Egg London's New Resident: Luther Vine

We proudly welcome our new resident, Luther Vine, to the fore of Egg London.

Anyone even remotely familiar with the world of records and vinyl will be aware of Soho’s leading wax supplier, Phonica Records. While the store holds a temple-like status amongst vinyl fiends, the shop is also responsible for providing a platform to some of the most prominent artists in electronic music, including Palms Trax, Anthea and Hector to name a few. With a slew of prolific artists starting their careers in the retail of records, Phonica’s latest export, Luther Vine, has rightfully been selected as Egg LDN’s new resident DJ alongside Kyle E.

Raised in East Sussex, before studying in Manchester’s acclaimed Chetham’s School of Music, Vine made the move to London to explore music technology and what the dance music scene had to offer. Immersing himself in an endless amalgam of worldly sounds at Phonica while teaching himself to mix records, Vine explored the technicalities behind underground music by embarking on further studies of music production and engineering in the city. Following a string of shows throughout London shortly after, the young producer made a name for himself as one to watch in the close-knit electronic community.

As Egg remains a long-running institution which continues to support emerging talent amongst established artists, we’re happy to welcome Vine to the fore alongside FJAAK, Fadi Mohem and Victor coming up January 20th. Bringing his own alluring take of electronic music to the club, Vine’s addition is looking to be another positive shift to Egg's 2018 agenda.

We caught up with the man himself to delve deeper into the sounds that got him here in the first place before leaving us with an exclusive mix to showcase what he’s all about.

Tell us how you first got into music?

I originally trained to be a classical musician and actually intended to become a professional trumpet player. I then went on to study at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester where I discovered electronic music. At the time I was listening to more mainstream dance music which later inspired me to further explore the world of house and techno music.

I started to go out to different electronic events and it was actually here in Egg that I first experienced London rave culture. From there, I decided to dig deeper and discovered loads of new sounds, sub-genres and artists. Labels like Perlon and Trelik definitely influenced me in the early days continue to do so.

How did you find yourself working at Phonica?

I was always record shopping there, after getting to get to know the guys working behind the counter, Simon Rigg (founder/manager) offered me an intern position. This lasted for around seven months whilst studying at university before going part-time on the weekends and now recently full time.

Working here has been fundamental to my musical development, combined with working with such great people and being able to meet DJ’s that share the same passion for music as I do.

What were you doing before Phonica?

I was studying Music Technology at the London College of Music where I specialised in the production and audio engineering.

Do you think degrees are necessary for aspiring DJ’s and producers?

Not necessarily but I learnt a lot about hardware processing, mixing consoles and audio electronics. Moving for university allowed me to get involved with the London music scene, it’s the hub of music culture here so it was easy to keep my momentum going. I’ve learnt so much from being here.

When was your first gig here?

My first gig at Egg was a few years back when sub-promoting a party I co-ran for a couple of years. This was a great overall experience and allowed me to get to know people at the club.

How did the Egg LDN residency come about for you?

I met Egg LDN resident Kyle E in Phonica, he’s a regular customer and avid record collector. He invited me to play B2B with him at the club, we’re both into the same sort of records and share a similar appreciation for certain artists such as Objekt and Roman Flügel. Kyle didn't realise at the time we met that I was already collaborating on a track with my mate's EP which is coming out on the label late February.

Following the B2B gig, Kyle invited me back to play on other nights such as the Familia parties, which then led to him asking me to become a resident of the club.

How do you plan to balance working full time in Phonica with the nocturnal hours of a DJ residency?

Being surrounded by the constant flow of music in Phonica always makes me discover and stay in touch with new records that might essentially end up in my record bag. I’ll find a balance I’m sure, haha.


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Which artists would you like to support in the future?

An obvious choice, but Ricardo Villalobos is someone that I’d love to warm up for, although it could be a bit of a challenge haha.

Apart from Phonica, where are your favourite spots for record digging? 

Spacehall is a great spot, you can really spend days in there digging through their extensive back catalogue, with comfortable listening stations.

Also, there’s this mystery mobile record shop called The Ghost, based in Berlin, it’s in the back of this retro Mercedes van, run by two really nice guys that specialise in really rare house and techno cuts. I haven’t been yet, however, next time I’m in Berlin it’s definitely somewhere I’ll hit up. And yes, Discogs obviously.

Are you only playing with vinyl these days?

It really depends on the music I’m playing but mostly vinyl. It also depends on the crowd and what’s in my record bag. Playing vinyl is special because you can really trace it back to the time that you bought the record and relive that excitement, sharing it with the crowd you are playing to. And also it sounds better ;)

But regardless of the format, the music is always the most important aspect.

What else have you got planned for 2018?

A lot of studio work, I really want to focus on making music and finishing projects that I’m yet to release. My first EP is coming out soon on Egg LDN’s label What Came First.

Tell us about the mix you’ve created for us and how it was recorded?

It’s a vinyl only mix using two 1210s with a MasterSounds Radius 2 rotary mixer, recorded in the Phonica basement, along with turntable weights because I’m an audiophile haha. It’s a really personal mix with a blend of records that displays the sort of music I’m into right now from minimal, microhouse through to techno and electro.

What about the records in the mix, any stand out tunes included in there that never leave your record bag? 

Gene on Earth - ‘Nelly’s Jelly’ from the Lazybones EP on Limousine Dream. It’s a real driving, garage-influenced tech house track with a nice lo-fi aesthetic.

 

Although it’s almost a year old, Oshana’s release ‘Ametisu’ on Parisian label YoY still remains in my bag, especially the track ‘Eccentric Electrix’. It’s a rolling, electro-inspired techno that always works well across dance floors.

   

Lazare Houche & Malin Genie - ‘Session 2’ from their ‘I Don’t Sync So Volume II’ on Lazare Hoche Records. It’s constantly in my record bag. It’s quality tech house, with a huge jacking groove throughout, underpinned by a fat bass line. 

 

Leave us with three emerging artists who’ve caught your attention recently?

It’s always a tough one when asked to narrow it down to three artists as I know countless emerging DJs who are all doing amazing things, but at this current time these are the people that are really doing it for me: 

Gene on Earth is definitely someone to keep an eye on, especially after his releases on his imprint Limousine Dream, with a release coming out of Subsequent - the sub-label and London party - Toi Toi Musik. He’s a bit of a mystery but I do like artists that keep a focus on what’s really important rather than social media presence.

Oshana, who I mentioned previously is someone that has really caught my attention. She’s had a string of great releases such as one I spoke about earlier.

And also Georgia Girl is someone that is yet to get the recognition she deserves. She’s a great selector and resident for Keep On Going, one of east London’s main after parties, and also used to work at Black Market Records back before it had to close its doors. Georgia is also playing at Egg LDNs Berlin Berlin night on February 17th - which if you haven’t been to it yet, I would really recommend!