BEATY HEART INTERVIEW

Beaty Heart are in the process of attracting a lot of attention. In their short career they’ve managed to create media hype, crowd frenzies as well as artistic respect. Their new EP, released at the end of last month, combines what they’re known best for; kaleidoscopic visuals (in the form of the official video) and uplifting percussive rhythms.

Even Rough Trade is getting a piece of the action, selling their limited edition EP sets; where your EP finds itself accompanied by a boxful of Beaty Heart Merchandise, all lovingly hand screen printed and drawn by the boys themselves. Following our blog piece which unearthed some exclusive pictures of the house party which gave a kick to their career we thought it only fair to give the South London trio, or more specifically front man Josh Mitchell, an opportunity to discuss more current events and thought processes:

You’ve mentioned in other interviews that you feel a lot more "accomplished" through releasing your EP on your own Record Label, Worry Free. Is Worry Free a project that you would like to develop further?

Ideally we would love to release a bunch more things on Worry Free- our stuff, as well as other music we like. It costs lots of money to physically put records out, but it’s something we’re all into exploring sometime in the future!

Do you each have a fixed role within the band (for example writing lyrics, making visuals etc) or do you all work together on most things?

There aren’t really any specific, fixed roles in terms of who does what in the band, musically or visually etc, and that was one of our aims when we started the band. Having said that, there are certain things that each of us tends to do. Charlie and James do all the video art, and the majority of the other art we’ve done, and I write the lyrics, but it’s not like the roles are definitive.

You’ve recently made a few changes, moving from a four piece to a three piece and releasing your EP on Worry Free as opposed to Loose Lips, are there any more changes in the pipe line?

Hopefully hundreds of changes! But we don’t know what they are yet...

We’ve managed to track down some pictures from the ’Musgrove Epic House Party’ at which you played. Here you handed out the drums to the audience. Do you think that interaction is a big part of performance? Is it something you would like to incorporate more or do you think that it’s not really practical?

It’s not really practical for us to just give drums to the crowd- We don’t have enough, and people break things and steal stuff. The ’Musgrove Epic House Party’ was a one off because we knew most of the people we gave drums to. The concept of that kind of audience interaction in itself is pretty idealistic, and although it’s definitely possible it requires a lot of consideration. It’s not like you can just spontaneously interact with the crowd to the extent that you are performing with them rather than just for them, just because of the preconceptions people have about what going to a gig means.

South East London isn’t a Disney film (yet...), where everybody suddenly bursts into harmonious song and dance. If somebody wants an audience to successfully interact with them they have to have an established reputation for it, so that the audience knows what they are in for. Lucky Dragons are a group that experiment with that very concept and do it really well. People know that when they go to one of their shows they are probably going to get given some kind of DIY, sound-making trinket by one of the members of the band, which affects the music.

They usually set up in the middle of the floor, rather than on stage, and it’s really weird when the audience all clamour around the band in a kind of passive aggressive stampede, to get right to the middle of the circle, leaving the artists in the middle with about a square meter or so in which to perform! I’m not explaining it well at all but its really, really sick. Here’s a video:

http://youtu.be/Ezt22VVtyjk

(You can see us in it!)

You seem to be very much concerned with the fusion of art and music, with your psychedelic visuals and abstract cover art, as well as the Ron Arad/ Eyes on the wall collaboration at The Roundhouse. Would you agree?

Yeah, for sure! We like the idea that everything we release is a complete aesthetic whole (sounds really pretentious) with visuals that respond to the artwork and the sound of the music, etc. ‘The Slush Puppy’ EP’s cover art is also in the video. Same with 2 Good. That kind of thing...

You are consistently compared to Animal Collective. Do you see this as an insult to your originality or do you think it’s a compliment to be weighed against such a well-respected, well-liked band?

It’s difficult to feel insulted when somebody compares your music to other artists that you think are awesome. It’s obvious from listening to our music that they have influenced it on a number of levels, and none of us mind it when people bring it up in relation to our music because we totally get it. At times though, it seems like some people use it as a way to undermine what we do, focusing on the comparison with Animal Collective alone, rather than writing anything constructive or insightful... That just seems kind of pointless to me.

Now you are no longer students do you feel like there is more pressure to make Beaty Heart successful?

In a way yeah. It’s not like we need to make lots of money, but having to work pretty much full time at a really shitty job just so you can support yourself playing in a band kind of justifies the idea that you’re taking it seriously!

