

100% I have never been one to just listen to one style or type of music and call that my home, and I think in my early days I confined myself to one genre. But now when I DJ I want to take people on a journey of everything I love and listen to, and chuck in some of my own vibes along the way.

FKA HARDCORE

Manchester's resident hot girl FKA Hardcore is known for many things, not least her incoherent social media presence and love for all things turbo. Whipping from IDM chuggers to 180 BPM jungletek without so much as a beatmatch in between, she's destined for the stars.

How / why did you get into DJing?

I got a pair of barely functional decks off of eBay when I was around sixteen and I listened almost exclusively to Bicep mixes. I didn't really know how to use them and didn't bother to learn since it was harder than I'd imagined. About a year later I found myself at a house party where the DJ had gone AWOL and my brother offered me up to DJ since I apparently knew how to. I proceeded to trainwreck so hard the DJ ran halfway across the house to take back control of the decks since clearly nobody else could be trusted to. The embarrassment from that ended up being all the motivation I needed to actually learn.

What is your biggest source of (musical) inspiration / influence?

Honestly, I just really fucking love tunes. Any DJ whose biggest inspiration isn't tunes is probably in the wrong job. In that sense my biggest influence would probably be the places that expose me to music I wouldn't have discovered myself, particularly The White Hotel. I saw Ojerime there a few months back having no idea who she was and she absolutely blew me away and I've not been able to stop listening to her since. White Hotel regular Conor Thomas also played a three hour makina set there in the depths of winter, which I can't say was particularly inspirational or influential, but was just a stupidly fun set, which I think is equally important and often overlooked. If you're not having fun then what's the bloody point?

Do you look up to any DJs? If yes, who and why?

I do, but I think none of them need to hear it. Next question!

What are the next steps in your DJing career now that you've done a KH livestream?

I wanna work more of my own music into my sets, which requires making more of my own music. So that, I suppose. I've been thinking a lot lately about making 'weightless bassline', which would just be a bassline tune with no drums and lots of reverb. I think it'd be proper stupid and weird, but in a great way. I've consulted a load of producers I know and sadly none of them have cracked the secret of a proper Sheffield bassline wobbler, so I fear it may be a long time coming.

You've recently co-founded queer club night Tough Act. Tell us more about this?

Tough Act (https://toughact.fun) is a trans-run club night at The White Hotel in Salford. We basically just wanted to have a queer club night in Manchester with lots of hard and fast music, and that didn't really exist so we had to do it ourselves. As it turns out, that's something quite a lot of people in the city wanted, so we've decided to carry on organising events until people stop going to them.

How do you approach genre in your sets? Does this approach change depending on the venue / club night?
The music I listen to day-to-day doesn't really have any structure; lately I've been listening to a lot of musique concrete, drill, gabber, reggaeton, and R&B. This doesn't really lend itself well to playing coherent sets so [...] I don't really prepare at all for my sets. Instead I pick one or two tracks I wanna start with and just see where it goes from there! Sometimes the crowd is really responsive and I end up on one

groove the whole set and loving it, and other times it means I just fumble around mixing bassline into Abba and wondering why everyone's left the room. It's certainly a bit of a risk, but when it pays off there's no better feeling!

OPHEฬLIE

Born and raised in the South-West of France, opheฬlie is a Berlin-based DJ with a strong taste for bass-heavy music in all its forms, pop-infused emotional bangers, and jungle. Her Refuge Worldwide residency, Therapy Dog, is the perfect opportunity for her to explore the different genres sheโ€™s into and share the decks with friends and artists she admires. As part of the Open Music Lab, a Berlin-based non-profit collective offering free music workshops and courses for people from marginalised communities to connect and create together, she's interested in ways to support young artists outside the mainstream, in the hope to build a more equitable music scene.

1. How & why did you get into DJing?

I always worked in the music industry, in events, doing bookings... so I knew how to DJ for a while, but with most of my friends being DJs or working in the music industry, I just didnโ€™t feel confident enough to practice much, let alone play out. Iโ€™m very thankful to the friends who invited me to play or do mixes for them, and to Richard at Refuge Worldwide for offering me a residency, which forced me to practice and do regular mixes. I ended up loving it and wanting to do more.

2. What is your biggest source of musical inspiration?

Iโ€™d say all the female and queer artists who paved the way, opened doors, and made it possible for younger artists to be recognized and taken seriously, like SOPHIE, Lauryn Hill, Tracy Chapman, Kemistry & Storm, Jordana, Eris Drew, DJ Mantra, or DJ Flight.

3. Do you look up to any DJs? If yes, who and why?

All of the above of course, and Iโ€™ve recently loved to see Bored Lord and Introspekt getting more recognition, and all my friends, Gigsta, Laura BCR, mad miran, DJ Fart in the Club...

