Imagine London in the 90s was happening now and you might have a starting point for where UK DJ Lokane gets off. Lokane is a bass music operator with a sound simultaneously nostalgic and fresh. With both a BBC Radio One mix for Toddla T and a Boiler Room set already notched up, we recently picked up on his UK dancehall remix of Cadenza's No Drama (Feat. Avelino & Assassin) and thought we'd catch a few words with him before he blasts off completely.
I grew up in Watford where the general vibe was snakebites, vodka bars and loutish behaviour. It was only when I began hanging around in St.Albans that my interest in music really grew to the next level. When I was there, St.Albans was a massively creative city with all of my friends being in some way or another involved in music, art, photography, or fashion.
Tell us a bit about how you got started?
The start for me was during my mid teens when garage, 4x4 and grime were hugely influential. From there I began producing on a fruity loops demo when I was 17. It wasn't until the following years when Dubstep began to blow that I got seriously involved in it. The dubstep parties back then were the best thing going, in my eyes. Being immersed in the birth of a new sound was massively inspirational, too. We used to travel to Leeds often for the DMZ Exodus parties at the West Indian Centre as well as all the Caspa and Rusko parties at Fabric. Those were the days.
For those unfortunate souls that haven’t had the chance to listen to you yet, how would you describe it?
Weird, synthetic, bass driven, technical dance grooves.
What's your process when selecting music for a show? Where do you find your stuff?
My selection comes from all over. I've got a really eclectic taste in music. I tend to try keep the vibe moving with sounds from different scenes just so it doesn't become stagnant and repetitive.
Can you talk us through your production process?
It all depends on how I'm feeling that day, to be honest. Like any creative outlet, there's never a set way of doing things. But usually I start by trying to find the weirdest sound possible either a sample or a synth and then spark an idea from there. I'll create a groove with some crazy sounds then just build on it. I love experimenting with weird sounds. The weirder the better in my eyes.
What are your biggest musical influences? Are they all similar?
DMZ, Night Slugs, Cashmere Cat, Hud Mo, Diplo to name a few. I would say they're all different in their own right. But they've all mastered the sound at which there in. Hud Mo and Diplo have stretched even further and mastered the art of producing their own sound in many different styles and genres, which is what I aspire to.
Can you tells us your top 3 favourite tracks ever? (Sorry, we know it's tough!)
Its so hard to answer these questions but these 3 are the ones that bring back the most memories for me.
Main Ingredient - Summer Breeze
Collie Buddz - Herb Tree
Jimi Hendrix - Wind Cries Mary
What would you say is the best set you've done so far?
Another tough one. I think my first Boiler Room is one that sticks out most to me. That was fun.
TSVI was playing in Berlin, so myself and Wallwork went with. Insert were shooting a documentary on us at the time. A lot of funny moments, all very hazy if Im honest. I'm sure there's some very incriminating footage of me that I'm praying will never see the light of day.
If you could support one act, dead or alive, who would it be?
Oasis, in the height of their career. Those guys knew how to party.
Does your inspiration usually come randomly or do you manage to summon it?
Summoning inspiration is a very tricky thing. There's things you can do to maybe spark that inspiration like searching for new music, going to a dance or just messing around with some synths, which I try to do a lot of the time. Sometimes, even with those things, it may not happen. I try and keep myself active with music to keep the inspiration flowing.
Do you have anything exciting coming up that we should be looking out for?
My second EP for Nervous Horizon is almost finished and will be released early 2017. I'm also working on a lot of different music at the moment, which I'm excited to put out. Whether that's under the Lokane alias or something else, I'm not sure yet.
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