Author: Bradley Martinez
The timeless Nike Dunk began its reign back in 1985 in recognizable team colors. Still holding a sense of dominance, the Dunk now extends its legacy in to 2020. Kicking off 2020 with a number of colour ways referencing the past, we now see the return of the Dunk once again.
This brings our attention to this latest release, the Brazil-inspired Dunk Low that’s been outfitted in a familiar green and yellow combination that’s been seen for the first time in nearly two decades.
To enter the ONLINE raffle (UK applicants only), CLICK HERE!
To enter, you’re required to sign up via the above form, this WON’T be available in-store to sign up on.
Online raffle winners will receive a special code in which they’ll have a limited time to purchase their raffle win via a unique link. The raffle is limited to one entry per household! Multiple entries will be cancelled!
Continuing to keep discussions alive during lockdown, we reached out to Nike Gel team to hear how they’re keeping focussed during these times. Coming courtesy of Clara Bonaccorsi, Clara works as part of product creation within Nike’s Gel Team focusing on the sneaker community of Europe.
Speaking digitally, we discuss Clara’s current inspiration, what footwear she’s currently wearing and what it’s like to be part of the team that create some of the most recognisable sneakers.
Footpatrol : Hey Clara, hope you are keeping well! For our readers please can you introduce yourself?
Clara: HI everyone, my name is Clara Bonaccorsi, born out of the west coast of Scotland, with Italian roots I have lived most of my adult life in the Netherlands. I work at Nike in the team of Geo Express Lane essentially product creation for Footwear, focused on the sneaker community of Europe.
FP: How did you get into the role of PLM?
Clara: I followed my passion and love for sneakers all the way from the Isle of Bute to the Netherlands at the age of 18. I started working at Footlocker HQ as a BA. I spent many years there learning the world of buying and merchandising, & the European market. I made a huge network at footlocker including account executives from all the major Brands but Nike was top of mind for me. I got the opportunity to apply for a buying role in Nike in 2007 and have spent the last 13 years at the swoosh. The last 6 of them in product creation. A dream come true. Hard work and passion has landed me here.
FP: As a part of the Nike GEL Team you have been involved in some great projects, yet the team remains relatively unknown to the public. Are you able to shed some light on who the GEL team are?
Clara: The GEL team is an extremely talented mix of individuals from all corners of the world. We have Designers working across all aspects of Color, Materials and Graphics. Developers who work with our production factories to bring all of these ideas to a physical sample, and then there’s the product marketing team (PLM) who essentially lead every project from brief to shop floor. (a lot goes into that process)
FP: How is it to work collectively on projects within the team rather than individually working on a shoe?
Clara: ITS QUITE SIMPLE… You can’t work on a project individually. Every single shoe, every lace, every material overlay is carefully curated by experts so unless you have a degree in design, marketing and possibly engineering it’s impossible. Team work is at the heart of Nike culture
FP: We recently saw the launch of the Air Max 1 LDN & AMS which were instant hits within the sneaker community. Did you work on those projects and can you shed a bit more light into how and why it was those cities chosen?
Clara: I didn’t work on those projects however individuals in my team lead that one. This project is close to my heart as AM1 has always been my shoe of choice. When curating the story, it was no doubt that Amsterdam and London are the Air Max 1 capitals of Europe/The World.
FP: How does being a PLM for the European Market differ from say a PLM in Portland?
Clara: The fundamentals of the role are the same, our biggest difference in EMEA is that we only focus on the consumers in this geography. Where my counterparts in Portland take on the greater task of servicing the globe through their creations. My job is to be as connected and on the pulse as possible with our European consumers.
FP: One example of a product which appeals to a direct market place is the Air Max 95 ‘110’ which we recently launched as exclusive to Footpatrol and the SNKRS app. For me the storytelling within the product itself was great – how does it feel when you get to tell a story through a product?
Clara: The ‘110’ story was a work of art and luckily we have people in our team who actually called max 95’s that very name and grew up with it. So being able to tell a story so genuinely and being able to bring that to life through the products we love is very rewarding.
FP: Within the GEL team do you work closely with the wider marketing departments within Nike to help bring your products and stories to life?
Clara: As a PLM we are responsible for everything that a product needs to land at retail/.com. We work with every function in the business to ensure the narrative of our products is brought to life to our consumers after all its with their insight that these products make it so it’s like giving back to them what they give to us.
FP: Do you have a favourite project that you have worked on as part of Nike?
Clara: TOUGHEST QUESTION EVER – I work a lot with women’s products which has been a passion of mine, being such a fan of sneakers and watching the women evolve in this space has been amazing too see. Without naming specific projects (as most of them will land in June/July) I would say being able to really bring the sneaker culture that women have created through Nike Sneakers has been an amazing experience and continues to be.
If I had to single one out I would say the Berlin 180 that launched in 2018. I have a deep rooted passion for that City and the techno scene so it was really a dream come true for me..
FP: Is there a silhouette in the Nike archive that you haven’t been able to work on but would love to if the chance arises?
Clara: 20 years is a looong time to be working with Nike products, I am an AIR MAX fan to the core… I have had the opportunity to work on all of my favorites and continue to do so and I tell you it never gets old..
FP: Clara thank you for your time and to end the interview off could you let us know what your Top 3 Nike sneakers of all time would be?
Air Max 1 OG (Both colours)
Air Max 180
Air Force 1 (I was born in 82 so always felt connected 😉
Thank you,
#TEAMFP
Clara: Lifestyle
Clara: Inspiration
Clara: Projects
Clara: What I’m currently wearing
Honouring the Air Max 90’s 30th Anniversary, for the second time this year Nike have introduced a Camo inspired Colourway to the ever expanding line up.
Dressed in camo, this AM90 receives a burst of vibrant ‘Green Camo’ across the toe, heel, outsole and Air Bubble which sits similar to the recent Reversed Duck Camo AM90 from this years Air Max Day celebrations.
To enter the ONLINE raffle (UK applicants only), CLICK HERE!
To enter, you’re required to sign up via the above form, this WON’T be available in-store to sign up on.
Online raffle winners will receive a special code in which they’ll have a limited time to purchase their raffle win via a unique link. The raffle is limited to one entry per household! Multiple entries will be cancelled!
Bringing back the idea of ‘T-Shirt for your feet’ dubbed for the original Presto, Nike revives this story once more with the introduction of the Nike Air Presto ‘South Korea’. Playing on that t-shirt theme, this iteration pays homage to the country’s football kits that were due to be worn at the now delayed Olympic Games.
Dressed in a stripped back colour of black and white, this Air Presto is brought to life with a zebra print Camo that is drapped across the entire silhouette. A colour gradient also features across the Presto’s cage which blends from Red on each shoes medial side with a subtle blue on the lateral.
To enter the ONLINE raffle (UK applicants only), CLICK HERE!
To enter, you’re required to sign up via the above form, this WON’T be available in-store to sign up on.
Online raffle winners will receive a special code in which they’ll have a limited time to purchase their raffle win via a unique link. The raffle is limited to one entry per household! Multiple entries will be cancelled!
The YEEZY 500, since its its introduction has managed to cement itself as one of the most go to models when it comes to releases due to its unique appearance and unbeatable comfort.
So after the introduction of the 500 High back in late ’19, adidas and YEEZY have once again reimagined the silhouette with a new Colourway of the 500 High. Keeping its unique multilayered upper constructed from a mixture of cow suede and premium leather, it’s now been extended up to the ankle.
With the 500 already being known for its comfort, the 500 High keeps hold of its adiPRENE+ cushioning which with the updated materials, means you’re suited all year round.
To enter the ONLINE raffle (UK applicants only), CLICK HERE!
To enter, you’re required to sign up via the above form, this WON’T be available in-store to sign up on.
