Interview: Madam X
Madam X is the 23 year old boss lady of BPM records, and extremely talented DJ that gathers tunes of all styles into mixes that will be sure to get your feet tapping and head nodding at the very least. Madam X is the type of DJ that blends the best of the past and future music referencing the obvious grime, garage and dubstep but doesn’t place too much importance on genre meaning that pretty much anything could crop up in her sets, leaving you with a sense of excitement at the thought of the unexpected.
Where did your journey with music begin? What was the moment you realised you wanted to DJ?
At school I used to sing and play guitar in a jazz band, and geeked out loads in the music department. After I started taking Music Tech classes the obsession just kind of naturally progressed from there. It was learning how to use Ableton that made me want to learn how to mix properly with decks, so before I went to university I bought turntables, and went ham on the practise.
Was there anything growing up that influenced your musical styles?
Pretty much everything… Where I grew up, my school, my friends, my parents, the TV, radio, my music teachers. When you’re young you just absorb everything like a sponge. I was always into all kinds of music but it wasn’t until I started actively going out, sneaking into Fabric and clubbing when I was quite young (I shouldn’t admit that should I?) that underground music took preference over everything else.
What older music do you enjoy? Any old skool garage? Acid house? Anything from the early days of grime?
I’m into a bit of everything. Of course there’s the obvious grime, dubstep, garage, but I’m also into a lot of 80s stuff, synth-pop, boogie and soul. And classic rock music like Led Zep, Pink Floyd, The Who and RnB too; I enjoy it all. A lot of the time when I’m just chilling I like to revisit old albums; it’s good to listen back to old stuff because you might pick up on something you missed, or just remember how classic a record was. When I play out I always try to mix it up between the old and the new.
Do you think that the old influences the new? Why?
Although looking forward is an important part of DJing, looking back is just as essential. So much of what you hear today will have been influenced by something else, and that something else would have been influenced by another something else, and so on. A lot of the time an old tune can be relevant years down the line, but people just take a while to catch up to it. ‘That’s Not Me’ by Skepta is a perfect example for instance; it reached the Top 40 but the record sounds like something produced back in the day. Those same sounds you’d identify with DJ Wonder, Wiley’s ‘Morgue’, Skepta’s ‘Autopsy’ – they’re more than 10 years old!
Do you remember playing your first set? Explain where and when?
The first public DJ set I performed at was on this carnival float riding through Manchester during freshers week in my first year at uni. Surreal for a first gig, but pretty jokes.
What is your favourite song of all time and why?
Oh my days I can’t answer that, there are loads! At the minute I keep playing Leon Vynehall’s ‘Inside the Deku Tree’ because I put it in my Valentines mix and now I’m a bit obsessed. Anything with string instruments and a groove will do it for me to be honest!
Tell me something quirky and interesting that most people won’t know about you.
I learnt to skateboard the other day and it made me so happy. In another universe I’d like to think I’m a champion in the world of professional skateboarding.
How did BPM come about? What’s it like managing your own record label?
Phaze One and T.Dot started the club night around 5 years ago in Manchester when they were both students there. At the time there wasn’t really anything pushing grime or funky, and that was the music these guys had grown up listening to, and wanted to go out and rave to, so naturally they got together with a couple other uni mates, and BPM was born! 2 Years later when I came to Manny for uni, I joined and we worked at building the club night, changed our venue to Roadhouse after we got more of a dedicated following, we had a radio show on Manchester Community Radio which encouraged us to turn into a Record Label and the rest is history! It’s great running the label, just a lot more time-consuming than people will tell you!
Would you like BPM to expand in the future? Is this something you’re working towards? Are there any new signings or releases that your excited about?
Yeah definitely, I’d like to look at getting the club night in other regions of the UK for sure. We’ve got a residency going at Bussey Building in London which is a great home for us, and obviously get more releases under our belt. The next one is a really beautiful EP from Philly and Jazz. Really different from the other releases we’ve put out.
You share your time between London and Manchester, what makes the two cities different musically?
