Interview: Monki

Hi Monki. Welcome to Sheffield! We are really excited to have you visit Hope Works on your Monki and Friends tour. What should we all expect from your party? What do you want us to FEEL the most?

Expect to have fun! We want you guys to have a laugh and everyone to feel part of the party! We're really looking forward to bringing the party to Hope Works.

This is your first visit to Hope Works. What have you heard about the club? Good things hopefully!

All good things, I'm really excited to play there. I've played in the same spots on Sheffield over the last few years and it's always really exciting to to play somewhere new especially when you've heard such good things.

This tour is celebrating another Monki and friends release isn’t it. Can you tell us about this new release? Who’s on it, and how you feel about it?

Yeah so it's been another year doing M&F EP at Red Bull Studios, 4th one now and I'm really proud of this one. It's hard lining up over 14 producers diaries to get in the studios and then create a tune in 2 days, so it's deff worth a celebration! There is a bunch of great people on it: Bodhi, ANOTR, Cadenza, DJ Die, Fono.. I won't give the whole thing away, but there's a few names!

What are you learning most from doing these Monki and Friends releases?

I'm not a producer myself, so in the sessions I'm always learning things. How producers work, how vocalists work, it's interesting to see how differently everyone does things. Every year it's been a really rewarding process for me and giving my opinion on things in the sessions is something I really enjoy.

How would you describe the main flavours of UK club music to an alien who just beamed down here from outer space ?(an alien who had the ability to understand english :) ) And who are producers to listen out for in each flavour right now?

That's a pretty broad pallet. There are so many strands of UK music and sub genres. I guess at the moment the main ones would be house, techno, grime and UK bass music (I don't really like that term to be honest, but when you have to pigeon hole it into a name, that's the only one that's knocking about). Producers to look out for in each genre. House: Icarus Techno: Mella Dee (You've probs heard more of his breaks rave stuff but he a Techno man as well) Grime: Nadia Rose / Jammz (Both MCs) Bass: Troy Gunner

Being diverse aside, diverse is great, we like diverse, but do you have any style of dance music that is totally twisting your melon right now….lets be specific…at 2am on the dance floor?

I think tribal is becoming a lot more popular, it's nice to hear people getting a lot more creative with there percussion after a few years of the same drum pattern on house tunes that all sound the same. So that's exciting to hear.

You’ve had a meteoric rise through the ranks so far and it looks like thats going to continue into the future. Your first monki and friends release came out in 2013 Where would you like to be in 3 years time?

In 3 years time I would still love to be doing this project, maybe on a bigger scale. Try to create links with bigger established producers and new ones. We have done that on the past with Kidnap Kid, Moko and Joe Goddard a few years ago. Of course radio is a huge part of what I do and I'd like to climb the ranks at Radio 1 too.

Who’s next on the hit list or friends you’d like to have and be working with?

I'm not sure yet! It's quiet a time consuming project so we'll have to get this one out the way first! We're tying up a few more tracks, all our effort is in this EP and then I can start thinking about the next one.

You have one very important friend, Annie Mac. What difference has she made to you? What are her Amp live shows like to play at regularly?

Huge difference personally, I think one of the biggest impacts she had on me was before I even new her and I got so engrossed in listening to radio. She had one of the shows I would listen too and I would think; yeah, I can do that. It's been amazing, I use to be raving on the front row when I was a teenager so to be closing the tour last year every night after her was a special one for me.

Lets not forget BBC Radio 1 here. You’re career as a radio presenter has seen you rise from Rinse Fm to BBC 1. This is no easy achievement at such a young age. What advice would you give to any young people out there looking to be like you? What 3 things would be most important to instil in a young ambitious mind?

I reckon the most important things are some of the most simple. Be memorable, throw yourself in the deep end and don't forget to enjoy it

What has been the most rewarding moment in your career as a radio presenter so far? And similarly as a dj playing to many many people live?

I guess it was getting a radio show at Radio 1, I was at the airport going on holiday and I was so over excited about telling my manager I walked out with WHSmith with everything and forgot to pay, didn't realise until I got on the plane. There's been loads though, playing before Annie and Pete Tong at Glasto was pretty special, my uncle was in the crowd too. Sonar a few years ago was an amazing gig, I played a really late set as the sun came up and there must of been about 7000 people there. I can't wait to be back this year.

Finally. What 3 records would you say you are reaching for the most in your sets at the moment. those go to tunes?

Melé - Body Thing
Kalyde - Max The Cat
Alex Metric - Drum Machine (Kane West Remix)