Online raffle winners will receive a special code in which they’ll have a limited time to purchase their raffle win via a unique link. The raffle is limited to one entry per household! Multiple entries will be cancelled!
Next up in our Concept to Reality series is none other than London based creative agency, Generation Works. Set up by Ben and Will, Generation Works specialise in bringing brands to life with their unique approach to branding, design and their content creation.
Having worked closely with them in the past on our Converse collaboration, we sit down with founders Ben and Will to discuss their paths and the ways they bring their unique ideas to life.
Footpatrol: Hey guys, how are you? Thank you for taking the time to talk to us today! We have worked together in the past and know all about you but for our audience can you give them a little insight into yourself and what it is you do?
GW: We are Ben Ari and Will Kemp, co-founders and co-directors of GENERATION.works, a creative studio based in London. We specialise in branding, design and content creation, but also do things like exhibitions and events, research and consultancy.
FP: How did you go about starting the agency? And what difficulties did you have at the beginning?
WK: Ben and I have been friends for years ever since we first met back in 2007-ish when I was doing my streetwear brand Second Son, and we started working together on that. We stopped Second Son in around 2010, but we’d always said we wanted to work together again in the future doing something that brought the best of our mates’ talents together.
BA: When we both left our jobs and went freelance back in 2017, we joined up with another old friend of ours, Ry Barr from The Drop Date. Initially we worked on helping set up the clothing side of the business, and later this evolved into establishing a creative function to support The Drop Date through things like media partnerships and events. Fairly quickly we realised we all really enjoyed working together and wanted to push things forward even more, so we set up GENERATION.works in 2018 as a fully-fledged creative studio. We were incredibly lucky to have a platform like The Drop Date help support us in those early days and we still work really closely – it allowed us to grow things pretty naturally, and it’s been non-stop from project to project ever since.
WK: From there, one of the key things for us was the network of creative talent we already had around us, and our existing brand connections meant we were able to hit the ground running in terms of projects. We’re both much more comfortable being behind the scenes so self-promotion isn’t something we really focus on. I mean, our website has just been a holding page for two years…
BA: Proper site coming soon, we promise!
FP: What were you doing prior? Was it a creative job? Freelance? Or something completely different?
BA: In my late teens I was mainly roaming around East London doing things I probably shouldn’t. I discovered places like Kazmatazz and Gloria’s (a couple blasts from the past for the older heads) and would spend most of the cash I made there, it was a real introduction to stuff for me which was a world beyond what I knew. Eventually Pete Yak introduced me to Will who was running Second Son at the time as it was stocked at Gloria’s, and that’s how we first connected and I started working on marketing and events for the brand. From there I was lucky to have a couple of great people take me under their wing, first by Steve Monaghan in the really embryonic days of his communications agency, SANE and later by my friend Marc Chamberlain who was re-booting French sportswear brand le coq sportif. Initially I handled Brand Communications, and then moved on to developing their Made in France Apparel range and some of the footwear collaborations, splitting my time between London and Paris. It was hugely challenging working with a small brand with limited budgets and a big history, but the learning curve that came with it was invaluable. I’ve sort of done a bit of everything over the years, and I think it’s the same for Will.
WK: Very much so, I think we’ve got a broad range of experience in various aspects of this industry – we’ve all swept the shop floor, and I think that ground-up knowledge is instrumental to our creative approach.
I started out studying graphic design and working in illustration. I was working part-time at Bond International off Carnaby Street, which was the UK’s first streetwear store and acted as a social club for a huge amount of people in the local and global industry today, (including the OG Footpatrol team). I was a skater who was far more into design than fashion – still the case in many ways – but I consider my time at Bond as a kind of apprenticeship that introduced me to a wider range of subculture beyond the ones I already knew, plus a lot of good friends and future clients. I did graphic work for brands like Carhartt WIP while doing design and creative direction for my own clothing label, dabbled in some fashion journalism, and worked on other design and branding jobs both in and out of the fashion industry. Then when I had a baby I moved to a full-time job doing graphic and apparel design for a clothing brand. It put food on the table and gave me a lot of useful experience at a bigger brand level, but it sapped my soul so I left to go freelance again after a few years and that’s when the stars aligned and allowed us to begin what we’re doing now.
FP: What we would like to know is how you get from concept to reality. Would you be able to choose ONE project that you have worked on and summarise into 5 steps the process from the client’s initial email to what the consumer sees?
STEP 1
Once we receive the brief from the client, we take some time together to work through our initial ideas. This process is generally about us trying to find a middle ground between what the client thinks they need, and sometimes what we really think they need. I’m sure that’s lost us some work over the years but we sleep slightly better at night knowing that we generally get to do things the right way.
Being mates helps loads with this process because we are naturally on the same wavelength a lot of the time and approach things the same way. We’re really collaborative in our process, from client conversations right through to the final product.
STEP 2
When we’ve decided the direction we want to go in, we bring relevant members of the team into the conversation to start pulling things together. We’ve got a combination of industry veterans and new blood, all rooted in a passion for product and knowledge.
The deck that we send back to clients is usually pretty exhaustive; we try and be as thorough as possible in working through our concepts and providing options. Our detailed approach goes back to our roots in product and really being obsessed with aspects of things most people don’t notice but that for us, make all the difference.
STEP 3
Once the approach and timeline have been agreed with the client, we move on to executing it using members of our own core creative team and bringing in external collaborators where we think it’ll add something unique to the project. The first Converse x Footpatrol project we worked on was a good example of the way we combine research, campaign creation and community seeding. Footpatrol had designed the shoe with a wealth of references from classic collegiate sportswear and Converse history, and we wanted to reflect that. We drew on our apparel side project SOUVENIR.works to create a huge patchwork quilt made from vintage sportswear in the same colours and materials as the shoes, stitching it all together around the star emblem that appears in both the Converse and Footpatrol branding. This patchwork became the basis of the whole project, from campaign shoot to in-store display.
STEP 4
Once the shoot was wrapped, we moved to the in-store displays. The patchwork was a way of literally stitching together the influences behind the shoes, and we continued this collage approach for the window display. We worked with sculptor Joseph Bond to create an assemblage of sports trophies and relevant items like Badminton racquets and basketball hoops, all built on a podium-shaped base and coated with layers of orange spray paint to reflect the pop colour of the shoes which it displayed. The hoodies were hung on a vintage sports hall bench we had taken apart and recoloured to match the rest of the build, and the vintage sportswear patchwork was hung from one wall.
STEP 5
With the campaign imagery going out on Footpatrol channels and in the wider fashion press to tease the release, we organised a small, intimate in-store seeding event to involve relevant members of the Footpatrol community and reflect the team ethos behind the shoes. When it comes to seeding, we’re rooted in a wide and varied community of footwear enthusiasts and we always aim to tailor things so we’re only approaching people who will really be into the products. We value real resonance with the products over Instagram likes; it’s more meaningful for the people receiving the products and invitations, it leads to a real sense of community and conversation at events, and it works better for the client too.
FP: Would you have any advice that you could share with our readers?
WK: I think it’s important to look beyond your own immediate industry for inspiration. And to ensure you’ve got a good base of knowledge – or that you work with people who have. The internet means anyone can get surface knowledge of even the most niche subject, but if you aren’t able to see where things evolved from, you won’t be able to anticipate where they’re going.
BA: Absolutely, don’t try and be an expert in everything all on your own; keep a thirst for learning and improving, it’s much more important to surround yourself with knowledge and good people and work collaboratively at every opportunity. The strength of the work we do is as much about the team as it is about us as individuals and that’s probably what we’re most proud of.
FP: How you are coping with the current lockdown. Is there anything particular that’s keeping you going?
