June 2, 2023 |
Over the past few years, Cardiff-born DJ and producer Elkka has established herself as an unstoppable force in London’s underground scene. Fresh off the release of her DJ-Kicks complation – which dropped April 26 via !K7 Records and was swiftly followed by a headline show at London’s Colour Factory on May 4 – this musical maestro has quite the summer of fun ahead of her. Playing at a range of international festivals such as Croatia’s Hideout and Albania’s Ion, Elkka’s seamless mixing style dances from Chicago house to leftfield techno and into electro punk – and it’s the sunshine soundtrack we all need.
One of those rare talents with the ability to create music and mixes that sound as good in the club as they do in the confines of your own home, Elkka’s impressive career has been checkered by a series of dynamic releases, events and awards. Tracks such as ‘I Just Want To Love You’– dropped by London-based record label Ninja Tune in September last year – highlighted the DJ’s ability to use her notable creativity and technical skill to produce a song that is equal parts emotional, spirited and fun. Her ‘DJ-Kicks’ mix – which catapults the selector into a roster of acclaimed former curators such as Nightmares on Wax, Four Tet and Nina Kraviz – moves effortlessly between disco classics such as Shake’s disco classic “Music Is the Only Way (I Can Communicate)” and percussive pop tracks like Herbert’s “Keep Time (Nobody)”. The move to the DJ-Kicks hall of fame is anything but shocking, with the DJ receiving the BBC’s prestigious Essential Mix of the Year in 2021. Intent on making the scene more inclusive, she has also applied her irrefutable talent to her own label and collective, Femme Culture, which was founded in 2016 to create an amplifying space for female and queer producers.
Elkka is primed to make the move to live shows as well as DJ sets, making her one of the most well-rounded and exciting artists on the scene. Here, we sat down with Elkka to talk about all things summertime, Saturday nights and tequila-based party tricks.
1. Who is Elkka?
“Feel like this question forces me to speak in the third person like Gemma Collins (icon) but fine…she is something I created to help me facilitate my childhood pop star dreams. Not exactly as I imagined it but pretty wonderful all the same.”
2. How did you feel when you were asked to curate your own DJ Kicks?
“Fairly surprised, totally delighted and slightly overwhelmed.”
3. What is your favourite DJ Kicks from the past?
“Oooh thats not easy but probably Motor City Ensemble!”
4. How did you go about curating your tracklist?
“I went through all my playlists, record collections to remind myself of songs I have always loved over the years…I really wanted to take this opportunity to bid thanks to some of the music I love but don’t often get to represent through my mixes or music. After that I made a list of artists who have really excited me in the last few years and reached out to them e.g. Villager, Breaka and Surusinghe.”
5. Which cities are you most excited to play this summer?
“Dhermi in Albania for Ion Festival (a village rather than city), I’ve never played there before…Bristol is like going home for me playing for and going to Oslo for my debut at a special club.”
6. What’s one festival everyone should aim to visit before they die?
“I know this is a really obvious answer but Glastonbury. It is truly special and the Eavis family genuinely strive to give new musicians and young people opportunities and NYC Downlow is a very, very special sweaty place.”
7. When you’re not behind the decks, what do you like to do with your Saturday night?
“Eating wonderful food (perhaps my greatest passion of all), hang out wiith friends and my lovely partner and of course play with my cat Gillian Anderson.”
8. What’s one track that’s always due to get the club going?
“”I Feel Love” by Donna Summer.”
9. What’s your party trick?
“Drinking tequila from the bottle.”
10. What can we expect from you for the rest of the year?
“I’ll be performing all over the place….a US tour and lots of wonderful festivals and working on my debut album! Oh and getting married!.”
Photography by Alex Lambert.