4. What are the next steps in your DJing career- now that youโ€™ve done a KH Livestream?

Hopefully being able to play with friends. Iโ€™m mainly interested in playing small parties for collectives with a sense of community and which share values I cherish. I also want to try and dedicate more time to production and hopefully be able to finish a track one day.

5. Has living in London & Berlin influenced your sound? How has it influenced your sound?

I was always very attracted to UK sounds and the freedom of UK artists to mix up different genres and tempos without taking themselves too seriously. This always seemed a bit more difficult to achieve in Berlin, with genres being a bit more strictly enforced and its strong techno reputation, which made me even more shy to play out. Iโ€™m glad to see things changing and more space being given to different types of music.

6. As someone that moves between locations, do you notice differences in the scenes, especially in relation to opportunities for grassroots DJs?

I love travelling to different cities and discovering the small local scenes. [...] There were always strong collectives in Berlin giving space to younger and queer artists, like Room 4 Resistance, Buttons, Cocktail dโ€™Amore, and I am so happy to see more and more opportunities for grassroots DJs with collectives like Refuge Worldwide, Open Music Lab, Femme Bass Mafia, BLVSH... Hopefully Keep Hush can come to Berlin sometime and team up with some of the collectives there.

SECRET LUVVR

London based DJ and sound artist. Music lover for most of her life, started teaching herself how to mix in late 2020. Still developing her style, enjoys creating unique and unpredictable sets, playing dance music from across the world, sheโ€™s always on the hunt for new sounds. You could hear - Afrobeats, jersey-club, acid house, techno, gqom, kuduro, afro, bass, funky. She loves exploring the connection between and bridging the gaps between the mainstream and the underground, the old and the new; and ultimately having a good time.

1. How/ why did you get into DJing?

I [...] have been interested in club culture for years. DJing was a secret dream of mine - I would look at DJs, thinking โ€œI would love to do that!โ€. I had a natural urge to do it, but didnโ€™t start learning until the 2020 winter lockdown when I was unemployed, mental health was bad and I had a lot of time. I bought a cheap controller online - used YouTube tutorials, Reddit, discord. I also attended a course with Saffron music.

2. What is your biggest source of musical inspiration?
Music is an inspiration - anything that moves me (emotionally, physically). Music I heard growing up [...] the music my friends and family play, clubs at uni, in bars, at the salon, on the radio [...], in other countries, I shazam music that I hear coming out of peopleโ€™s cars. Iโ€™m inspired by black and Afro-Caribbean cultures around the world.

3. Do you look up to any DJs? If yes, who and why?

Jeff Mills and Moodymann - our tastes are different, but I learned a lot from their approach. They take the approach that itโ€™s the DJs job to test and create hits. Studying them helped me break out of my cycle of relying on crowd pleasing. [...] Orpheu the Wizard - our selections are different, but I love how unpredictable every set is. [...] Kampire - sheโ€™s from Uganda and affiliated with the Nyege Nyege crew. She introduced me to music in the African diaspora, championing east African underground music [...]

4. What are the next steps in your DJing career- now that youโ€™ve done a KH Livestream?

Keep practising [...] making my transitions seamless and creative, playing different environments, connecting with DJs, new experiences, challenging myself. Iโ€™m eternally grateful to Keep Hush for opening their platform to me [...]. Iโ€™m getting used to the transition from bedroom DJ to playing out, pushing through performance anxiety and learning about how to play to a crowd. [...] I consider myself a beginner [...] a lot of โ€œfirstsโ€ to come! [...]

5. You play a lot of obscure edits- how do you approach your musical digging?

[...] I go down rabbit holes [...] DM people for track ids, look through other peopleโ€™s playlists. If I find something I like, I look for similar tracks [...] I also look at whoโ€™s liked that track - [...]what else have they bought? I have to balance digging with practising though! Iโ€™ve pulled all nighters looking for music! [...]

6. Does playing edits build energy in your DJ sets? Do these artists get enough credit?

An edit gives the chance to experience a familiar song in a new way. [...] I find edits open people to new styles of music. Not everyone likes electronic music, but an edit of a pop song can act as a bridge. The

soundcloud artists that make them deserve their credit because a lot of edits sound better than official remixes! It makes sense for DJs to post tracklists and and share where they find their edits, so the artists can get more recognition and support. [...] I need to post my tracklist asap! We all thrive when we credit and support each other.

GUฬˆERO

Born and raised in London, Guฬˆero has been running events for over 5 years and currently has residencies on Ma3azef and Voices Radio. In his sets, Guฬˆero weaves between reggaeton, twisted dembow and leftfield bass from Latin America, the UK, and beyond to bring a refreshing perspective within the contemporary dance music landscape.

1. How & why did you get into DJing?
Iโ€™ve always been a big music fan but I guess I started to take it more seriously when I bought some turntables, collected records and started running events with a couple mates. I liked the idea of being able to share the music that I loved with other people - DJing seemed like the best way for me to achieve that.

