LUCKYME LUCKYME
‘I love to balance new, exciting music
with not scaring people away’
S T U D E N T G U I D E 2 0 1 4 T U R N T O P A G E 1 0 3 F O R M O R E S T U D E N T H I G H L I G H T S
FORTUNE FAVOURS
THE RAVE
The LuckyMe DJs return to where it all began with a one-off reunion. David Pollock chats to people who might have further cause for celebration
‘First and foremost, LuckyMe are my best friends and my family,’ says Clair ‘Eclair Fii ’ Stirling, resident DJ/ designer for the Scottish label and erstwhile Radio 1 host of In New Music We Trust. ‘A lot of labels grow from a group of friends releasing friends’ music, but this value is still very much intact with LuckyMe even after eight years. We only put out music we love, and even though the label is growing bigger and bigger all the time in terms of audience and sales, we still all inspire each other and are so close. That’s beautiful to me, and long may it continue.’
Her latest task with the label, which was founded by a bunch of Glasgow School of Art students with a strong interest in music under the leadership of Martyn Flyn and Dominic Flannigan, is to take them back to their old stomping ground. Many of those involved have since moved away from Glasgow (to Edinburgh, in some cases), but they’ll be reconvening under the banner of this Eclair Fii & Pals night in association with The List to present a high- quality local lineup including S-Type, Naked,
20 THE LIST 18 Sep–16 Oct 2014
David Barbarossa, Ubre Blanca and Fii herself. ‘It’s a great opportunity to return to the Art School, which was a historic and iconic venue for us,’ says Flyn, one half of the Blessings, who will also be DJing. ‘Eclair Fii is one of my favourite DJs and I think she has impeccable taste; it’s always exciting to play shows with her. I think the label very much rel ects our personal taste and our own musical journey; I don’t like to see us pigeonholed as a particular sound. I guess we were initially inspired by the late 90s independent hip hop movement and the DIY spirit of many smaller labels who were simply focused on putting out music by their friends and what was exciting to them.’ Flyn lists a roster of labels that he sees as inspirations and like-minded contemporaries, including Future Times, Afi ne, Astro Nautico, Firecracker, Numbers, Rock Action, Warp and Stones Throw, and notes that LuckyMe have already had their successes. ‘Seeing Rustie release his new album on Warp and Hudson Mohawke’s recent Boiler Room takeover in LA have been highlights,’ he says, referring
to home-grown former LuckyMe signees. ‘Recently I’ve been excited about releasing the Claude Speeed album and the Lunice single.’
‘The concept is simple,’ explains Fii of this night. ‘It’s a one-off event with friends of mine and / or artists I love at the moment, whether they’re established or not. It’s a place where I like to book people with a similar mindset; I love to balance new, exciting music with not scaring people away. And of course the visual element is very crucial to me.’ That it falls on the date it does is important to her, partly because it’s Freshers’ Week and she’s just graduated from Edinburgh College of Art. ‘Then,’ she adds, ‘as everyone knows, it’s the night after the referendum, so we’ll all know the result by the time the party starts. I’m hoping it will be a Yes vote, but whatever the outcome, it’s going to a pretty special evening: we’ll either be celebrating or soothing ourselves.’
LuckyMe x The Art School: Eclair Fii & Pals, The Art School, Glasgow, Fri 19 Sep.