BA : I have a 3-year-old daughter, which is a real blessing in terms of keeping me busy and sane, but not so good for getting work done. I’m slowly making my way through a pile of books I’ve been trying to read for about 5 years. We’re also getting to focus back on our SOUVENIR.works side project, which focuses on exploring references from the past and re-imagining them through products. We might even finally drop some new bits, maybe.
WK: My kids are keeping me going for sure, and they’re an endless source of creativity. I’m enjoying reading more, listening to a lot of music that’s new to me, and taking the opportunity to step away from the laptop and get back into research and hands-on, messy experimentation, both of which I think are hugely important but can easily be sacrificed amongst all the day-to-day demands of office life. Creatively, I like working within constraints as it pushes me to be more resourceful and imaginative, and I think that’s true of daily home and family life in the current circumstances too.
FP: And finally as it was trainers that brought all us together originally – what would you say is your staple go to for the following:
Working out
BA: New Balance Fresh Foam 1080v10
WK: New Balance 1080 for running, Chucks for the gym.
Casual every day
BA: Nike Spiridon OG or Reebok Workouts
WK: Chuck ’70, Nike Blazer Mid 77, New Balance 990v4, Reebok Club C
Impressing someone
BA: New Balance x nonnative 997 or Only In Soho’s
WK: I don’t think I have many impressive shoes. Maybe Visvim (old man hype) or New Balance 1300 JP.
Staying at home
BA: Jungle Mocs, Woven Footscapes
WK: Suicoke or Nike Air Moc. I’m a slipper nerd.
Thank you, stay safe!
#TEAMFP
The next guest to add to our Frequent Player Guest Mix series is Muxxa, French DJ and Radio Animator on ‘Le Mouv’.
Whilst creating the mix for Frequent Players, we managed to sit down with Muxxa and discovering how he got into the world of Djing and radio presenting.
Footpatrol: MUXXA merci de passer un peu de temps avec nous, est-ce que tu peux te présenter pour ceux qui ne te connaissent pas ?
MUXXA: Alors il y a beaucoup de choses ahah. Pour faire très rapidement, Muxxa, DJ et animateur radio, je les mets vraiment au même plan parce que c’est deux activités que j’exerce on va dire à 50/50. Donc animateur radio sur Mouv’, radio hip hop du service public parce que faisant partie du groupe Radio France. C’est une radio que j’ai intégrée en 2015 à ses débuts, en tant qu’animateur uniquement, et très vite ils ont voulu intégrer des DJ et voyant que j’en connaissais beaucoup et que je l’étais moi-même depuis la fin des années 90, 97 exactement, ils m’ont proposé d’être celui qui reçoit les DJ et d’intégrer du mix à mes émissions. Donc DJ, animateur radio, un peu producteur aussi, je fais un petit peu de son de temps en temps quand j’ai le temps. D’ailleurs je viens de sortir un remix de Roddy Rich – The Box, qui est dispo sur mon SoundCloud.
FP: Est-ce que tu souviens de ce qui t’a donné envie de devenir DJ ?
MUXXA: Ohh bah ouais ouais : Cut Killer comme nous tous quoi ! J’avais un pote qui achetait les CD de Hip Hop Soul Party, parce que je ne savais pas que Cut Killer faisait des mixtapes au tout début. Et très vite je me suis aperçu que le gars avait une émission sur Radio Nova le vendredi soir et donc qu’on pouvait l’écouter à la radio. J’écoutais déjà beaucoup de rap, mais tout ça m’a donné envie, je me suis dit c’est cool parce que la musique que t’aimes tu vas pouvoir la jouer toi-même en fait, la mixer, je trouvais ça mortel. Puis Cut Killer nous a tous foutu une baffe quand on l’a vu dans “la Haine”, c’est un peu bateau ce que je dis parce tout le monde dit ça mais c’est la vérité. Donc Cut Killer et puis Abdel et toutes les émissions de radio où on pouvait écouter des DJ, sur Beur FM, Fréquence Paris Pluriel, Générations… donc c’est tous ces gars là.
Au tout début, je ne savais même pas ce qu’était une MK2 (NDLR : platine de référence pour les DJ) et donc comme tout DJ débutant, je me suis planté. Pour mon premier set-up j’avais racheté une platine de salon à mon voisin et une table de mixage pas du tout adaptée pour scratcher, et de l’autre côté j’avais un discman. Très vite tu comprends que t’as pas le bon matériel, mais que pour acheter le bon, il va falloir économiser. Quand j’ai vu que j’étais à fond dedans, que je commençais à acheter des disques et que ça me plaisait vraiment, mais que j’étais réellement limité par mon matos, j’ai mis tout ce que j’ai gagné pendant tout un été dans 2 MKII et une table Gemini à l’époque. Et tu vois les MK2 je les ai toujours, plus de 20 ans après, donc on peut estimer que c’était un bon investissement. En plus je les avais eues moins chère grâce à la tante d’un pote qui avait une réduction chez Darty. Quand elle a vu que je mettais une fortune dans ces trucs, elle n’a pas trop compris. Mais j’ai revu cette dame il n’y a pas longtemps et je lui ai rappelé que c’était grâce à elle que j’avais acheté mes premières platines et donc, en quelque sorte, que je fais ce métier aujourd’hui. Elle ne s’en souvenait pas, mais elle était touchée.
FP: Est-ce que tu peux nous raconter un peu ton ton parcours justement de tes débuts en 97 à ton arrivée chez mouv ?
MUXXA: J’ai longtemps été “bedroom DJ” comme on dit, parce qu’à l’époque on avait des modèles qui étaient tellement forts par rapport à notre niveau à nous. Cut killer, Abdel , tous ces gars là étaient bien trop loin ! Déjà ils avaient plein de sons ! Il faut savoir qu’à l’époque quand tu voulais du son, il fallait acheter le disque ou recevoir des promos. Mais quand t’étais pas connu ça n’existait pas. En plus ils allaient chercher toutes les nouveautés aux États-Unis, on ne pouvait pas faire ça nous. C’est donc longtemps resté une passion sans avoir la prétention d’aller jouer dans les clubs. Puis au fur et à mesure, dans mon lycée, on a commencé à savoir que j’avais des platines et des disques, donc on m’a proposé des anniversaires, des house parties, puis des plans club, mais ça restait un loisir. J’ai longtemps été dans le flou sur ce que je voulais faire dans la vie. J’ai fait des études en rapport avec le commerce, mais j’avais pas du tout envie d’en faire mon métier. Au retour de quelques mois à Londres, pour parfaire mon anglais, je me suis dit que je voulais faire un métier qui me plaise vraiment. Et ce qui me plaisait vraiment, c’était le son, la musique. J’ai donc fait une école qui forme aux métiers du son. J’ai découvert la radio durant un stage chez Radio Latina et en particulier le métier de producteur. Le producteur radio c’est celui qui fait l’habillage de la radio, les jingles, la promo, tout ce que t’entends entre la musique en gros. Donc à la fin de ma formation j’ai décidé de me tourner vers la radio et d’essayer de faire ce métier de producteur qui me plaisait bien. J’ai réussi à intégrer radio FG à Paris, une radio nationale mais avec un petit réseau. C’est une radio qui cartonnait à l’époque parce qu’ils mélangeaient à la fois électro et hip hop, il y avait plein de DJ qui étaient résidents, c’est comme ça en fait que j’en ai croisé beaucoup. J’arrive en 2005 et en 2011-2012, j’en avais marre de faire que de la prod, du coup j’ai demandé à mon boss de faire autre chose. il m’a proposé de faire une démo animation. Il a kiffé la démo que j’ai faite et il m’a mis sur le week-end, enregistré. La semaine je faisais la prod, le week-end je faisais le samedi après-midi et le dimanche après-midi. La saison d’après comme ça se passait bien il m’a passé la semaine. Puis j’ai continué à faire les deux, donc un peu de production et une émission par jour. J’ai fait 3 saisons comme ça. Après 10 ans là-bas j’ai commencé à regarder un peu ce qui se faisait ailleurs et c’est là qu’est arrivé le projet Mouv’. Comme je le disais tout à l’heure, Mouv’ est la radio jeune du service public, de Radio France, qui cherchait justement à faire peau neuve pour mieux coller à sa mission de parler aux jeunes. Mon profil les a intéressés et ils ont eu envie de me confier le soir. J’ai donc commencé en février 2015 quand on a démarré le nouveau format. Depuis ça a un peu évolué, on a rajouté pas mal de trucs et puis on développe aussi beaucoup le digital.