You’ve recently been touring with The Rapture, if you could tour with any band (alive or dead) who would it be?

Right now I feel like I’d want to tour around Jamaica with Sly & The Revolutionaries

Charlie drove from London to Mongolia, filming in an Ice Cream van. Was this something that everybody was involved in or do you each have your own individual projects as well as Beaty Heart?

The Mongolia trip was all Charlie, and he managed to have a really sweet time and produce something really awesome from it too- his film ‘10000 Miles From a Car Window’. Individually we all do different things musically and artistically, but not really any official ’projects’ at the moment. Everything we do gets channelled into Beaty Heart because we don’t really have enough spare time to focus on anything else!

Your music is often described as experimental. Are you experimenting until you find a sound that you want to stick with or do you think that experimentation is a key element of your music?

I don’t really feel that our music is something particularly experimental. It depends how you define experimental... I wouldn’t want people to think that we see ourselves as being really groundbreaking or anything! All we want to do is write music that we can enjoy listening to. Being ’experimental’ is maybe going somewhere out of your own comfort zone. I feel like we’re pretty comfy with our delay pedals and stuff. We are obviously trying to make music that sounds different, but we write songs, and it’s still essentially pop music. We’re not doing anything that’s really far out!

Have you got anything exciting coming up soon?

We’re headlining the Vice Tour later this month, in Nottingham, Brighton and Bristol! Check the MySpace for the dates!

Do you have any personal recommendations for new music out at the moment?

(The band recommends this video)

http://www.youtube.com/hIkbS4NCKoE<

Slush Puppy is out now via Worry Free Records

Words By Morgan Meaker



ORLANDO VON EINSIEDEL

Orlando Von Einsiedel was not hard to spot as he walked towards me up the South London high street. Beneath the untamed mane of wayward hair there were bright blue eyes infused with mischief and curiosity and even more striking was the smile, which was unleashed with the pre-emptive recognition: broad and warm, stretching from ear to ear. The slight tan and the beard that roamed about his face gave him the precise look of what he ultimately was: an explorer. Through the medium of documentary he explores the places and the people neglected by mainstream media.

Orlando does not work alone but within the collective of Grain Media, a company that he founded with comrade Jon Drever in 2006. Together they have churned out a multitude of work, varying from film to music videos. What Orlando is best known for is his documentary short: ‘Skateistan: To Live and Skate in Kabul’, a multi award winning film which won funding through the Diesel New Voices project. The film took its namesake from the charity, Skateistan, which focuses on the personal development of Afghan children, attempting to mould them into confident and intelligent adults who are capable of inheriting the problems of their country.

In the film we see the charity teach the children to skate as well as educate them, more conventionally, in the classroom. However the fluidity of the film did not reflect its process: Orlando faced the reservations of a charity whose children had been previously traumatised by the insensitive questioning of various members of the press. Orlando, of course, eventually won them over, undoubtedly with that smile and his endearing manner of conversation. He went on to prove their decision right, creating a piece of work that was revealing and sensitive, evocative and bold.



Orlando’s knack for choosing the perfect subjects for his films is evident throughout his catalogue of documentary shorts. His selection process starts with spending a few days on location; immersing himself in the culture of that particular country and talking to everybody he meets through the translation of a local ‘fixer’. He looks for subjects who radiate a certain kind of ‘energy’. He uses one of the subjects in ‘Skateistan’ as a perfect example: in the film she stands against the imposing backdrop of the war torn city; strong and defiant as she talks of how people question her ‘right’ to skate but to her their opinions are ‘meaningless’. The cinematography of this moment, as well as the film in its entirety, is nothing short of beautiful and the aesthetics make its striking, hopeful tone even more poignant.

Hope seems to be an important factor for Orlando in the film making process; he directs the camera lens towards the inspirational, and in projects devoid of hope he undergoes a metamorphosis: transforming from film-maker to detective. His detective alter ego investigates bleak situations; where exploitation and illegality reside. In the dark corners of the world where hope will not manifest itself, Orlando and his team aim for hope’s alternative: justice. This becomes evident as I talk to Orlando regarding more recent projects and he reveals that he has just returned from filming in Sierra Leone.

He passionately explains to me the issue they have there with illegal fishing: due to there being no coastguards policing the shores of Sierra Leone, the seas are swamped with trawlers stealing fish. Orlando’s team did more than document this problem but they documented their personal fight against it as well as their presentation of their findings to the country’s government. This is what’s so rewarding about watching a Grain Media Production: that objectivity is shamelessly discarded to produce documentary shorts infused with both passion and conscience.

