Festival
{CLUBS} LUCKYUS LIST.CO.UK/FESTIVAL
SEE EDFRINGE.COM+ THISISLUCKYME.COM FOR MORE INFO
Scottish record label LuckyMe is heading to Edinburgh for two nights of electronica. Their club night features Machinedrum, Éclair FiFi, Rustie and many more, followed by a live film score from Mike Slott the next day. The List talks to various members of the collective for an insight into the world of LuckyMe
MIKE SLOTT PRODUCER ÉCLAIR FIFI DJ
MACHINEDRUM PRODUCER
I met Dom [Flannigan] who runs LuckyMe in Borders Books. He was sneaking flyers into hip hop magazines. We got chatting, we liked similar music and in Glasgow, if you’re into a certain kind of music, you bump into the same people at the same nights. Then I met Hudson Mohawke and we all lived very close to each other, so we’d go and buy records together. Then, LuckyMe was an open mic night, then an open deck night. We always had an idea of eventually being a label of some sort, but it took a good few years to put out a record. I never considered myself a big fan of electronic music. I always wanted to make hip hop when I was younger but I guess when you do something for a certain amount of time it begins to morph into something else, whether it was your intention or not.
For my Festival show, the idea was to choose a film, compose a new soundtrack and perform it live. I chose [Andrey Zvyagintsev’s] The Return. It was a film I’d seen before, and for some reason it’d really stuck in my head. It’s really interesting when you sit down and have visuals as well as music, as it allows you to be a lot more subtle. You don’t have to fill in all the blanks. They complement each other. One side takes care of the other. (Interview by Henry Northmore)
Several years ago, I started going through to Glasgow because I was a little bored with the Edinburgh scene at the time. I instantly made friends with a lot of people actively involved in clubs and met the likes of Konx-om-pax, Rustie and HudMo way before I’d heard of LuckyMe. A few years later I was asked to play at one of the first LuckyMe events in Edinburgh, and a little while after that they asked me to be part of the crew. I’m one of the only members that doesn’t really produce music – I am a DJ – so I guess I am trusted to always bring a good vibe to our events and get the label’s tracks heard.
There is definitely a LuckyMe sound, but to describe it in words is so difficult. If I was to choose one word it would be ‘colourful’. So much thought and care goes into each piece of merchandise, the website, record releases and events. I think it’s also nice for fans to know that we are a big group of friends not a soulless money-driven company. I genuinely think every single guest on the bill is brilliant, and there’s at least 16 of us playing – for a mere fiver. Machinedrum and Rustie both have new albums, and everyone needs to hear their new material in such an explosive atmosphere. Last year was incredible, so I have no doubt it will be just as dope this year. (Interview by Henry Northmore)
I started talking to Dom [Flannigan] a couple of years ago when I was sending around demos of unreleased stuff. I really liked his vibe and loved the music on the label, so it was a natural fit. The Many Faces album I did with them was a few different projects I’d submitted released together under one name. We put out the ‘Alarma’ 12” last month and I’m planning a new EP this fall called SXLRD. I started [new album] Room(s) a little over a year ago while travelling in Europe. The main thing that keeps everything rooted in my tunes is urban dance or club music, this time with more of a focus on jungle, juke, footwork and its relationship with hip hop. So not necessarily more mellow, but maybe less obviously thugged-out.
Scotland’s great. People really like to party, so it’s no wonder dance music is so big there. About eight years ago the Numbers guys took me straight to the bar at 10am in the morning when they found out it was my 22nd birthday, I went to the Art School that night and fell on my ass. But at the same time the gorgeous countryside maybe offers producers a certain subliminal peace. A lot of them tend to have a very acute sense of melody and harmony which is missing in a lot of dance music. (Interview by David Pollock)
L A V I T S E F
■ Festival Party at Cabaret Voltaire, 220 6176, Fri 12 Aug, 11pm–5am, £5; Festival Afterparty (with Mike Slott) at Summerhall, 226 0000, Sat 13 Aug, 8pm-11pm, £9. 92 THE LIST 11–18 Aug 2011