FP: Aujourd’hui tu es donc à la fois DJ résident et animateur d’une émission quotidienne, ça ressemble à quoi une journée type ?
MUXXA: J’ai une émission qui commence à 13h et qui dure 3h. Là-dessus, j’ai 30 minutes de mix pour démarrer et qui s’appelle le warm up mix. Je le fais avec l’aide des auditeurs, je leur demande de m’envoyer leurs requests par Snapchat, j’ai un technicien en régie qui enregistre les messages qui arrivent et je viens à la moitié du mix, je fais une sélection des messages que j’ai envie de passer à l’antenne, je prends leur message et je leur balance le morceau qu’ils m’ont demandé. Donc le mix ne me demande pas trop de préparation.
MUXXA: Après pour le reste de la tranche, ça reste une émission musicale avec une programmation déjà établie par le programmateur. Je vais donc articuler les speaks que je vais faire en fonction : par exemple si c’est un morceau de Hatik je vais m’arranger pour parler de la série “Validé” qu’il y a en ce moment. L’idée, c’est aussi de donner des news, donc c’est un petit peu de préparation. Soit je prépare de chez moi le matin, soit j’arrive à la radio vers 10h30-11h00. Je regarde un peu les news, je fais le tour des réseaux, des blogs. A côté de ça j’enregistre mon émission du soir, ou celle du vendredi soir ou encore du contenu pour le digital.
FP: Avec ce programme quotidien plutôt chargé, t’as encore le temps et l’envie de jouer en club ?
MUXXA: J’ai le temps mais l’avantage par rapport à plein de DJ c’est que je n’ai pas la pression pour trouver des bookings dans tous les sens. J’ai une activité qui me prend beaucoup de temps et qui m’assure un salaire à la radio. Pour parler très clairement, mes revenus fixes, c’est la radio qui me les assure. Et à côté de ça, les soirées c’est du bonus. Du coup, je peux me permettre de ne pas trop me mettre la pression avec le nombre de bookings par mois que je vais faire et surtout de choisir. Je fais vraiment au feeling, je prends les soirées que je kiffe. Je fais des trucs à Paris de temps en temps mais surtout en province, j’aime bien bouger.
Ça fait du bien d’aller en club aussi. C’est vraiment un exercice différent du mix en radio parce qu’en radio il faut imaginer les gens puisque tu ne les as pas devant toi. Tu dois imaginer que les gens à telle heure, ils sont dans leur voiture ou à telle heure ils sont chez eux et faire ton mix en fonction de ça. Dans le club c’est plus concret parce que quand les gens n’accrochent pas, tu le vois tout de suite. J’essaie de trouver le temps en tout cas pour continuer le club parce que parce que je kiffe, je kiffe autant la radio qu’aller mixer en club.
FP: Sur Mouv’ tu n’es pas que DJ, tu es aussi animateur comme on l’a dit plus juste avant. Tu es notamment l’animateur de #EEBSP (Elle Est Bonne Sa Paire) sur la chaine YouTube de Mouv’. Tu peux nous parler de cette émission ?
MUXXA: Ouais exactement ! Et ça c’est encore autre chose parce que pour le coup c’est un truc qui ne passe pas du tout à la radio. C’est un projet qui fait partie de tout le contenu digital. En fait sur la chaîne YouTube, il y a, à la fois du contenu de la radio tourné en vidéo, et du contenu qui est propre au digital, que tu ne vas pas du tout trouver en radio. #EEBSP en est l’exemple c’est une émission sur la culture sneakers. Dans l’équipe des chroniqueurs on a d’ailleurs Clems de chez Footpatrol Paris. L’idée c’était de faire un programme vraiment propre à YouTube, parce qu’il n’y a pas vraiment d’intérêt à faire une émission sur les baskets en radio, si t’as pas d’images à montrer c’est un petit peu frustrant. C’est un truc qu’on a mis en place avec Arnaud qui est le directeur du web.
J’aime bien les baskets, mais je ne suis pas un collectionneur de ouf, je ne suis pas aussi calé que les chroniqueurs, mais j’adore ça depuis des années. Donc quand on m’a proposé de le faire je me suis dis “mortel” parce que je vais pouvoir parler d’un truc que je kiffe et je vais aussi pouvoir apprendre pas mal de choses. C’est un vrai kiff d’écouter les chroniqueurs parler, parce qu’évidemment je sais de quoi on parle, mais j’en apprends à chaque émission, ça c’est vraiment cool ! On a un truc, je pense, qui balance pas mal d’humeur. Je pense qu’on a réussi à faire un truc qui parle à la fois aux passionnés et à des gens qui n’y connaissent absolument rien. C’est bien expliqué, c’est toujours un petit truc historique et puis c’est toujours fait dans la bonne humeur. On a des personnages autour de la table, on a Sega qui est cool et qui a toujours des petit coups de gueule, Clems qui apporte une vision d’insider du business et Mylène qui est plus jeune, qui apporte un peu de fraîcheur et d’innocence donc c’est plutôt cool, c’est une super expérience.
FP: Tu l’as dit, tu aimes les baskets. Ça évoque quoi pour toi justement les sneakers ?
MUXXA: C’est une histoire de nostalgie avant tout je crois. C’est un truc qui a démarré au collège. Ça part d’une petite frustration parce qu’au collège, je voyais des paires que je trouvais magnifiques, mais je ne pouvais pas acheter ce que je voulais. Celle qui revient pour moi c’est la Jordan 6 infrared que je voyais aux pieds de certains gars. Je me disais “putain qu’est-ce qu’elle est belle cette paire !”. Forcément un peu plus tard quand tu commences à gagner ta vie, je ne sais pas si c’est par vengeance, tu te dis “je l’ai pas eue à l’époque, je vais l’acheter !”. C’est pour ça que je suis vachement plus sensible aux retros. On a fait un épisode avec Thomas Giorgetti sur l’année 1990 et j’ai plein de souvenirs qui sont revenus. Tous les modèles de cette époque sont des modèles légendaires.
FP: Si tu devais retenir ta paire préférée tu prendrais laquelle ?
MUXXA: La Jordan 6 ! Parce que c’est celle qui a déclenché le truc. En plus à cet âge-là, t’as tendance à te fier à ce qui est à la mode, et je me souviens que plein de gens disaient que c’était moche. C’est vrai qu’à l’époque c’était spécial, c’était un ovni un peu quand c’est arrivé. Mais sans me soucier de savoir si c’était à la mode, si ça allait l’être ou pas, ça a vraiment été un coup de cœur direct quand je l’ai vue et petite frustration parce que je n’ai pas pu l’avoir à l’époque.
FP: Pour revenir à ton job en radio, est-ce que tu as un moment qui a marqué ta carrière ?
MUXXA: Y’en a plein, mais on va dire que les meilleurs moments pour moi je pense que c’est à Mouv’, Parce que c’est une radio qui nous donne les moyens de taffer qui nous fait confiance. Quand je suis arrivé à Mouv’, j’ai découvert le fait de pouvoir faire des interviews ce que je n’avais jamais fait avant chez FG parce qu’il n’y avait que le boss qui pouvait en faire là-bas.
