Merkeba aka Tyler Burston is back with another banger, interviewing Glaswegian producer and DJ ladé! Merkba on the snaps as well. Thank you both I'm so proud to publish what might be the first ladé interview ever. It's a very sincere and altogether unpretentious chat, which is refreshing when you're dealing with great minds such as these.

-Andrew

What is the most recent thing that’s musically exciting you?

I would say, I’ve been listening to a lot of James Ferraro recently. He was really ahead of his time. His work excites me. Anything by Klein, she’s my largest inspiration for right now. Watching a lot of her interviews as well. Soundcloud music, lots of gems on there.

What would be the inspiration from Klein on your music?

I like her compositions, and the way she carries herself. I specifically like how she’s very word of mouth, if you know you know. She seems like the coolest person ever, very in her own lane, unique. If the music is unpredictable, it makes me want to take more risks in my music. It makes me want to research more, and improve my process. My ear has developed over time, because of this.

What was your first experience being part of music? And what did it tell you about yourself?

I think back to school plays, performing. Funnily enough, I’m 6’ 2”, I’m quite tall, but one of the first plays I did was, I was an Oompa Loompa. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I think it taught me how to put on a costume, to embody a different energy, a different aspect of me. Especially now, that’s something I try to incorporate in the music I make. People do expect a certain thing from me, like more sample-based stuff, but I’m quite inspired by Klein, and I’m trying to move to more ambient, orchestral, experimental stuff. And going back to that idea of putting on a persona, it helps me be more confident about branching out and expressing myself differently, whatever those expectations might be. I do also have an alternative account, where I post more experimental stuff.

From that first experience, where does that journey of ladé, the artist, begin?

That didn’t come until decades later. It’s a very recent thing. I’m still trying to have a more cohesive identity still, though I do think it’s forming. It’s the last two or three years, that’s when this identity started. I would post beats, hiding behind a faceless account, just seeing what people would think. I would see who lade was, and who they were going to be. Next year, I think I’m going to get into more live beat sets, stuff like that, and more audio-visual work. The lade identity is getting more clear as time goes on.

What about the relationship between the DJing and the producing? Which came first, and what can you say about the relationship between the two?

Producing came first. I started at 19, and I’m 23 now. So four years. The story of how I got into producing is interesting, I was talking to this guy, and he was a producer, and I don’t know where I thought beats came from before, I thought the artist did everything. But he was a producer and things between me and him didn’t work out, but I was listening to his music one day and I was like, I can do better than this shit. So I started looking at youtube tutorials, and they would say sampling is something a lot of producers struggle with, so I said let me start with sampling first. Let me see how that goes. I like to do the hard shit first. I did that for a while. I would sample more conventionally, not micro chopping, not altering it much. More palatable sampling. As time went on, and as I started listening to MIKE, I became more confident in my ability. I’m quite good at sampling now. Now I’m trying to work on drum patterns. My recent footwork project really challenged me, but I’m impressed with the results. I was insecure about the mixing, so I appreciate you saying the mixing was good. Especially with my project last year, Nollywood nightmares. I was going through a lot at the time, going to uni, working, getting more visibility, particularly in April last year. That project was birthed out of struggle, but a lot of resilience, that project taught me. Yerba Mate was like, OK I know I can sample, but let me challenge myself in a different way. I’m really glad with how it came out.

I’ve been DJing for two years. I got into it through an old friend who I don’t fuck with anymore, so I don’t want to mention their name. But I was interested in it. My first gigs were me covering for them, on a radio station, where I am now a resident. Shout out Radio Buena Vida. In preparation for my first DJ set I spent 12 hours in the studio. I think it was payday, I spent all my money there, and really enjoyed it. My first club night was at Scandal, amazing queer club night. Shout out Rahul, the things he’s done for the Glasgow scene are insane. It’s been a journey from there.

What has been your process of developing your technical skills?

I took a lot of gaps. I allowed myself to rest. And stay away from music for a while. First two years, I was very inconsistent with beats. I would make a layer of a beat, and come back to it in six months. A year and a half ago, I was more consistent. Now, I if I show my beats to someone and they have a positive reaction, it encourages me to leave it as it is, or maybe find a way to improve on it a bit more.

What was your experience growing up and still living in Glasgow, and how does it affect your music?

