In this episode I’m speaking with Chicago born, Detroit raised DJ, music producer, musician Alton Miller, who is widely known for his impact and as a pioneer of Detroit electronic music culture. Having started legendary club night Music Institute with George Baker and Chez Demier, working on Kevin Saunderson’s KMS Records, Derrick May’s label Transmat, signed artists like Joey Beltram, releasing five albums of his own, including a long list of EP’s and touring the world for over three decades. Miller currently resides in Johannesburg, and during COVID, launched his own Beard grooming product line and a non for profit to develop skills and empowering young women in rural areas of South Africa, while continuing to release music. I sat down with Alton Miller at the end of an impromptu Australian tour, which he described as an exploration to revisit his footprints and to commence touring again to spread house and soul music to the world. We spoke about his early Detroit experiences and some recent ones, his label work throughout the years, his recent contribution projects and the choice of a “slow burn” career in electronic music.

FOLLOW ALTON MILLER:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alton_Miller

https://www.instagram.com/djaltonmiller

In this episode I’m speaking with Australian, Adelaide based DJ, music producer, Inkswel, Jules Habib, radio host on 1BTN UK radio and runs his own label Inner Tribe Records. He has been actively involved in over 200 projects, for the last 20 years. He has headlined parties in Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles, Moscow, Sao Paulo and beyond, and toured alongside DJ Spinna, Dez Andres, Dam Funk, Mayer Hawthorne, Peanut Butter Wolf and House Shoes. He and his band 'The Snaglepuss' have collaborated with the late great Lee Scratch Perry, Talib Kweli, Amp Fiddler, Moddyman, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Illa J, Erin Buku, Kaidi Tatham, Bugz In The Attic, Osunlade, Blu & Exile, Andrew Ashong, Jitwam and many others. He has released Albums, Eps, Remixes, compilations and with labels such as Sonar Kollektiv, Compost, BBE, Hope Street Recordings, Rush Hour, Soul Clap, Bastard Jazz, Heavenly Sweetness, Boogie Angst, Atjazz, Tokyo Dawn Records, Co-Operation Records and Yoruba Soul. Recorded at Vintage Hifi For Plants studio in Newtown (Ku-Ring-Gai/Sydney), Inkswel and I spoke about breath work, being trauma-informed, running a label and making a broad range of music.

FOLLOW INKSWEL:

https://www.instagram.com/inkswel/

https://linktr.ee/inkswel

In this episode I’m speaking with Sydney DJ/Producer Edseven, recorded at his home studio, aka Vintage Hifi For Plants. Eddie O’Loughlan has built a rock-solid reputation over the last 20 years, sharing the stage with the likes of Gilles Peterson, Peanut Butter Wolf, Norman Jay, IG Culture and many more across Australia, New York, Berlin, Detroit, LA, Paris and Amsterdam. Collaborating with artists including Steve Spacek, Colonel Red, Inkswel, Kid Sublime, Ahu, Megatronic and releasing music on labels like CoOp, Turntables on the Hudson, City Fly and Inner Tribe. We spoke about his deliberate listening parties, sharing music production in imperfection for identity to form and using time effectively to create imperfectly, to keep creativity, mastering the craft and production flowing.  

FOLLOW EDSEVEN: 

https://www.instagram.com/edseven/ 

https://www.instagram.com/vintage_hifi_plants/ 

https://linktr.ee/edseven

In this episode I’m speaking with English DJ, producer, and electronic musician, Simon Shackleton. His music has appeared in films The Matrix, Arlington Road and Charlie's Angels. From 1996, he has performed as a solo electronic music producer under a number of aliases including the multi-genre Elite Force. Widely recognized as one of the leading proponents of the emergent Tech-Funk movement, fusing house, breakbeat and electro. He has toured the world as a DJ, many times over playing big club rooms and festivals. Simon and I spoke about project management tools, self-care, his new production work, which he describes as emotive electronica and his new live show.    

FOLLOW SIMON SHACKELTON: 

http://www.simonshackleton.org

https://soundcloud.com/simon_shackleton

In this episode I’m speaking with singer, songwriter, poet, lyricsit, musician, producer, selector, Worldwide FM radio host, Allysha Joy. Currently based in the UK, Allysha and I recently spoke at the start of a long list of her European touring dates to follow from her latest solo album Torn : Tonic on First Word Records. While happily based in the Northern hemisphere for the coming months, a full schedule of production sessions have been booked to work on more music. We spoke about gender politics in music, being supported by the UK music scene and how to avoid burnout while touring.   