Je vais citer un très bon moment : l’interview de Pitbull. J’ai découvert un gars tellement bon délire ! Des fois tu vois des gars qui n’ont pas une énorme carrière mais qui se la racontent. Même si je ne suis pas un grand fan de sa musique, le gars a vendu des millions de disques, a tourné dans le monde entier, mais il est tellement détente ! Il était tellement bon délire que j’ai commencé, dans l’interview, à lui apprendre des gros mots en français, lui il m’en apprenait en espagnol. Et quand il est sorti de la radio, dans l’ascenseur il disait “Nique ta race” à tout le monde parce que je lui avais appris cette expression. L’interview est toujours sur Youtube, je vous invite à aller la regarder, c’est assez drôle. Le mec est ultra simple donc très bon moment de radio.
Un autre bon moment de radio aussi, c’est Juice WRLD, il y a un petit peu plus d’un an et demi. Il était venu pour une interview et freestyle. Je m’étais renseigné et partout où il passait il faisait des des freestyles hyper longs, chez Tim Westwood il a fait 1h non-stop sur le même instru d’Eminem. Je voulais le faire poser que sur des instrus de rap français. Son attachée de presse était ok et lui était super chaud ! Il voulait faire 30 mn, mais je lui ai suggéré de faire 15 mn mais pendant lesquelles je changerais d’instru 6-7 fois. Il n’a même pas voulu écouter les instrus avant, il m’a dit “surprend moi !”. Le gars m’a fait un freestyle incroyable ! Il venait d’avoir 20 ans, les rappeurs de maintenant qui sont dans la trap, c’est pas du tout des kickers normalement et lui, il m’a fait halluciner parce qu’il s’adaptait en 10 secondes sur chaque instru que je lui balançais alors qu’il ne les avait jamais entendues. Il avait direct une mélodie et un couplet, pas de téléphone devant lui. Il avait cette faculté là. J’ai été content d’avoir été un des rares gars à l’avoir reçu pour freestyler. La vidéo est régulièrement reprise dès qu’on parle de Juice WRLD en freestyle. C’est souvent un extrait de chez nous ou un extrait du truc qu’il a fait chez Tim Westwood ou chez Funk Master Flex qui est repris. Donc c’est cool, tu te retrouves à côté de ces gens-là et d’avoir pu vivre le truc sachant que le mec a eu une carrière express, terminée de façon tragique.
FP: Tu nous as préparé un mix, est-ce que tu peux nous en parler un petit peu ?
MUXXA: Je kiffe le R’n’B ! On n’en a pas parlé, mais j’aime bien le sucre. D’ailleurs, tous les jeudis soir, j’ai mon mix, donc en tant que résident cette fois-ci, sur Mouv de 22h à 23h. Sur ce créneau, je fais un truc R’n’B, en fait j’élargis un peu, j’appelle ça sucrerie parce que je peux partir sur des trucs un peu Naija, ou Reggaeton, mais ça reste du sucre. Et du coup j’ai décidé de faire un mix Classic R’n’B avec les morceaux que je kiffe depuis une petite vingtaine d’années, en sortant des vrais gros classiques évidents, et des trucs un peu moins connus. J’avais pas envie de partir dans un truc avec des nouveautés, bien que l’actualité soit riche, avec notamment un son de PartyNextdoor, le projet de Tory Lanez… j’avais envie de rester dans la nostalgie.
FP: Si on veut te suivre, t’écouter, connaître ton actu.. comment on fait ?
MUXXA: Déjà, je suis à la radio tous les jours de 13h à 16h et de 22h à 23h, du lundi au vendredi. J’ai aussi une heure de mix en plus, le samedi 13h à 14h00, juste après manger pour digérer. Pour les réseaux, Instagram principalement parce que honnêtement Facebook de moins en moins, Twitter vraiment pas et Snapchat ça me saoule. Instagram (@muxxamouv) c’est là que je poste en général toute l’actu tout ce qui se passe de mon côté.
FP: Un mot de la fin ?
MUXXA: Paix et amour sur tous. Vivons heureux et vivement la fin du confinement !
Foopatrol: MUXXA thanks for spending some time with us. Can you introduce yourself for the people who don’t know you ?
MUXXA: So there are many things ! haha. To make it straight, I’m Muxxa, DJ and radio host. I put both activities on the same level, it’s really 50/50 on a daily basis. So radio host on Mouv’, hip hop radio from the public service, as belonging to the Radio France group. I joined this radio in 2015, when it started, as radio host only. And very soon they wanted to include DJ’s. As they realized I knew a lot of DJ’s and was one myself since the late 90s, 97 exactly, they offered me to be the host to DJ’s and to introduce some mix in my shows. So DJ, radio host, beatmaker a bit too, I try to make some tracks when I have time. By the way I just dropped a remix to Roddy Rich’s “The Box” that’s available on my SoundCould.
FP: Do you remember what made you want to become a DJ ?
MUXXA: Ohh yeah sure : Cut Killer ! Like all of us !
I had a friend who used to buy the Hip Hop Soul Party CD’s, because I didn’t know Cut Killer was doing mixtapes at the beginning. But very soon, I realized the guy had a show on Radio Nova on Friday nights. I was already listening to a lot of rap, but this made me want to do the same, I felt like it was very cool to play with the music you love, to mix it. Then I took a blast when I saw Cut Killer in the movie “la Haine” ! It might sound too easy, because everyboy says that, but it’s the truth !
So Cut Killer first and then Abdel and all the radio shows you could listen to on Beur FM, Fréquence Paris Pluriel, Générations… so all these guys.
At the very beginning, I didn’t even know what was an MK2 (editor’s note : the reference turntable for DJ’s), so like any wannabe DJ, I messed up. For my first set-up I bought a living-room turntable from a neighbor and a mixer which was absolutely not made for scratching, and on the other side I had a discman. Very soon you realize you don’t have the right hardware, but to get the right one, you’ll have to save for a long time ! When it became obvious for me that I was deeply into it, buying records and loving it, but that I was constrained by my hardware, I put all my summer job money in two MK2 and a Gemini mixer. And I still have these MK2, more than 20 years later, so I guess it was a good investment. In addition, I had them slightly cheaper thanks to a friend’s aunt who had a discount at Darty. When she saw I spent mad money in these stuffs, she didn’t get it. But I met this woman again about a year ago and I reminded her that I bought my first turntables thanks to her, so it was somehow her who made me have this career. She didn’t remember it, but she was moved.
FP: Can you tell us your story, from your beginnings in 97 to the moment you joined Mouv ?
MUXXA: I’ve long been a bedroom DJ, because at the time, our models were way too good compared to us. Cut killer, Abdel , all these guys, were too far ahead ! First of all, they had so many records ! You need to know that, back in these days, if you wanted a track, you had to buy the record or receive the promo one. But when you were not famous, you could only dream about it. In addition, they went to the USA to pick the latest news, we couldn’t do it. So it was just a passion for a long time, not even aspiring to go to play in clubs. But then slowly, in my high school, people started to know I had some turntables and records, so I got birthday gigs offers, house parties, and then club opportunities, but it still was a hobby. For a long time, I had no idea what I wanted to do as a living. I made trade studies, but I didn’t want to work in that area. So, back from a few months in London to improve my English, I decided to have a job that I’d really enjoy. And what I really enjoyed was music. So I decided to attend a school that trains you to jobs in the field of sound.