2. What is your biggest source of musical inspiration?
Hearing reggaeton and the dembow rhythm everyday when living in Colombia and Mexico, whether it was at a bar, club or blasting out a car stereo - the sound was everywhere. I got hooked and from that point onwards it had a massive influence on everything I did related to music.

3. Do you look up to any DJs? If yes, who and why?
Florentino. His unique blend of contemporary UK club music with Latin American rhythms is something I love hearing out. His selection is always on point and his own production is banging whether as Florentino or as 1/3 of his new project with Kelman Duran and DJ Python, Sangre Nueva. Iโ€™m really looking forward to seeing what his events series and new label Club Romantico has in store this year.

4. What are the next steps in your DJing career- now that youโ€™ve done a KH Livestream? Continue collaborating with amazing people, more guest mixes & gigs, DJing at some reggaeton events, and last but not least, incorporating some donk into my sets.

5. As someone that runs your own grassroots event, did you find that breaking into that industry was difficult? How did you overcome it?

For my two mates and myself, we never set out to โ€˜break into the industryโ€™ so to speak; it was more a case of us coming together over a shared passion for similar sounds and providing a platform to showcase those sounds so that other people could enjoy the music as much as we did! From then, the brand grew organically and we gradually started to build a following. Drop us a follow on Insta - @cinnamonparties.

6. Will your experience with Off-sight aid you in these future endeavours and how you approach organising your events?

Absolutely. I now have a better understanding of how the promo leading up to the event can be more streamlined and effective. I also may have to try and book some of the other DJs who played at the Off-sight event, all the sets were unreal!

ELLE CLARKE

Having worked across music management, A&R and radio for nearly 6 years, East London based DJ Elle Clark has recently just launched new label Curving Track alongside a monthly radio show with upcoming releases from Closet Yi, Gallegos, Elpac, Pluralist, DJ LHC and others. Pushing a sound spanning between dance, percussive, bass, electronic, breaks combined with traditional styles of music - Elleโ€™s musical inspiration started with her dadโ€™s expansive record collection, illegal raves as a teenager and her first experiences in a club.

1. How/ why did you get into DJing?
I was always really into music, my dad has always had a tonne of records in the house so collecting and playing records was something I was always used to, mostly soul & funk though. When I was growing up I was a big dubstep fan, I loved DMZ - I remember the first time I heard Artwork - Red my mind was blown. I used to really enjoy showing people different music, and I remember seeing Secretsundaze at Junk in Southampton at a festival afterparty and thinking they were the most incredible DJs [...] I think that really first ever inspired me that playing across many genres was something you could do as a DJ.

2. What is your biggest source of musical inspiration?
I was first drawn to electronic & dance music when I used to go to illegal parties, it was mostly dubstep and drum & bass but it was a very surreal experience when youโ€™ve not actually experienced a real club before. I loved it though, and that definitely got me into searching and listening to music more in depth than before. I used to scour YouTube channels for music (one called Alias), it was the era of Hyph Mngo, Blawan - Getting Me Down, Tesselaโ€™s Hackney Parrot, James Blake, Midland, Scuba, Pearson Sound etc. I was hugely influenced by that โ€˜post-dubstepโ€™ sound, as well as artists alongside that time like SBTRKT, Disclosure, Burial, George Fitzgerald.

3. Do you look up to any DJs? If yes, who and why?

[...] Josey Rebelle, because I always love what she plays. I love Overmono because Iโ€™m such a big fan of their productions, the Tessela & Truss days too. I love Powder, she always curates such an interesting set. Midland too, he always creates such a good vibe[...]! & Joy Orbison is just the GOAT to me. [...]at the moment Iโ€™ve really enjoyed listening to mixes and sets from Eich, Livwutang, Giulia Tess, Emerald, Ehua, Closet Yi, Ploy, Two Shell & Club Fitness.

4. What are the next steps in your DJing career- now that youโ€™ve done a KH Livestream?

I hope to DJ more! Iโ€™d love to play in some other cities too, but Iโ€™ve got a few things coming up in London which Iโ€™m excited about. Iโ€™m still doing a residency on Balamii Radio every month, and Iโ€™m hoping to start putting out some productions soon.

5. How did you get into running two labels?

[...] A&R was always something Iโ€™d enjoyed doing, so during lockdown we started putting some plans together for Curving Track, which is the more dance, left 12โ€ label, and SNDWNR, which is going to be artist led, full length LPs. Curving Track has just had its first single out from Closet Yi, who I think is such an incredible producer, and SNDWNR will be launching soon. I played some tracks from both labels in my KH set. I have always loved finding new music so itโ€™s been really fun to dig into curating releases.

KEEP HUSH

Keep Hush is an underground dance music platform, that runs run weekly live streams showcasing underground dance music around the globe, as well one-off pop ups, workshops, and special projects.

Become a member of Keep Hush if you want to join the community, receive event invites and access exclusive merch.

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