wAFF Interview

When we speak to wAFF he's just got back from nearly a month touring America, Columbia and Puerto Rico. “I'm well happy I'm back home,” he says chirpily, recounting the difficulties of getting vegan food on the road.

Joining Route 94 and Wehbba this Saturday (November 26th), he told us about hanging out in Kenny Dope's studio, living off crisp sandwiches and a burning desire to get back into acting.

Get tickets for the party here.

'Kidney Punch' was one of the highlight of your last Hot Creations EP. It sounds a bit violnet for a vegan though. What's the story?

There's no reason! As soon as I tried to think of something to call it, that came up.

You recently collaborated with Master at Work Kenny Dope for his label Dopewax. How did that come about? Did you actually get together in the same studio and, if so, were you nervous being up close with a master at work?

I stayed in New York just round the corner from where he lives. We spent two days making tunes in his studio. It was such a good experience. Obviously it's Kenny Dope, that's class on it's own. But as soon as we got there, he showed me everything, he's got a huge mixing table, he's got hundreds of every synth; then he opened up Abelton, as we both use it, then he showed me how to use the desk and said, I'll sit back here, you just do your thing. So he basically let me take control. He originally made some loops for us to work from. So we started from that. We made another couple of tunes that we need to finish off. That was the just the first one. He told me he was learning from me, because he's been making music for year but he has his own style. Whereas I use a completely different screen to him. I use the Live screen he uses the sequencing screen. I'm a bit quicker than him at doing some stuff, he's a bit quicker than me at doing other stuff.

I wasn't proper nervous. It's a bit unnerving anyway going in to meet someone completely new and being sat in a room with them for two days. It's a bit weird. I have social anxiety anyway, meeting up with anyone to sit with them in a room for hours is intense. Having it being Kenny Dope and knowing you're going to make music together, you want it to go as well as it can... in the back of your mind you're a bit worried in case you don't end up making something good. You just don't know how it's going to happen. As soon as we got in the studio though it just flowed really well and we got on really good. There wasn't any awkwardness, it felt really natural.

What else do you have coming up on the release front? How long does it take you to take for you to take a track from initial idea to completion now compared to when you first started?

I've got an EP coming out on Moon Harbour at the beginning of next year with a Butch remix. I've also got an EP sorted with Desolat through Loco Dice. I've a Drumcode in the pipeline, I'm doing more tunes for Cocoon and Hot Creations. I've got a Riva Starr remix that I'm doing and there are a lot more remix offers that I'm about to agree or disagree with. I'm not sure on them yet.

I don't have a studio, I do everything in headphones, though I'm wanting to build a studio now because I never really used one. Whenever I feel creative I'll just put my headphone on and make whatever comes out at the time. I never really have an idea. I can make a loop, and straight away I can have a feel for it. I can make a tune and have it finished within the hour, or it can take me days, even weeks. It all depends on how lazy or motivated I'm being.

Your feet are firmly under the table now for headlining DJs. Who are the new wAFFs, so to speak? We hadn't heard of Nadsat but saw you tipping him on your Facebook page.

He's one of my best friends, he's called Brett Osbourne. He's got his own record label called Catch Recordings. It's deep, kind of dark, melodic techno. It's between Innvervisions and any kind of techno side of things. He's just an amazing producer and DJ. He's at the point where his productions are that good, as soon as big heads here it I think he'll be signed up to the biggest labels. When he gets noticed I think he'll be really big, I've always thought that. Also Jey Kurmis is one of my best friends, He's doing amazingly now, which is good to see. There are so many people I know who are doing wicked. Leftwing & Kody are good friends of mine and they're getting noticed a lot more than I think they used to.

We've heard you speak passionately about being a vegan before. How has it changed your life? Do you have any tips for someone considering it?

My life is difficult with it because I'm touring a lot. TO be vegan and be a DJ is so difficult to eat properly. At a point it got me down because when I firs started I really struggled with it while travelling. You're so hungry and you just want something nice and filling, but you can't get it cause no-one caters for vegans ever. Everything has at least got egg in it, or some form of dairy. I've got to a point now when I accept it. You just eat chips or something. Usually I'll buy a sandwich, take the cheese out and just fill it with crisps!

Being vegan anyway is a challenge. I used to love meat, but then I just didn't feel good anymore. I felt lethargic. And also I was feeling guilty based on how much I care for animals, seeing all the videos which shows you how they get killed. I disagree with that whole process. Once I stopped eating meat it massively changes your energy and how you are in your body, you feel a lot lighter. It's a better way or life and healthier. You need to know how to eat properly otherwise you'll end up eating readymade shit.

I've never read any books on it, I just have friend who've shown me how to cook different meals. My best friend, he researches everything and tells me all these new brands of food to get and what to cook. Because of that I don't go out of my way to figure stuff out.

You used to be into acting and I read you'd like to get back into it. Have you tried swapping tips with Idris Elba, who is going the other way?

I haven't, although I did meet Idris Elba in the toilets when I played at Snow Bombing and he came to Paradise. It's the main thing I want to get back into. I love DJing but it does drive me mental, I find it intense, the travelling and everything. I used to act, then my life steered off into music, But right now I'm starting to feel going back into acting. I don't know which direction, or when I will do it. What I do know is that my best friend is a film director and he's starting to get really recognised. He's doing amazingly. He wants me to be involved in his films, and he's starting to do short films and possibly feature films. He could possibly get me into it. I need to join some acting groups but it's difficult to think how when my life is at hectic as it is now. When it's the right time, I'll just feel that it's right and that I have more time and space. So it's 100% the thing I want to do more than anything.

If you believe that wAFF has been one of the most outstanding DJs of the year, please take time to vote for him in the RA poll.