I discovered the radio during an internship at Radio Latina, and most specifically the job of producer. In radio, the producer is the guy who makes the covering of the radio, the jingles, the promo, roughly everything you can hear between the music. At the end of my training, I decided to move towards the radio and to try that job of producer that I really liked. I managed to join Radio FG in Paris, a national radio but with a small network. This radio was taking off at the time, because they mixed both Electro and Hip Hop. There were many resident DJ’s, this is how I met so many of them. I joined in 2005 and in 2011-2012, I was getting tired of doing production only, so I asked my boss to do something else. He suggested me to do a hosting demo. He loved it and put me on the week-ends as a host, with a recorded show. During the week, I did production and I hosted on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The next season, as it all went well, my boss put me on the week. So I kept doing both production and hosting, with a daily show. It was like that for 3 years. After 10 years at Radio FG, I started looking at what was happening elsewhere and this is the moment the Mouv’ project popped up. Like I said earlier, Mouv’ is the “youth radio” from Radio France, which was trying to renew itself to fit better to its mission : speak to the youth. They were interested by my profile and decided to assign me on the evenings. So I started in 2015 and it has evolved since then, we have added quite a few things and we develop the digital a lot now.
FP: Today, you’re both a DJ and radio host, what does a typical day look like for you ?
MUXXA: I have a show that starts at 1 pm and lasts 3 hours. On it, I have 30 mn of mix at the beginning which is called the warm up mix. I do it with the help of our auditors , I ask them to send their request on Snapchat, I have a tech in the control room who records the incoming messages, and at the half of the mix, I select the messages that I liked the most and play the requested track. So this doesn’t require too much preparation.
For the rest of the show, it’s a musical program, with a tracklist previously established by the programmer. So i will articulate my speaks around the tracklist : for example if there is a track from Hatik, I will talk about the series “Validé” (editor’s note : Hatik is French rapper and comedian who has the lead role in a new series called “Validé”). The idea is also to talk about news, so it requires some preparation. Either I do it from home in the morning, either I arrive at the radio around 10.30-11.00 am. I watch the news, browse on socials and blogs. Besides that, I record my evening show, or the Friday night one, or even some digital content.
FP: With such a heavy daily program, do you still have time to play in clubs ?
MUXXA: I have the time, but the good thing is I don’t have any pressure about the number of bookings I have, unlike most DJ’s. My daily job is time consuming and brings me my pay check. Besides that, parties, are extras. Then it’s much easier for me, I have no pressure and have the luxury to be able to choose my bookings. I do it like I feel, I accept bookings that I’m excited about. I do some things in Paris sometimes, but I mostly do it in provinces., I like to travel a bit.
It feels good to go in the club too. It’s very different from mixing at the radio. In radio you need to imagine the people as they’re not in front of you. You have to project yourself : at this time of the day people are in their car, or at that time, they’re home, and adapt your mix according. In the club, it’s more concrete, because if people are not feeling your set, you see it immediately. I try to find the time to keep on playing in the club, because I love it ! I love it as much as being at the radio.
FP: On Mouv’ you’re not only a DJ, you’re also a host, like we said earlier. You are notably the host of the #EEBSP show on the Mouv’s YouTube channel. Can you tell us more about it ?
MUXXA: Absolutely ! This is another different thing as it’s not aired on the radio at all. It’s a project that is part of the digital content. Actually on the YouTube channel, there is both content from the radio shot in video, and content which is digital only. #EEBSP is the perfect example. It’s a talk show about sneakers culture. By the way, Clems from Footpatrol Paris is one of the columnists. The idea was to make a YouTube program, as it wouldn’t really make sense to speak about sneakers on radio, because if you don’t show anything it’s frustrating. This is something that we set up with Arnaud who’s the web manager of Mouv’.
I love sneakers, but I’m not a crazy collector, I don’t know as much as the columnists, but I’ve loved it for years. So when I was offered to do this, I was immediately down for it, because I knew I would be able to speak about something that I love but also to learn many things. It’s so good to listen to the columnists, because even though I know what we’re talking about, I learn more with every show, and this is very cool ! I think we found the right tone, with lots of mood in it. I think we managed to talk to both connoisseurs and people who are absolutely not familiar with this culture. It’s well explained, there is always a cultural/historical aspect and it’s always filled with very good mood. We have real characters around the table, we have Sega who’s cool and always has something to yell about, Clems who brings a business insider point of view and Mylène who’s younger and brings some freshness and innocence, so it all works very well. It’s a great experience !
FP: You said it, you love sneakers. What does it raise for you ?
MUXXA: I think it’s first and foremost a matter of nostalgia. It’s something that started in middle school. It came from a small frustration, because at the time, I could see pairs that were amazing but I couldn’t buy whatever I wanted. The one that stands out for me is the Air Jordan 6 infrared. When I saw it on some guy’s feet, I was like “damn these are so dope !”. Necessarily, when you start earning your own money, I don’t know if it’s by revenge, but you’re like “I couldn’t have it back then, I’ma get it now !”. This is the reason I’m way more sensitive to retros. We made an episode of #EEBSP with Thomas Giorgetti as special guest about the year 1990 and a lot of souvenirs came back. Models from this era are legendary.
FP: If you had to pick your favorite pair, which one would it be ?
MUXXA: The Air Jordan 6 ! Because this is the one that started it all. In addition, at this age, you tend to follow what’s fashionable, and I remember lots of people were saying it was ugly. It’s true that, back then, it was special, a kind of UFO when it was released. But not paying attention to know whether it was fashionable, if it was to be fashionable or not, it was really love at first sight when I saw it. And of course some frustration as I couldn’t have it back then.
FP: Back to your job at the radio, what was the best moment in your career ?
MUXXA: There are plenty of them. But the best ones were definitely at Mouv’ as it’s a radio that gives us the means to work well and trusts us. When I arrived at Mouv’, I discovered the fact of being able to do interviews, as I had never done it at FG, only the boss did interviews over there.
A very good moment : the Pitbull interview. I discovered such a good guy ! Sometimes you meet people who didn’t have a huge career, but they act like they’re divas. Even if I’m not a fan of his music, Pitbull has sold millions of records, has toured in the whole world, but he’s so nice and relaxed ! ! He was so much fun that, during the interview, I started teaching him French swear words and he was teaching me some in Spanish. Coming out if the radio, in the escalator he was saying “Nique ta race” (“F*** you”, roughly) to everybody as it was something that I just taught him, and he was laughing out very loud. The interview is still on Youtube, you should go and check it, it’s very funny. This guys was very humble, so it was a good radio moment.
Another good moment was with Juice WRLD, about a year and a half ago. He came for an interview and freestyle. I found out that everywhere he went, he made very long freestyles. With Tim Westwood, he made an hour straight on the same Eminem beat. I wanted him to rap on French rap beats. His press spokesperson was ok and he was hyped ! He wanted to do 30 mn, but I suggested him to do only 15 mn, but during that time I’d switch the beats 6-7 times. He didn’t even want to listen to the beats before, he told me “surprise me !”. The man did an incredible freestyle ! He just turned 20, and you know rappers from his generation, who are into trap music, are usually not great kickers, but he made me hallucinate ! He adapted to every track in a few seconds even though he never heard them. He had a melody and some bars right away, with no phone in front of him. He had that talent. I’m happy I’ve been one of the few to have him over for a freestyle. The video is often reposted when it comes to talk about Juice WRLD in freestyle. It’s often an extract from our show, or from Tim Westwood’s or Funk Master Flex’s which is used. It’s great to be amongst these legends and to have lived this moment, as he had a very short career which ended up tragically.
FP: You prepared a mix for us, can you tell us about it ?
MUXXA: I love R’n’B ! We didn’t talk about it, but I love sugar. By the way, every Thursday night, I have a show, as resident this time, on Mouv’ from 10 to 11 pm. On that slot, I play R’n’B, but also open a bit. I called it sweets because I can go on some Naija or Reggaeton vibes, but it still is sugar.
