Sekhmet - Selectors Season 001
Bristol as a scene. What does it give you as a DJ that you don't think you'd get elsewhere?
I feel so lucky to live in a city that has such a thriving underground music scene with a real sense of community. It feels more like a big village than a city, you find yourself bumping into the same people at different events and it's very easy to meet like-minded people, and to find exciting new music.
How did you get into DJing in the first place, and what kept you in it?
Around 2018 I got a controller and started messing around. Then Covid hit and there weren't any raves to go to, so my partner and I would spend every evening just mixing, not expecting it to go anywhere at all, just enjoying playing tunes and recording mixes for ourselves. Then when everything opened up again, I was really ready to start playing out and Full Spectrum was getting going, so it was the perfect opportunity to test the waters. My first gig was wonderful and terrifying, but was such a buzz and I've been completely addicted to it ever since.
Tell us about Full Spectrum. What it is, how you got involved, and what it's given you in the nightlife scene.
We're a collective of friends who aim to create space for artists who are female/nb/trans, black and LGBTQ+, mainly within dnb and jungle but other bass music too. A few of my friends (Ffi, Kate, Al and Row) came up with the brilliant idea and asked if I wanted to join from the start, of course I said yes! Later on, Chaand joined our group and it's been the six of us ever since. We'd been talking a lot about our frustrations with the same old line-ups and the lack of diversity in the music that we love, and how things could be shaken up a bit. It was born out of activism really, a desire for us to make real change. We certainly weren't experts, but we spent a lot of time researching what artists were out there and realised there was an abundance of talent not being given a platform. We've had many artists record their first mix or play their first set with us and go on to get signed to major labels, and we're really proud to be that stepping stone.
Full Spectrum's whole reason for being is opening up space in d'n'b that wasn't there before. Where do you feel that most directly in your own experience coming up?
I feel so lucky to have been able to come up with Full Spectrum; I've been completely spoilt by so many of my sets being played to a kind, non-judgmental and inclusive crowd. It meant I could learn and grow and make mistakes, and I think if I'd tried to break into the Bristol scene without that space it would have been really tough. There are loads of great, like-minded collectives in Bristol fighting to open up the space too, but it's disappointing that many bigger labels still lack any diversity. Hopefully the more that small collectives like ourselves keep pushing from the bottom, it will continue to filter through to the top.
How would you describe your own selection, in your own words rather than a genre tag? Walk us through how you actually build a set. Where does it start, and how much is planned versus felt out on the night?
I like to plan my sets and create a journey, I don't always know where it's going to go when I start putting something together, but I like moving around between dark and steppy, into rolling and techy, into stripped-back snappy minimal and back again. I like sounds that are dark and grotty, especially when they're contrasted with clean, minimal sounds. I really enjoy the feeling of building up the tension over a few tracks and then the release when you finally play something big, and I don't think this is really a conscious thing I plan out, I just play around until it feels right. I love mixing for fun and finding blends I'd never think of putting together, and then taking that risk and playing it in front of a crowd and enjoy them appreciating it as much as you.
What's the difference for you between a mix you build alone and a set you play to a room?
I think if I'm recording a mix on my own without a crowd, I worry a lot less about how it's going to be received and really just play what I'm enjoying for myself. If someone listens back and it's not for them, they can just skip to another mix haha! When I'm playing to a crowd, I still only ever play music I love, but I will definitely think a lot more about what the crowd might want to hear. I want people to enjoy themselves, but I'll still always sneak in some risky tunes to see how they go down.
Any tracks, artists, or eras you keep coming back to when you're digging?
I've always loved mixing minimal, right from the beginning. Bredren, Teej, Amoss, Skeptical, these artists will be in nearly every set and I never get bored of playing them.
Is there a moment in a set where you know it's working. What does that feel like from behind the decks?
Filling an empty room is a wonderful feeling! And then keeping people there is even better. It's electrifying when people respond to every tune you drop and the room feels really connected.
Talk us through the mix you sent in for Selectors Season 001. What was the idea behind it?
I've lately really been enjoying starting with some half-step/half time jungle and building up into techy rollers, which is what I did for this mix. I think it's generally a pretty good representation of the kind of tunes I like playing, a bit of roughness and some nice, clean sounds, but all of it dark.
Listen to the winning mix on SoundCloud
Anything about your technical approach that's changed since you started?
I actually don't think I mix that differently to when I first started out, I just tightened up how I prep my tunes/USBs. After playing a difficult set early on where the equipment was old and only half-working, I bought some CDJ400s which if you haven't had a go on before, only play mp3s/CDs and can't really analyse the BPM, key or cue points. It feels bit like mixing on vinyl. I practiced a few sets on them and it helped me gain so much confidence, because if I could play on these I could play on anything haha.
One habit or ritual you always do before you play.
Tap my pockets a million times to make sure I definitely have my USBs.
Career highlights so far, in your own terms.
There have been some great firsts in the last couple of years; playing my first couple of festivals last year, playing for NYX Recordings, one of my favourite newer labels, appearing on a couple of radio shows. Winning the mp3 Records competition! It's been a blast.
Anything you'd tell someone starting out that you had to learn the hard way.
I was very worried about having to be perfect when I first started out; you'll make mistakes, but if a set doesn't go well you'll learn from it, and when it does go well you'll grow in confidence. It's basically win-win, so just enjoy it!
What's next for you, on the decks or otherwise.
I'm curating our next Full Spectrum night on the 10th October at Cosies. We have an all-female line-up of talented artists from Bristol and beyond, Minimal, 140 and Techstep, plenty of darkness, and Tashprodisiac and I will be closing with a b2b. We've been meaning to play a set together for ages so I can't wait for this!