The detective element of his work in Sierra Leone was no new feat for Orlando but followed a template of previous work. In the Niger- Delta, he explored the subject of human trafficking in yet another documentary short, ’The Nigerian Connection’. Not only did Orlando face risks, inherent with all conflict zones, but also as he entered the criminal underworld, focused solely on the task of exposing those who traffic women from West Africa to Europe, it became clear that his own safety was far down on the list of priorities. Although his unfaltering, single-minded dedication to the medium of documentary demands nothing but respect, I couldn’t help but make the connection between his daring expeditions and dangerous locations with his previous career.

Orlando Von Einsiedel was a household name in the world of extreme sports before he even thought about gracing the world with his talent in film. As an ex pro snowboarder it seemed logical that his fearless research techniques were merely evolutions of a dependency for adrenalin developed whilst on the slopes. This was a suggestion he seemed horrified by, burying his face in his hands and through a nervous spatter of laughter he denied that the connection had any relevance.

To make up your own mind check out the Grain Media website: http://www.grainmedia.co.uk/ and keep your eyes peeled for Orlando’s next project, true to form, a hopeful sports story from Africa.

Words By Morgan Meaker

Photography By Gabriel Green

GLOBAL DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT: BERLIN

In salute to Berlin Fashion Week, we focus on one designer who we feel should be noted. 

By: Morgan Meaker

Berlin, Germany

It’s been just over four years since Nicole Roscher launched her own label and now, with Berlin Fashion Week under her belt, she is one of the designer’s to look out for. The bright blues and yellows which dominate the AW 11/12 Von Bardonitz collection act as a brave counterpoint to the dark earth tones which fill the streets and pavements of Roscher’s base in Berlin.

The Collection, entitled Common Delusions, has a concept based around a culture’s collective perception as opposed to an individual’s independent interpretation and it is the tension between these two processes of thought which have apparently inspired this striking collection.

The brightly coloured garments, intended to reflect both reflexivity and nature, compose an androgynous figure on both the male and female model. This blurring between genders features heavily in the collection’s look book along with oversized necklines and collars teamed with oversized hair; classic cuts in t-shirts and high waisted trousers but in all designs there is such an array of classy imagination that it is evident there is serious talent here.

THE RUM DIARY

Posted on October 25, 2011

For the first time in nearly twenty years Bruce Robinson resumes his role as a director. Despite swearing that, after the failure of Jennifer Eight, in 1992, he would never make another Hollywood movie, Robinson releases his adaptation of the iconic Hunter S Thompson novel, The Rum Diary, next Friday (November 4th). The novel concerns the journalist Paul Kemp who relocates to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Constantly doused in sweat and with the humid air consistently heavy with tension, Kemp fluctuates between his claustrophobic apartment, Al’s bar, and fighting off the locals outside his office.

After the popularity of Terry Gilliam’s adaptation of Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,Robinson risks being directly compared and judged in contrast. However he displays a definite confidence with his new project, skipping the festival circuit and going alone with no committee interference, and with Johnny Depp acting as his lead, and with the cult classic Withnail & I,under his belt, who can blame him.

It was Johnny Depp that pitched the idea of The Rum Diary to Thompson and although Depp has re introduced Robinson into the public eye, The Rum Diary became the Devil on Robinson’s shoulder, reminding him of past struggles and torments. After previously dealing with alcoholism and then renouncing drink completely for six years, Robinson found, that for inspirational purposes it was impossible to continue his renunciation. In order to write a screenplay that was very much concerned with alcohol and the states of mind which it inflicts he had to liberate past repressions and re-enter a world which he and Paul Kemp can share.

Infused then with directorial emotion, and with Johnny Depp both playing and commemorating his close friend, Hunter Thompson, who shot himself in 2005, this film will hopefully be approached and delivered with the innovation and sensitivity that a genius like Thompson deserved.

Rum Diary is out November 4th

Words By Morgan Meaker



WINFAMY

With the media whipping everyone into a frenzy over graduate unemployment, and The Telegraph declaring with a terrifying confidence that ‘Graduates without work experience ‘wont find job’’, it’s encouraging to hear a story of graduate hope and promise. That’s exactly what the Winfamy project is.

