Early Influences
'Give this girl a job quick' is probably the most champion statement you could ever wish to hear from a label boss after a week's work experience, and that's exactly what London Elektricity wrote after my stint at the Sydenham office.
On a one-on-one lunch in the heart of Sydenham, next to Crystal Palace, I find myself talking unremittingly fast to the great Tony Coleman. I am kicking myself a little, feeling I should've prepared myself better with more interesting things to talk about. My mind feels blank and I feel stuck in awe that this moment is real. It really didn't feel that long ago I was sat in a Co-Op car park, discovering this genre of music, for real, for the first time... and all of a sudden, I find myself sat having brunch with the label boss.
Tony's podcasts always felt like they were announcing something totally new and revolutionary. I loved everything Hospital Records stood for, and the journey I've had working with them has been nothing short of special. The mix I discovered them by is below:
I spent most of my work experience week in a daze that I had managed to achieve something that felt so rare, and unbelievably exciting.
You can't describe the feeling of seeing trophies, awards, plaques and props in real life, from music videos and events that (years prior) I'd been sat at home watching on my laptop. It felt, to me, like visiting a museum of everything I had grown up loving and feeling inspired by. In the upstairs part of the office, the 'H' logo stood out imprinted on the wall, and the hum of the team working on new music and opportunities filled the room with a buzz. The downstairs area was a space with enough vinyl to make your heart swell. Hospital were so generous to me during my week there, and this only led to me wanting to do more!
I loved that in this industry, it felt normal to go to music events as part of "work".
I was also thrilled when I found out that Fred V & Grafix would be visiting at the end of the week as part of their launch for their album 'Oxygen' at the time. They were coming to sign their vinyl for all the people who'd pre-ordered their album. There was that similar buzz felt in the room when they walked in, and I was over the moon to meet some of my favourite artists in person. Moments like this cemented my desire to continue working in music.
Gathered round a table in the upstairs part of the office, I remember the daylight bouncing off the shiny vinyl covers as Fred and Josh went round with their sharpies signing each album. I wondered how each person would feel receiving these personalised albums, and what it meant to sign things with an autograph. I noted that each person who ordered one must really value the music to have specially pre-ordered a signed copy. I wondered what that meant to the artists as well.
Josh (Grafix) must have seen I was deep in thought, as he playfully blew a plume of smoke (à la Alice in Wonderland caterpillar) from his vape and gave a cheesy grin.
I remember being asked who my favourite artist was at the time, and answering (too quickly) that I was really enjoying 'Mutated Forms'. I answered out of nervousness, and didn't think about what I was saying. I realised quickly I should've said an artist from the label, but Mutated Forms had been the immediate name on my mind.
Luckily, Chris was kind on me and said that he knew the guys through Spearhead Records.
I met Mutated Forms through Twitter, and was so grateful at the time for the music and the connection they shared with people who liked their sound.
Music is great in this way, as you realise how interconnected everybody is, and how people help each other to grow.
My love for Drum & Bass (and specifically my love for Hospital Records) drove so much of my early career. I helped out at as many events as I could, including at Finsbury Park, Tobacco Dock and Studio 338. It gave me such a grounding in working in the industry and filled my early twenties with so much adventure. I always wonder about where I might have gone in my life had I not switched on the radio at the time I did. It came at the right time, when I didn't know where to look next and showed me the way to go. It also found me, even when I thought I'd missed my chance years ago.
Outside of this, I deeply loved Chase & Status, and I remember their O2 show in London being another night that made me desperately want to work in the industry.
I wanted to understand everything, and be part of it all. Live shows inspired me to no end, and being in a room of 20,000 people who loved what I loved was everything to me.
I remember during my Uni years meeting the incredible LENS at an album launch party. I was asked to do bar work at this event, and she was setting up the equipment for the event. Back in those days she was working as an agent (as far as I can remember), but not a year or two afterwards she blew up as one of the biggest DJs on the drum and bass scene today. She's played at Wembley, Glastonbury, featured on Radio 1 and more... She was so kind to me when we met, and she wanted to help me get a job in the industry too. You never know who's going to be the next big artist, or where you yourself are going to next. Drum and bass has led me to some crazy places, and very important connections in my life.
I look forward to where it takes me and others next!
Comentários