Kicking off our interview series, we sit down with London’s latest minimal breakout star.
Hotly tipped as one of London and the UK’s most promising female talents, ELODIE’s rise from the unknown to a resident for one of the capital’s fastest-growing event brands is just the first rung on a limitless ladder.
In such a cluttered genre within the London event circuit, it is often hard to gain traction as an up and coming artist. Elodie has breached the barrier with ease, as her infectious dubby grooves have gained respect with promoter and raver alike.
Hi Elodie … welcome to STiR!
We have been following your development for quite some time and are super-hyped to have you on board for our February return!
Firstly, how are you? How has 2021 been for you since the lockdown restrictions were removed?
Hey hey! Yeah, I’m great you know! It was a pretty slow start to 2021 and I was a bit devastated when the initial lockdown date was pushed back but once it finally happened it didn’t disappoint. I lost no time and was straight in Fabric on the Sunday night that clubs reopened and it’s been back to business since with a super busy DJ schedule for me, so overall it was an amazing year!
What would you say defines your vibe? What sounds have influenced your music?
I’d say my vibe sits primarily in minimal/deep tech, but anyone who has seen me play will know that I’m no stranger to branching out into other genres in my sets. Good music is good music, and different songs and genres work well in different moments, so I like to try and create unique moments by some unexpected twists and turns in my sets sometimes. Throwing back to the very beginning of my raving days, I started out attending Circoloco and Hot Natured back in the day and that’s when my love for house and raving began, and then as time has gone on and I’ve become a DJ myself I’ve got more and more into deeper, darker sounds. I’ve always been super musical, playing drums and piano before I started DJing, so anything which has really musical elements resonates with me. My sound is heavily influenced by a fusion of different sounds, sub-genres, artists and labels: minimal techno, rominimal, deep tech, breaks… Basically a bit of a cop-out answer, but my style is influenced by a bit of everything!
Your reputation continues to go from strength to strength. How do you feel about the support you have been receiving and what are your next steps for self progression within the industry?
It’s been amazing to have the support of some incredible individuals and brands in the industry, to be honest – I never expected it but it’s super motivating to know that other people are on board my journey and believe in my potential as an artist! I have to shoutout my manager Perry who has had my back in the industry since day one, the Frame team who have given me some incredible opportunities this year, including playing Fabric twice last year and warming up for none other than Sweely, and of course the support from my friends who were there from the very beginning, rocking up to support my gigs (that they probably didn’t want to go to) before I started to get booked for decent events!
Progression this year is going to be focussing on pushing my own music. I’ve been grafting away in the studio for the past two years now, and I finally feel ready to start sharing my own tracks with the world – so look out for ELODIE releases in 2022!
What have been the biggest learnings from your DJ career so far? What has influenced it in a positive way?
Honestly looking back I realise how little I knew when I started out, not just about DJing but about the industry as a whole (it’s an actual crazy world). My biggest learning is probably realising that it’s OK (and actually beneficial) to say ‘no’ to things sometimes – there’s only one of me and I want to enjoy and love what I’m doing without spreading myself too thin. And then also the art of navigating the right events to play, those that will compliment my sound and career.
There have been lots of moments that have influenced my career in a positive way. Getting to play really great sets in some of my bucket list venues seems to be a big motivator for me to make new music. On the first weekend that clubs reopened I played to a sold-out E1 and I was straight back in the studio the day after filled with motivation after that. The same thing happened when I made my Fabric debut as well. That surprised me as I thought it was more likely that I would be stuck in bed recovering with a Deliveroo.
What is next for Elodie? What do you have in store for us over the next year?
Showing my own tracks to the world! I’ve had some time to develop my own sound and in two years the only thing I’ve let the world hear is my No Scrubs edit, which I made over a year and a half ago now. The reception on that was insane, obviously with Jamie Jones picking up on it (still pinch myself that even happened). One of my friends heard him play it at We Are Cancun last month which blew my mind, but unfortunately, no one captured the moment so hopefully, this year with clubs reopened everywhere I’ll be able to see my tracks being played to big crowds, which is an absolute dream really!
We have noticed you are a bit of a foodie! Where do your priorities sit? Music or food? (Tough one we know)
I’d much rather go a day without food than music, let’s put it that way! But I have to admit that my sushi rolls are pretty good so, good to have more than one string to your bow I suppose
Lastly, we would like to know ONE thing you would change about the industry we are in… (It’s great to use your voice to incite change)!
There are plenty of super underrated artists who don’t seem to get a chance to shine because they don’t have the social media followings to match – I’d love to see that change and see events lead the way with booking talent because of the amazing music that they play rather than what they post on the internet!
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