Five graduates come together with their eclectic talents to create a manifestation of Director Phil Lindsey’s teenage daydreams. Phil told 1883 that “when I was 18 I wrote a bunch of sketches that I imagined would be captured on film and put on the telly by the end of my first year at university. I was going to meet my writing partner somewhere around fresher’s week and I would be recognised as a genius before I was 20”.

He’s running a few years late but the bright side is that instead of finding just one perfect partner he’s found four: Oliver Trickett (Sound Engineer), Grace Gummer (Voice Artist), Martin Willis (Voice artist) and Joshua Kirk (Graphic Designer). Each person seems to slot seamlessly into the Winfamy mould, being rewarded for their participation with a space in which to unleash their own particular talent.

Together they create an enjoyably niche combination of Chris Morris inspired comedy sketches accompanied with kitsch graphic designs. They’re a collective brimming to the rim with ideas; considering the project’s evolution into animation or even live-action. Despite their obvious motivation and talent, what is really encouraging about the Winfamy project is that they have overcome the various obstacles which have stood in their way, the obstacles which take the form of plummeting employment statistics, especially in the arts.

They revolve their creative projects around un-related jobs, they work in clothes shops, in delis and as teachers but they’re young and hungry enough to not only find time, but make time to work on what they love.

To brighten up your day, check out the Winfamy sketches on http://tressillian.net/

Words By Morgan Meaker

The Jezabels. Have you heard of them? If not, even without 1883 bringing you up to speed, it’s only a matter of time before you do. This is a band teetering on the edge of worldwide acknowledgement.

Creating waves all the way from Byron Bay, they have exploded onto the British music scene with an impressive set of credentials: a sold out worldwide tour, the support of Itunes, as well as the US charts.

These achievements are well deserved. The music is atmospheric- their front-woman, electric- but what is most exciting about The Jezabels is the ideas that reinforce their music. The lyrics are so much more interesting than the wailings of lost love and broken hearts that populate today’s radio airwaves. The Jezabels instead want to convey to you intelligent ideas with almost philosophical content, which once explained, are perfectly in keeping with the tone and arrangements of their work. They offer their music to their audience as more than a product but instead a part of themselves, a force that provides both protection and expression. We had a chat to Hayley about the finer details of their work, their new album ‘Prisoner’ and asked what comes next for a band that has achieved so much already:

Given that ”Jezabel” is a wicked, shameless woman – Why did you chose this as your name?  

Because it shouldn’t be a given. 
 

Combined, you have such an eclectic musical background. Did you find it difficult to incorporate all of these elements in the new album?

Yes. Writing for us is pretty much a constant process of compromising between our differences. In a way, the album was a bit easier than the previous recordings because we had more room to go deeper into our individual tastes within different songs.
 
    

You’re quoted on the website as saying: ‘We love a bit of drama’ – does drama ever escalate between the four of you?

I meant, by that, that we seem to naturally create drama within the music we write. Sure, when you spend as much time together as we do, things can get intense, but we are getting pretty good at keeping the real life drama to a minimum. It’s just too tiring. 

You described your three EPs as a kind of development trilogy, one that in a sense protected you. Do you feel like your new album ‘Prisoner’ pays homage to this development?

’Prisoner’ draws on a lot of the same themes as the EPs and I think that, if people have heard the EPs they might understand a bit more where the album is coming from. However, it is still intended to stand alone as an album and, hopefully it does. 
 

The album cover for ‘Prisoner’ and your video ‘Endless Summer’ have a very pastoral, earthy edge. What is the significance of that?

It was meant to reflect the expansiveness we were aiming for on the album, which sets itself against the other central idea of imprisonment. Also, it’s meant to conjure up questions about the different kinds of imprisonment a person can experience; one can feel imprisoned by the past, by your own self, by the land, even, not just by confined spaces. I suppose I, personally see the pastoral as having a double meaning, symbolising both freedom and imprisonment. It’s also attached to the romanticism that colours the music.

You mention on your website that you’re interested in the individuals role in their own oppression – can you explain this further in relation to the new album?

I guess this relates back to the last question and the different types of oppression and imprisonment a person can feel. The album goes through a lot of different ways of looking at being a prisoner. It’s got some subjective and some more objective perspectives on tension and entrapment, and also a sense of hope and emancipation, I think, especially in the later part. 
 

You’re music is highly charged with emotion, both lyrically and musically – where do you find your inspiration for this?

