Hi Kai, thanks for putting a mix together for AMF we’re really excited to speak with you today. I always like to start these interviews by asking our guests to tell us about their musical journey. When did you start DJing and what compelled you to give it a go?
Hi mate, thanks so much for reaching out and it’s a pleasure to be part of the amazing thing you’ve got going on here in Manchester :). The earliest memory I have of wanting to DJ was when I watched a video of Fatboy Slim playing on Brighton Pier in 2002 and was fascinated with how someone could put together a bunch of songs and make a crowd go berserk like that!
When I was 19, I moved to the UK for uni and fell in love with festivals and electronic music. This made me befriend others with similar music tastes and some were even DJing at clubs and having their events too. I thought that was such a cool idea and really wanted to be a part of the action, so I bought myself a cheap DJ controller and taught myself the basics.
It was always a hobby for me but since I moved to Manchester, I’ve only started to take it a bit more seriously.
You’ve recently started your own club night, Lockedin Mcr. Why have you decided to run your own event and what’s the mission behind the night?
Well, when I came to Manchester, we were fully locked down during the covid pandemic. I can’t lie it was a really horrible time for me as I had no way of meeting people and making friends but I did my best and met some really great friends.
I couldn’t imagine what it would be like for first-year students who’ve just moved away from home to start their new life as a student, and all they could do was stay in a small uni room for a good part of a year. I couldn’t believe how much students were forgotten about during the lockdown. So many were neglected and ended up being completely alone and isolated.
Sadly, there were far too many cases of suicides and sky-high rates of depression amongst students during lockdown. This shouldn’t ever be the case. University is supposed to be some of the best times of your life! If the lockdown taught me anything, it’s how valuable the experiences are to you as a young person, and students in Manchester were starved of such experiences in 2020 and 2021. I wanted to somehow make up for all this lost time by putting together club nights in Manchester, solely run by students, and tailored to students as well.
I aptly named it “Locked In Events” due to how we all felt at points during lockdown. I knew there was so much untapped student DJ talent in Manchester as well. Because of this, I wanted to also use this club night as a platform for students who wouldn’t usually be able to get gigs at clubs, so they could showcase their skills as DJs, Photographers, Videographers, Lighting engineers, Graphic Designers etc.
Students in Manchester are incredibly talented, and Locked In is all put together by students. Our club nights definitely help with networking opportunities as well for students, as a few of the ones who have played/been hired for work with Locked In have been scouted to play at other events around the city and have been asked to do other events too! Such happy days!
You hosted your first Lockedin event in January. How did it go? No matter how many events a promoter has under their belt they can always be a bit stressful. Did you have to overcome any obstacles when you put on your first event and what advice would you give to other junior promoters looking to start their own thing?
The first event was a dream. It went as smooth as cutting through a block of butter on a hot summer day. We had the absolute megalodon DJ and producer, Papa Nugs, headlining the night at the amazing venue Stage and Radio. It was a sold-out event and many people told me it was one of the best events they went to in a long time. Everyone was extremely happy and the tunes being played were insane!
As for obstacles, I lost count how many times I had sleepless nights, stress-induced panics, doubts, and hurdles on the night and leading up to the night. It was SO stressful, especially doing it all on my own. As a first night as well, you’re always fearing the worst – will anyone show up to my event? I had extremely low expectations, so even if it went terribly I wouldn’t be that upset.
However, when it sold out and people kept coming up to me afterward saying how much of a sick night it was, all of the stress and obstacles that I faced were all worth it. At the end of the day, this was a big goal for me that I always wanted to do.
The mix you’ve put together for AMF draws on a lot of different genres, is this how you like to approach your sets and do you have any DJs or collectives you look to for inspiration when defining your DJ sound?
Like most people, I listen to a lot of genres on a day-to-day basis. I really think multi-genre mixes and sets sound so much cooler than just sticking to one genre and BPM range. It sort of takes you on a journey from the low intensity and low bpm, all the way to being hit in the face with fast-paced stompers in the middle of the set. I feel like it helps to connect with the audience a lot more, and as a result, they have a much more memorable experience. I usually just play what I like and don’t really give too much thought about genres.
I get some serious inspiration from DJs and producers such as Four Tet, Bicep, Joy Orbison, Interplanetary Criminal, and even Goldie. Love a heavy baseline but also love ethereal pieces of music that take you somewhere emotionally.
Are there any standout tracks in the mix you wouldn’t mind sharing with us? Any tracks that remind you of great moments on the dance floor or just generally in life?
The song Intergalactic Bush Doof by t e s t p r e s s definitely stands out as one of my favourite songs on the set. It reminds me of my first ever set in a Manchester club and it went off! The headliner even went into the booth and reloaded the CDJ! Was an amazing memory. Another great track in there is the classic Milkshake remix by DJ Zinc! It’s an absolute weapon that never fails to make the whole crowd bump along to it.
Thanks for chatting with us today and putting this mix together. Before you go, could you tell us about any upcoming events you’ve got in the pipeline?
Thank you so much for giving me this platform I really appreciate it! And yes! We’ve got some exciting news coming up! In June, we’ve got another event at Stage and Radio featuring some serious talent. I can’t really say much more than it’ll be a heavy B2B!
Have also got a couple more events lined up later in the year too so 2022 is a really exciting year! Our most recent event at The Deaf Institute in collaboration with Manchester Students Group was a huge success too so happy days all around! If anyone fancies following us we’re on Instagram (lockedin_mcr) and Facebook (Locked In).