Although there’s so much going on in Manchester, the scene is relatively small in comparison. So you get more of a collaborative & supportive approach with the music there. A lot of people work together on a lot of different styles too. Take Fox for example, he did a weighty release with the My Nu Leng boys in Bristol, but can still jump on a Levelz track, or spit on something a bit more soulful & funky with the Swing Ting lot. In London it’s so big, and there’s so much going on, you have a lot more of a competitive atmosphere, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because competition is motivating. I feel like Manchester gives you a lot more freedom to experiment, and do what you want to do with less of the pressure you get in London.
Your sounds are quite grimey, what do you think about the popularity of the current grime scene?
It’s great! The more people who hear it, the better. I think it’s funny when people talk about Grime like it’s making a comeback though, almost disregarding everything that’s happened in the Underground the past 10 years. But the mainstream I guess are more concerned with how they can capitalise on the popularity rather than the steps it took to get to where it is today. As long as you’ve got Boy Better Know championing the movement you know the music’s in safe hands. As long as they don’t jump on any collaboration with Robbie Williams we’re good.
Do you think that underground sounds should stay underground or is it good that people become more open minded towards different genres?
I’m all for developing and giving the Underground the opportunity to breakthrough into the mainstream but I think the main issue with a lot of Artists when they reach that level of audience and sign a deal with a major, is the pressure they feel to dilute their sound. It’s happened with a lot of grime artists in the past. They sign to a major after one of their tunes organically goes viral, the major have no clue about their history, scene, culture, context, and push them in a completely different direction musically, that leaves their fans completely confused. I guess the problem is that once this happens, the underground sounds tend to stay in the underground. Only now, with people like BBK are we experimenting with authentic Grime sounds on a mainstream level, and this I fully support. To be honest, this should’ve happened sooner, but like I said before, it takes a while for people (especially the mainstream) to catch up.
Do you go clubbing? If so what’s your favourite club?
It’s more about the club nights for me rather than the club. Soup Kitchen in Manchester is home to Swing Ting, and loads of other really great stuff, and definitely puts on some of the best line ups the cities’ seen. The Roadhouse is where we do BPM, and where Hoya:Hoya’s hosted on a monthly, and that’s one of my favourite club nights also.
What’s your most memorable clubbing experience?
I’d like to say Trouw in Amsterdam, but memorable probably isn’t the right word for it considering how shit face drunk we got. I was in Dam for a gig, and stuck around an extra couple of days to watch my mate’s Cinnaman and Shamiro do their thing at Colors in Trouw. The rest of the night moulded into a Kevin-And-Perry-Go-Large montage with flashing lights, alcohol and throbbing techno. Cinnaman also killed the set! One of the best DJ’s out there if you haven’t already heard of him.
What’s the best set you’ve ever played? Why?
Musically, the sets I play at BPM are always my favourite. I think it’s because at BPM I can literally play whatever I want, and go as weird and crazy as I like with the music. Apart from that, DJing in Berlin at HomieLoverFriend festival a couple of summer’s back was like nothing I’d experienced before. The energy there was incredible; I’ve never seen so many people go so crazy in the hot sun like that. The Amsterdam – UK - Berlin connection that day was strong.
What’s coming up in the future for you? Is there anything that you’re extremely excited about?
We’re working on the next release from BPM with Philly & Jazz which we mixed down at the Red Bull Studios in London which I’m pretty excited for people to hear. I’m also getting the plans in motion for my next Kaizen Movements Compilation which is massively rewarding, but an absolute ball ache to put together. And getting in the studio a lot more, trying to take it all in, and see what I can make of this Electronic Production business. I’m working on a lot of side-projects in Manchester as well, so keeping busy alongside the gigs.
Are you playing any festivals this summer? Do you enjoy playing them? What makes them different from playing clubs?
Yeah I’m waiting to confirm a couple more dates, but can announce Pangaea, Atmosfield, Hijacked & Blissfields festival. I’ll most likely be doing Reading again. To be honest it depends on the size of the stage. I play to thousands of people on the Radio 1 Dance Tent at Reading which is really cool, but I don’t like feeling so far away from the audience. When you’re up there it feels really lonely and the faces in the crowd look like flashing lights. The noise they make is super-encouraging though, but I’m a club person at heart. I’ll always prefer playing to an intimate club night where I can see and interact with the audience. That’s what does it for me.