So I decided to do a Classic R’n’B mix with the tracks I’ve loved for 20 years, with huge classics but also some lesser known tracks. I didn’t want to play some news, even though some good things just came out, like the new PartyNextdoor, or the latest Tory Lanez project… I wanted to stay with nostalgia
FP: If we want to follow you, listen to your shows or tracks, know your agenda… How do we do ?
MUXXA: First of all, I’m on the radio everyday from 1 to 4 pm and from 10 to 11 pm, from Monday to Friday. I also have an hour of mix on Saturdays, from 1 to 2 pm, right after lunch to digest.
For socials, Instagram mainly because to be honest, Facebook less and less, Twitter really not and Snapchat bores me. Instagram (@muxxamouv) is where I post everything that happens on my end.
FP: Any last word ?
MUXXA: Peace and love on everybody. Let’s live happy and look forward the end of the lockdown !
Continuing with our in-depth ‘Concept to Reality’ series, we’d like to introduce you to Dean and Gabriella who head up the creative agency, Noi Due Creative.
Noi Due, which also means ‘Us Two’ which relates back to both Dean and Gabriella have managed to create a solid foundation of collaborations with brands by bringing a high level of engagement to their work.
Take a look below at some of their past work and when we digitally caught up with them to hear their journey so far and an in-depth approach to how they work.
Footpatrol: Hey Dean, how are you? Thank you for taking the time to talk to us today! For our audience can you give them a little insight into yourself and what it is you do?
Dean: Not a problem, thanks for having us. So, my name is Dean Tymon, myself and my partner Gabriella Piccolo founded Noi Due Creative which translates to ‘Us Two’ in italian. This relates to me and Gabriella starting the company together and also the alliance between us ‘the agency’ and you ‘the client’. Together we cover each element of the creative process, conceptualise, art direction, photography, styling, video, post production and implement 360 degree asset coverage.
Founded in 2019 we are a relatively new agency but we have already worked on a wide range of projects with clients such as Maison Valentino – 7L Systems – The Odolls – Max George – Android Homme – Clints and collaborated with Tangent Design on multiple campaigns for Reebok & Merrell.
FP: How did you go about starting the agency? And what difficulties did you have at the beginning?
Dean: Starting the agency was both the toughest yet most rewarding decision we have ever made, both working together in a creative studio we wanted freedom and ownership. In doing so there was a fear of both leaving a good secure job to start our own company with no investment. We had worked on many shoots together and knew that we could do it so after many talks we both decided to just go for it. I am a firm believer that if you never take that jump you will always regret it.
Being based in Manchester we are seeing a lot of big brands moving up north which gives huge opportunities for collaborations. It’s very cliche but when starting out in any form of business it’s all about who you know, everyone needs that someone to open a door for that first opportunity to prove yourself. When you get that opportunity it’s about standing out with a unique selling point and delivering. Difficulties we have had is no investment to help us grow, but we don’t let that hold us back and we work very hard to reach out to new potential clients.
FP : What were you doing prior? Was it a creative job? Freelance? Or something completely different?
Dean: Both myself & Gabriella have been immersed in the creative industry throughout our careers.
I was studying Advertisement Design in university, I made the decision to leave mid way through my first year and jumped straight into work with a designer role at a sports company, this was a huge learning curve for me, I was quickly told to forget the creative process I developed at University as speed to market and consumer targeting were crucial. In this role I was jack of all trades, marketing, web & print design, product & marketing photography. This gave me valuable understanding and experience in each element to the creative process.
Myself and Tom Byram started a sneaker event in Manchester called 6ACRE, we put on the first sneaker event in Manchester, 3 events in total and built an amazing community of people, this was just as Manchester was starting to be recognised as a young talented creative city, most of the people involved and attended our event are now doing some amazing things within the city, it’s pretty special to be part of that era.
I joined size? In 2012, In a memorable 7 years I went on to become Creative Lead, where I curated and produced footwear campaigns, for Nike, adidas, Puma, Reebok, Footpatrol. Marketing projects such as ‘size? Captures’. Designed and released the Puma R698 Sahara and traveled all over the world to places like Morocco, Iceland, Paris, Copenhagen & Los Angeles. Working on these projects in the JD creative studio alongside Gabriella gave us the foundation we needed to go out alone.
Gabriella: I have also always been involved in the Creative Industry, from studying Fashion Design & Development at London College of Fashion I was always exposed to creative environments. Throughout my time at UAL I have worked with some amazing brands like McQ Alexander McQueen, Felicity Brown, Twenty8Twelve, L’Wren Scott & Courtney Love. After LCF I undertook creative roles at & Other Stories and Topshop, then decided to move back up to Manchester where I eventually took a job at JD Sports Creative Studio. In my time there I was a Stylist for The Hip Store amongst other fascias, here was where I met Dean so I guess the rest is history.
FP: What we would like to know is how you get from concept to reality. Would you be able to choose ONE project that you have worked on and summarise into 5 steps the process from the client’s initial email to what the consumer sees?
Dean: The briefs and projects we receive are massively different due to time scale but all follow a certain structure.
One. The Brief – When receiving the brief me and Gabriella have a discussion about brand and what we can bring to the campaign, we divide the brief into four parts… product, concept, consumer and deliverables.
Two. The Concept – This is where the dynamic of myself & Gabriella works really well, naturally we have very different creative processes. Gabriella’s mind will shoot off at 100mph straight towards amazing ideas, concepts, locations, models, styling. In some cases she has already nailed the idea within 10 minutes of getting the brief. I have a different outlook, I like to concentrate on how the ideas are elevated into a campaign where product and concept is going to take the customer on a journey, creating levels to the campaign deliverables within multiple platforms.
Three. The Deck – We bring to the table all the ideas and discuss what best fits the product and budget, putting together a Creative Deck Part 1, this will include three initial concepts, each with its own unique idea and thought process.
Four. The Conversation – Having completed Creative Deck Part 1 we like to sit with the client and talk through our concept deck, it’s very important for this to be a relaxed open conversation rather than a formal presentation, therefore the client can get involved and discuss any matters needed making it more of a collaboration. At the end of this chat we will have targeted one of the three concepts. We then go away and work on the complete Creative Deck Part 2 focusing on the finalised concept till both parties are happy. After this we get to work on creating and carrying out the shoot!
Five. The Delivery – After the shoot has taken place, the selection process begins, this is by far the most difficult part, at the end of each day we like to get the shots selected down to at least 10%. This will be passed over to the client for finals. The assets will then be retouched and treated ready for the designer to create the crops for print, social, emails, website. Whether it’s directing, shooting, styling, producing a campaign from start to finish is such a rewarding feeling.
FP: Would you have any advice that you could share with our readers?
Dean: Advise, one thing we should all aim toward is building “A creative community, not a competition” If someone’s struggling, help them out… Whether it’s an ID on a location, advise on a treatment, how to create a certain style. You never know, one day you might need someone to return the favour.
And also, support people and their ventures, don’t be that guy hating on someone because they’re doing something good. It could be something as small as a shoutout on social media, showing some appreciation. The power of social circles, you never know who you could connect them with.
FP: How you are coping with the current lockdown. Is there anything particular that’s keeping you going?
Dean: Lockdown is tough, When leaving my job to start a creative agency a global pandemic was not in the list of pro’s and con’s. For a new business it’s very difficult but we are using this time to prepare and be ready for when lockdown is lifted. Be proactive during this time, we are currently working on a second business ‘io e te’ a home, lifestyle and fashion concept brand.
I have been finding a lot of peace in running and being in contact with friends and family, and Gabriella has taken up baking cookies amongst other things! We are all in a tragic situation but I do think there is some purity to come from all this.
And finally as it was trainers that brought all us together originally – what would you say is your staple go to for the following:
Working out – Nike Flyknit Trainer Volt & Nike Mayfly Woven OG.
Casual every day – Converse Chuck 70s Parchment & Reebok Club C.