FOLLOW ALLYSHA JOY: 

http://allyshajoy.com/ 

https://www.instagram.com/allysha_joy/

In this episode I’m speaking with Amsterdam born, Margate UK based DJ, culture curator, and program facilitator, Ruby Savage. I wanted to talk with Ruby because I came across her creative program Artist Recovery Club. I learned about her Don’t Be A Creep, an anti-harassment in nightlife and clubbing project and her involvement as co-curator for The Future Happened that took place virtually during the pandemic in August 2021, Atlanta USA. Ruby has carved a career in music, through label work, radio, DJing, producing, curating events and creating projects to improve the music industry and enhance individuals careers and businesses. I had to have her on the podcast. We spoke about the science of community, getting out of creative blocks, a hopeful conscious and exciting music future, and ending harassment on dance floors and in the music industry.  

FOLLOW RUBY SAVAGE: 

www.rubysavage.com 

https://www.instagram.com/rubysound/ 

In this episode from the all new season 3 I’m speaking with Chicago born, Rotterdam based DJ producer, Jamie 3:26. I first heard of Jamie through the co-head honcho of Stockholms house label Local Talk, Mad Mats. “One guy to look out for" I was told several years ago. I explored some opportunities at that time for Jamie in Dubai and the region, which didn’t come together, however it wasn’t until I was working with Barbary, the club party space and bar in Dubai, where I was working at the time, and the team I was working with, brought him over and it was nothing short of a memorable experience. Jamie’s energy behind the decks is infectious and matches his personality, humorous, joyful and playful. We spoke about the racial divide today in America, whitewashing in dance music, hypnotherapy, mindfulness and his sobriety journey. It was an honor to sit down together and learn more about Chicago’s disco and house music history from Jamie’s personal experience and knowledge.

FOLLOW JAMIE 3:26

https://soundcloud.com/jamie3too6

In this episode, taken from my pandemic archive series, I’m speaking with Aussie Egyptian DJ and producer, Moktar. We spoke in September of 2021 during lockdown in Sydney and Melbourne, where we both were based at the time. We talked about his journey of embracing his Arabic, Egyptian and Australian life from a young age to an adult. We go into his experiences growing up in the Sutherland Shire of Sydney, what it was like in high school, the impact of the Cronulla riots in 2005 and the effects of racism pre and post September 11. We also touched on how his music production is the expression of his cultural embracement through electronic, techno, club music and Arabic instrumentation.

FOLLOW MOKTAR:

https://www.instagram.com/moktarmusic/

https://soundcloud.com/moktarmoktar

In this episode from my pandemic archive series, I’m speaking with Saudi, Dublin based DJ, producer and immunologist, Jamal Sul aka Moving Still.  We spoke about his discovery and relationship with meditation, how it has enhanced his music career, his creative and production processes, including his personal and family life. We also spoke about the use of meditation with cold showers, the benefits, the decrease of duration and frequency it has with regulating flight or fight responses and the amazing effects it has on building one's immune system. We also spoke about the rise and developments of the independent  music industry in the SWANA region and the wide acceptance of music locally and internationally. It was an absolute pleasure to speak with Moving Still and getting to know him a little better.

FOLLOW MOVING STILL:

https://www.instagram.com/moving0still/

https://linktr.ee/moving0still

https://soundcloud.com/movingstill

In this episode, taken from my pandemic archive of conversations, I’m speaking with Mexico born, Amsterdam based DJ, radio host, artist, composer, curator, Coco Maria aka Ana Lucia. We connected through the Radio alHara and Worldwide FM broadcasting partnership that commenced during 2020.

Coco Maria’s flagship morning show “Breakfast Club Coco” broadcasts on Mondays and Wednesdays on Giles Peterson’s Worldwide FM which has amassed a global audience. Her childhood was surrounded by music and her passion for discovering and sharing high vibration music is very prominent. Widely recognised as a selectora of joyful, obscure gems and sunny rarities from far off places. Her signature expressions of sounds include jazz to samba, latin funk, cumbia, many Afro-Latin rhythms from South and Central America, Brazil, the Caribbean and beyond. Coco Maria tours many countries, sharing music at festivals, club nights and has worked on compilations and her own music productions.

I loved going back to this conversation, Coco Maria and I spoke back in December of 2020, we discussed her studies in psychology and art therapy. Her realization of the importance of mental health in a music career. Her interest in understanding the impact of migration and her passion to develop as a broadcaster.

FOLLOW COCO MARIA:

https://cocomaria.net/

https://worldwidefm.net/collection/coco-maria

https://www.instagram.com/cocomaria___/

https://linktr.ee/cocomaria