It’s a mix between drawing on real and personal experience and telling a story. I find acting within and playing with the conventions of stories or songs is a great way to express your emotions while still masking them in a way. Maybe that’s just me. 
 

You’re band does not have a bassist, is this an intentional move away from conventionality?

It was never an active decision to do something different. None of us played bass, so we don’t have bass, but we do resist the idea that we should get one because it’s conventional to do so. It has definitely put a different kind of limit on us musically, bit that leads to different kinds of solutions in song writing. 
 

You’ve got a show coming up in London next month, however you’ve played in London once before, at XOYO, how did you find the English crowd in comparison to the Australian audience?

Pretty similar, to be honest, though, I think Londoners are a bit more spoiled for music and a little less excitable. That’s true of most big cultural cities though. Small town England is much the same as small town Oz for us. We love it. 
 

You’ve conquered the US charts with Hurt Me, you’ve got a sold out tour and you’ve been nominated for the Best Breakthrough Artist as well as Best Single/ EP at the 2010 Independent music awards. What’s your next move?

Sound check.

‘Endless Summer’ is out now via Play it Again Sam Records [PIAS]. The band play London’s Heaven November 29th

Words By Morgan Meaker

Friday, 21 October 2011

Subtle Refinement | Mathias Poledna / Florian Pumhösl | Raven Row | London.

For the current exhibition at Raven Row, Mathias Poledna (b. Austria, 1965) and Florian Pumhösl (b. Austria, 1971) have each created a single expansive new work. Poledna has produced a 35mm film for the ground floor, and Pumhösl has made a series of glass paintings for its upper galleries. Bearing the description of contemporary art, visitors may be expecting work of impressive stature, reminiscent of Rothko perhaps, yet upon entering the 18th century rooms, visitors are greeted with the intersecting lines of Pumhösl’s work, titled Fliengende Handler (travelling Hawker). While Pumhösl’s pieces are not immediately breathtaking, being small in size and minimal in detail, the glass paintings are however beautiful in their subtle refinement. 

The paintings are dependent on lines and therefore reminiscent of early Mondrian and the De Stile group. Pumhösl moulds a simple recipe of glass and minimal amounts of lacquer paint into a fascinating collection. The apparently perfect lines are, on closer inspection, rife with inconsistencies, giving them a human edge. As well as mimicking human imperfection the panels seem to draw on the influence of nature and the world beyond the windows. As the sun shines in the room and its ray's falls upon the panels, through shadow a three dimensional effect is created, one that is unique to each picture and each day. 

The shadows give an impression of an undercurrent of hidden meaning. Pumhösl attributes this ‘meaning’ to an indirect representation of a person with a market barrow, in his words a symbol of ‘primeval capitalisation of the individual, as a basic and unchanged mechanism’. The fact that the simple aesthetic delights of the glass panels are reinforced by such an idea, relevant and poignant in a society such as ours, makes the work more purposeful. It therefore leaves the realm of being an ambiguous vision, subject to the onlookers interpretation as once you have read Pumhösl’s own words your perspective of the lines shifts as your spectating eye is carefully guided. 

The meaning of A Village By The Sea is less artistically manufactured and therefore left more to the imagination of the eyes which look upon it. Poledna’s film, created to accompany Pumhösl’s work, takes the form of an excerpt from a black and white musical. Despite its creation in 2011 it adopts a classic feel with a precise attention to detail, everything in shot belonging to the Golden Era. The characters move around carefully restrained by their choreography and despite the attempt to convey an era far detached from our own, there is something distinctly modern about the faces of both man and woman. 

This was a film unexpected as a work of art, and therefore this is what it has in common with Pumhösl’s panels. Both then question essentially what the recipe is for a successful piece of contemporary art. Where Poledna confuses the boundaries between the art forms; art, film and music, Pumhösl swaps canvas for glass and shape for lines. The viewer is then forced to consider the process of art and its definition as a whole. 

This is not an exhibition for the less than patient art enthusiast, however for those who are willing to pause and consider what they see in front of them they will find the collaboration ultimately rewarding. The exhibition is then thought provoking and subtly beautiful, this is particularly true of Pumhösl’s panels, however Poledna’s film is not without its charm. Raven Row is used as a foundation to the work, enhancing the spectator’s experience, almost creating a third work of art through architectural design. Although perhaps not suitable for visitors with a short attention span, these are artists that reward you for the time and consideration you offer them, offering delicately beautiful and intelligent work in return.

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