Erol Sabadosh, known first and foremost for his prolific status as a talented and well-respected DJ, is a man who attempts to not only encompass London creativity through his own work, but also play host to it at his weekly nights, WYLD Wednesdays.

Here, young creatives can gather in an inspirational environment, safe in the knowledge that they are in the company of a ‘carefully selected’ crowd allowing for maximum networking potential.

His musical talents are vast. Unlike most DJs, Sabadosh does not possess an ear for one particular musical genre but instead takes pleasure in the distortion of the boundaries between many. In this way he cleverly appeals to no one specific audience but alternatively becomes a site of unification for music lovers in general. His catwalk soundtracks also function as independent mixes, the most noteworthy being the SS12 mix for Lako Buki: in this eclectic mix, subtle piano notes are seamlessly woven on top of electronic beats. He has also Dj’ed at, as well as organised Fashion Week after parties, reveling in his prolific position in the fashion scene. Therefore as well as merging musical genres he also merges creative fields, unable to contain his talents to one particular area. He fuses fashion and music together revealing their co-dependency. 1883 Magazine had a chat with Erol about his variety of projects and talents as well as getting his informed, personal recommendations for the best nights in London.

Have you always been interested in fashion?

My interest in fashion grew out of my exposure to the industry through friends actually, somehow I ended up befriending a lot of people that worked in fashion or wanted to break into it and so they brought me into that world. I think the fashion industry can be extremely beguiling and alienating to somebody outside of it; people either look at it as this glamorous and intimidating entity that’s difficult to penetrate or they dismiss it as something elitist and shallow, when of course it’s incredibly diverse, complex and involves a lot of artistry. My pursued interest in fashion stemmed from my natural inclination to find out more about something I didn’t really know a lot about, rather than desiring to actually work within the industry from the get-go, but the more immersed I became the more inspired I felt by it and now it’s a big part of my life.

Who do you think is an important new designer to watch right now?

For SS12 I wanted to find some up-and-coming talent in London to promote, seeing as I sort of jumped straight into doing things for big established brands, so I looked around and I found two designers that I really liked; T. Lipop and Lako Bukia, both of whom I ended up doing catwalk soundtracks for and both of whom I want to continue to work with. They’re both ambitious, smart and have a very clear vision, which I think is clearly evident in their work. Lako’s collection was stunningly elegant and mature and Lipop’s progression from the previous season to SS12 was very impressive so I’m really keen and excited to see where he goes next. I have high hopes for them both.

Would you ever consider becoming more involved in fashion and designing your own collection?

I think I’ll leave the actual designing to real designers, but I’d definitely love to collaborate with a designer some day and help launch a collection by promoting it and being involved in some way. I wouldn’t want to assume the role or guise of an actual designer though, I see myself as a DJ, musician & producer first and foremost.

Was it always your intention to fuse fashion and music with your career?

Definitely not, I’ve come from a music oriented background rather than a fashion background, music is something I’ve grown up with whereas fashion was something I chose to explore later on, but fusing the two has happened almost naturally for me due to the people and things I’ve been exposed to living in London and the circles that I’ve operated in. Music and fashion feed off of each other as much as film and music or fashion and film.

You have your own night (WYLD WEDNESDAYS) what do you think is the recipe for the successful night?

I’d say the recipe for success with anything is hard work, honesty and perseverance. With Wyld Wednesday there’s been a lot of hard work gone into creating a club night that is not only a great networking hub for young creatives and established talent, but one that also delivers good music and a vibrant atmosphere.

Are there any club nights, excluding Wyld Wednesdays that you would personally recommend?

Ponystep, Circus and Shabba-dabba-da are always guaranteed fun with their own dedicated following, and Vikings with Joe & Will Ask is a great night that focuses on cutting edge music.

You’ve been photographed with P. Diddy and Mischa Barton among many others but you believe that celebrity culture has grown out of hand. However, do you think that your celebrity connections are in-expendable in raising your profile?

Not particularly; I think it’s ironic that celebrity culture is so heavily focused on reality television these days, and I find it bizarre when people take it too seriously. I personally don’t watch television or actively read tabloids so when people talk about this kind of stuff it tends to go over my head. I meet a fair amount of celebrities on a regular basis but I don’t treat anybody differently. I admit I was a little star struck when I met Scarlett Johansson the other week at the Wyld Bar where I have my residency, but that’s the only time in as long as I can remember when I’ve felt the power of anyone’s celebrity status have any kind of affect on me personally, and to be honest in this case I think it was the fact that Lost in Translation & Ghost World are two of my favourite films which helped elicit that kind of reaction from me. Establishing celebrity connections can be a bit of a minefield, so I focus on being as good as I can at what I do as I’d rather be judged on my talent, skill and output rather than any other kind of association.

What is your musical background?

I started playing the guitar from a young age; I wanted to learn an instrument and I naturally gravitated towards the guitar for some reason. I spent a lot of time listening to rock and blues and that really influenced me a lot in terms of my style at the time and my outlook.

Was there a particular figure that inspired you to be a DJ?

Not really, my passion for DJing evolved primarily from my desire to share music with people because I was so obsessed with it myself, so it wasn’t a case of me idolising anybody or deciding that I just wanted to be a DJ for the sake of being a DJ, it just made sense since I was so immersed in all kinds of music across the spectrum. I really am a music geek but I don’t snub any genres so I get to enjoy a lot of music, which is great!

You have recently remixed Lana del Rey, Arcade Fire and The Strokes – is there any song you would particularly like to remix that you haven’t already?

I love remixing, to take a song and give it your own spin is a very creatively satisfying endeavour, especially if it’s a song that you feel a particular connection with or that you feel would be interesting to push in a different direction. I enjoy taking a track and defying its original genre by taking it somewhere new and delivering it to a different audience. The greatest songs transcend their genre, and to a certain extent their authors as well. There are so many songs I would want to remix I wouldn’t even have the time. Last night I started remixing I Wanna Be Down by Brandy just because I wanted to see if I could make it sound really soulful. You’ll hear it soon I’m sure!

Out of all the fashion shows, parties and festivals that you have played at, which has been the most enjoyable?

I really enjoyed DJing for Circus at Lovebox festival, I definitely want to do more festivals next year. The atmosphere when such a large amount of people come together to dance and appreciate good music and talent is always magic. Next year I want to do more travelling too, I’d really like to DJ in places like L.A., Berlin and Tokyo.

For more on Erol, check out: www.erolsabadosh.blogspot.com

Words by Morgan Meaker