Episode 87 is a sonic exploration in sounds, emotions and genres courtesy of Doodle co-founder Amuse Bouche. A summery, heartfelt mix. It’s one for the heads, repeat listening required.
Hey Tim, thanks so much for putting a mix together for AMF and coming on the blog to chat with us about all things music. I always like to start these interviews by asking my guest to tell us a bit about their DJ journey, when did you start DJ’ing and why and what twists and turns have gotten you to where you are now?
Hello hello! Thanks very much for having me; I love putting together mixes, so the pleasure was all mine. I’ve consumed music voraciously since I was very young, and owe a lot to my parents who have wonderful tastes in music; my dad was a Northern Soul boy, and my mum was a Punk. I’m a multi-instrumentalist and spent my adolescence in bands with older kids, playing drums, guitar, keys; anything they’d let me… I started DJing and producing music in 2009, (under the moniker ‘Kerouac’, an alias I adopted for almost ten years before my relatively recent segue into Amuse-Bouche) after my first clubbing experiences had successfully obliterated me into a state of obsession.
Luckily, the transition from bedroom DJ to club DJ happened pretty quickly- and before long I was playing and putting on lots of house and techno parties in Preston, my home town. I then moved to Manchester and started to really focus on production. I had some very early success in this department, and had some really popular early releases, for labels such as 20/20 Vision and Chapter 24, and even had the bizarre fortune of discovering that Larry Heard had opened a rare mix with my record ‘Nighthawks’ – which was mental…
Production and partying got me through the door to play some really memorable clubs and festivals; Sankeys Soap, Mint Club, The Zoo Project in Ibiza, Kendal Calling, Blue Dot and so on. I was running a night in Manchester called Love Dose at the time; putting on the first parties in what we now know to be The White Hotel and Hidden. After Love Dose disbanded, a beautiful moment of serendipity brought me and my Doodle brothers, Charlie and James together, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Your mix is loving crafted selection of chugging boogie, squelshy bits, disco oddities and a few classics sprinkled in for good measure. Is this your usual DJing MO or have you put something a bit different together for AMF?
I think I get bored very easily, and so I’m always keen to change direction and pace. I love dynamic, interesting DJs who aren’t afraid to lose a dance floor once in a while. It’s clichéd to say now, but that’s definitely where the magic is. I’m not saying I’d drop it to 90bpm drug chugg at peak time- but I definitely want to keep the dance floor guessing a bit.
With this mix I tried to capture the essence of our club nights, and our radio shows. I took a long dig through my records and tried to pick a range of tempos, textures and moods, and piece them together in interesting ways. Shout out to Mastersounds for their beautiful FX Unit and that lovely dub delay, which you can hear sauntering in and out of the mix.
Are their any standout tracks in the mix you can share with us? Any records that never leave your bag or tracks that hold a special place in your heart?
I love Omar S, and his record ‘Heard’Chew Single’ is sensational. It’s deep, percussive, moody and beautiful all at once. I’ve also been absolutely hammering Auntie Flo’s ‘Havana Rhythm Dance’ featuring Andrew Ashong on vocals. Killer!
As well as being a member of the amazing Doodle club night you’re also a producer. You’ve got a record dropping very soon too. Can you tell us a bit about it and a bit about your production journey? When did that start, what came first the DJing or producing and when you’re sat in front of Aableton what stories and genres do you want to tell?
Sometimes the nature of DJ sets can limit creativity, but writing music never fails to spark my creative intent. Production is my escape, and I feel most at home in my studio. I’ve not had a release for a couple of years- completely intentionally- as my tastes have matured, and I’ve wanted to refine my sound to match.
Music production is a strange yet wonderful pursuit- it’s a skill that you constantly improve upon, especially when it comes to the engineering side of things. I’ve made loads of music over the last couple of years; some of which will never see the light of day, but I don’t lament this fact. They’ve all served as stepping stones, organically leading to me producing these EPs, which are coming out on two really good labels in early 2024. I’ve included two of the tracks in this mix – currently in demo form, but sounding nice…Listen out for ‘Take it Easy’; an italo excursion with bubbling arps and piercing leads, and ‘Serendipity’; emotive and deep, with a beautiful sample of a South African school girl.
My process in the studio is not rigid. I try to incorporate a mixture of acoustic and electronic sounds; often playing live percussion, or recording hardware synthesizers, guitars or drum machines. I love to hit record and jam, and then refine later. It’s way more fun doing it like that.
Do you have any DJs, producer or promoters you really cite as influence for your productions or do you tend to draw inspiration from a multitude of sources?
I draw my inspiration from a myriad of sources. I think I feel the most inspired after particularly good club nights. Sometimes a DJ will move me very deeply, and I feel extremely energized in the studio for days afterwards. All night long sets are always the most memorable for me, and I’ve been lucky enough to see some sublime selectors: Weatherall, Theo Parrish, Antal, Midland, Hunee, Young Marco; the list goes on.
Seeing DJ Harvey play all night long at Pikes in Ibiza was perhaps the most memorable. He played until the sun streaked through the nooks and crannies of the 15th Century ‘finca’. I still remember the feeling of bliss that permeated me for weeks afterwards. That night changed my perception of DJing completely, whilst simultaneously inspiring me in the studio.
I also want to give a huge shout out to perhaps my biggest inspiration, the city of Manchester, and its producers, DJs, venues and promoters. Some of the world’s best originate from our unique city. Red Laser, Mr Scruff, Luke Una, So Flute, Space Afrika, Ruf Dug, Nite School, The White Hotel, Sticky Heat, The Eagle Inn… I could go on forever. It’s so good to have such a wealth of creativity on one’s doorstep. Quality.