It affects my sample selection. I like to sample Cocteau Twins, who are from Scotland, a lot of Gaelic music, I sampled when I first started out. Trying to pick samples from the area that I’m in. And bring it to the genre I’m fond of, hip-hop. Growing up, it was interesting, the more positive experiences are more when I’m older, developing a backbone to stand up for myself when shit goes left. But I was very shy, as a kid, very much a people pleaser.

There was a lot of pressure on me, the eldest African daughter. Or maybe not pressure, but I was expected to go down a particular path, which was STEM. I do have a neuroscience degree. But I’m not really doing shit with it right now. And being Black in Scotland, there’s not a lot of Black people there. Scottish racism is more subtle, they’re not calling you the hard-R to your face, it’s more micro-aggressive. Knowing yourself, and knowing your position in society, is more recent for me. I’m still becoming myself. I’m a lot more self-assured than I used to be, and that reflects in my music-making capabilities.

I would procrastinate a lot, but now, I now whether I know how to do something or not, if I have the idea in my head, I’m either going to get to the idea, or get somewhere better, and work with it.

What does it mean for you to love music?

I think it adds a zest to my life. Everything I do has a soundtrack, walking down the street, waking up, or here now with you, I’m always hearing a song in my head. It makes my life more interesting. Even the ambience in this room, it’s music to me. MIKE was saying everything has it’s own bpm.

Especially in New York, there’s something percussive about the trains.

I was trying to take some field recordings here. Everyday life. And put that more into my work.

Interesting note about field recordings, there’s an album called World Receiver, a Japanese ambient album, based around field recordings from different places. I find that music, really does something for me very deep. It’s very organic. On Yerba Mate, there’s an interesting way of you sampling. It’s very lush, synthy, and melodic, but also based around these micro-chops, and so it gives a complete feeling. You got these crazy drums, futuristic vibe, and a real core. I like how your style brings out the elements of footwork in a very expressive way. How expressive do you feel in regular life, versus in music?

I have to wear a uniform to work, so they only way I can express myself is my hair. And that’s something I’ve been experimenting with. I know some workplaces are restrictive, but I express myself through piercings, henna tattoos, nails. In music, I feel people are more open. People are doing weird, unique shit. I feel more comfortable expressing myself there.

Do you do other crafts?

I’m getting into Touchdesigner. I’m hoping to do audio-visual sets, with my beat sets, or DJ sets. I’m trying to bring people into the worlds I create when I make these projects, Nollywood Nightmares, and Yerba Mate. The type of music I do, I think it could take people a little while to get into, so I need to help them in a way, have all the elements, all the senses engaged. Hearing, seeing, feeling – next year – smelling. Ha ha. I feel like it’s important for me, for my music to live in people’s memories. To have a stronger memory, you have to engage the senses. 

How did you end up in New York right now?

Booked my tickets, caught the plane. Originally, when I came here last year, was because of Nollywood Nightmares. I was insecure about releasing that project, but Fortune Phori reached out and fucked with it. He does events, and asked me pull up, and so I did. And I met Anexis last year, and we were already friends on social media, and then we became friends, too.

You said Yerba Mate was inspired by your time in New York last year, but how specifically?

Anexis introduced me to the drink, yerba mate. I felt energized, but not in a synthetic Red Bull way. I felt like the sun. I felt like I was recharged. I wanted the project to be fast-paced, but also light and airy. I know Chicago footwork, I know where it comes from, but I was introduced to it in New York, and I really like the syncopated rhythms. I was trying to put all the new music I heard, combined with stuff I already liked, to make something unique to me.

How did you teach yourself to make those complicated-ass drum patterns?

I just tried it. I found a bunch of hi-hats, put the metronome on, and started layering stuff. A lot of trial and error.

What are some sounds you’ve been working with that are exciting you?

Zenology. A lot of VSTs. I didn’t know what VSTs were until last year, which is dumb, but I love Zenology. I’ll show you some stuff on my private, alternative account. I recently also made the soundtrack for a performance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and I used a lot of Zenology. I’m going back and looking at the file, and like how did I do this. I was warping everything, obliterating it to fuck. But I received such positive feedback. I’m meant to be releasing it, maybe physicals, probably bandcamp.

What is the next thing you want to do for your audiences?

Host more events for Black people who are into similar music I’m into, and enjoy it. If you want to shake your ass, be transported to another world, I want to host an event that does that. A lot of events back home are very club-based. I feel like people are trying to escape. A recession indicator. But I want people to sit with themselves, more. So ambient club nights, could be a space for people to do that. Also, more beat sets, and audio-visual sets.