Impressing someone – Dr Martens x Undercover 1461 Beige.
Staying at home – TNF Nuptse Mule Slippers or Merrell Jungle Mock.
Thank you, stay safe!
#TEAMFP
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To end the week, we bring you our next Frequent Players Guest Mix thanks to none other than Jyoty. Originally born in Amsterdam, Jyoty now resides in the big smoke where over the last few years, Jyoty has managed to establish herself as the voice of Saturday mornings over on Rinse FM through her unique music selections and skills as an interviewer.
Continuing to push her Rinse FM show by discovering mountains of new music and further building connections with artists, Jyoty has now taken to the decks to create 008 in our Frequent Players Guest Mix series, take a listen below!
Footpatrol: Hey Jyoty, how are you? Thank you for getting involved in Frequent Players and providing us with a special guest mix! For some of the listeners who are not familiar with yourself are you able to give them a little insight into who you are and what you do?
Jyoty: Hey guys, thanks for asking me.. Very honoured! My name is Jyoty (for people who ask what my real name is.. It really is Jyoty haha), born and raised in Amsterdam and moved to London about 7 ½ years ago.
Most people will know me for my weekly Rinse FM show for the last 4 years, but I’m actually a creative producer at LOUD (within Mixcloud). I also DJ and am an editor of The Move magazine.
FP: Where did your passion for music originate from and did you always know you wanted to make it your work?
Jyoty: I’m just a fan in every sense of the word. I’m obsessed with listening to music at home, when I work out, I need to attend at least 1 gig a week, I love talking about it, seeing how it’s made, listening to people talk about how it’s made, the stories behind it etc. etc.
I definitely never wanted to ‘work’ in music and even 2 years ago would have told you that it’s just a hobby. I still kind of feel like a fraud because it feels surreal to me most of the time.
I actually always wanted to go into politics! So, I did my BA in Political Science, came to London to do my MA and went to work for Labour Party after that – hah.
FP: I think I first met you with some friends a few years back when you were hosting a Boiler Room show for D.R.A.M which also included Tiffany Calver’s Boiler Room debut. Please can you shed some light into your Boiler Room story from managing the doors, hosting events to making your on-air debut. How did that feel? When you played Meleka – Go has to be one of my favourite moments!
Jyoty: Aahh man – the good old days! I feel like I actually met you way before that, when I was still doing the guest list haha.
So basically, the story is that I was the door girl at The Nest (one of the best clubs in London around 2012) and could be found there every single weekend for 3 years straight. Because the lineups at The Nest were so diverse and forward thinking, most of the industry people, cool kids and music fans who were onto an act early on, used to come through that door and come through me.
Skinny was one of those people and one day he hit me up and said ‘hey we need someone to do the door for Boiler Room’. At that time I was literally living off of my door money so of course I was down.. What’s another evening outside of a club?
I did that for them for all the London events for quite some time and in the meantime started hosting my Rinse Fm show. My show got bigger and bigger and I guess the people in the BR office took notice. But it wasn’t until Amanda Maxwell and Skinny actually internally pushed for me to host, that I actually got asked to do so and that D.R.A.M. event was the first one! This led to more London events and even a few in Amsterdam and New Delhi.
To then make my debut on those notorious decks last summer and for my favourite time of year (carnival) was actually unreal. Especially cause I’ve only been DJ’ing for two years so I was so nervous and almost dreading it. It felt too soon, and I felt like I wasn’t worthy of such a big platform, but the response has been absolutely insane, so I’m forever grateful. Shoutout my brother Ahad who put me on the bill!
FP: It must have been amazing to make your debut in London surrounded by friends and family, but you’ve also travelled the world DJing shows and festivals all over! Do you have a favourite place outside of London where you have played?
Jyoty: Yeah I’m a really lucky girl man. Last year I got to DJ around 5 continents and I am forever grateful for that. Hmmm.. this is a really tough one because I think my manager and I really know how to pick what bookings requests to say ‘yes’ to and that always leads to the best night/experience ever.
Just off the top of my head I’d say:
– this tiny bar called Yours Truly in Cape Town (this was supposed to be the set after I did my ‘main gig’ and randomly turned into a party that spilled into the street and I made so many friends LOL)
– Peach in Glasgow (wildest crowd, best promoters and littest party of last year)
– Spicy Riddim for SaturdaySelects in Kuala Lumpur (I got to play b2b with my brother Jael from the Netherlands, we kept on playing until the spot basically got shut down and then continued the night/morning until about 9 AM)
I do have to say that Barcelona gets an honourable mention, for some reason that city really messes with me and shows me so much love, it’s nuts.
FP: Alongside the festivals and clubs, you also have your residency show on Rinse FM where you have had some of the biggest artists from around the world on the show. Do you have a favourite moment from all the guest appearances?
Jyoty: Aahh man this one is so hard because when I look at the names I’ve had on my show over the last four years, I start laughing. Like who let me do this?!
If I could pick one from the very early shows it HAS to be The Pharcyde. I cried that evening because these guys and their music helped me through some very tough teenage years. I couldn’t believe I was just sitting there, joking, chatting for hours and conversing like they were just my pals.
A recent one is for sure Robert Glasper. I got so nervous (which I never get for an interview) and had also pulled an all-nighter after a set in Hamburg and came straight off the plane.
He told me that ‘out of all of the interviews I’ve ever done.. That is a really great question’ and at that moment I wanted to drop my mic and tell Rinse I ain’t doing no shows no more haha!
FP: The show is also a platform to showcase new music and new talent. How do you keep up with what’s going on in the music world and constantly find this new music?
Jyoty: Oh for sure. I pride myself on the fact that I usually get artists before they blow up or play people’s music when they still only have a few hundred followers.
I spend a lot of time searching the internet for new songs, through playlists and features on people’s projects. Usually every time I DJ in a city, I will ask the promoter to put me on to some local acts who they think I’d really like.
I deffo have to big up my listeners, they have become family of mine and send me a lot of artist suggestions via DMs and email – these are probably my favourites ‘cause my listeners (by now) really know my taste in music.
I also tend to ask artists I interview and a lot of my friends too!
I also started doing an open mic on my IG live about 5 weeks ago and this has been great. I’ve been playing my top picks every week on my show.
FP: Showcasing new talent on radio is not the only way you strive give back and put people on though! You have hosted DJ workshops, taught women how to break into the industry, taken part in panel talks and much more. Why is passing knowledge and giving back to the community so important to you?
Jyoty: Because people need to stop gatekeeping man!! I don’t understand this nonsense. I also don’t understand when brands or organisations want to charge money for ‘young people’ to come and listen to these ‘big names’ who all say the same uninspiring stuff anyway.
If you really pay attention, they never really give you practical tips and always say something like ‘if you work hard enough and don’t give up, it will happen’ – no no no, it won’t. Stop lying. You were working your ass off for years but nothing kicked off until you got that major co-sign.
The game isn’t just fair like that and nothing is simply based on talent and hard work, it has a lot to do with marketing, who you know, timing, co-signs, likeability and more.
I try to give away as many of my ‘tips and tricks’ I’ve picked up along the way because I wish someone told me when I was trying to get my foot in the door, you know? And I’ll give it to you for free.
Also, I don’t care about the next person ‘taking my spot’ because if they can, clearly I’m not good enough anymore and I need to step my game up.
FP: And when you are not doing all of the above you somehow make time for The Move Mag. A magazine you co-founded celebrating underground music, club culture, style and everything in between. Can you tell us a bit more about that?
Jyoty: I love that mag so much. We haven’t put anything out for AGES but we’re working on something cute and online during lockdown days. The Move is my mate Tom Armstrong’s baby and he brought me on-board before the first issue because he liked my passion for the industry and that I’m a bit nuts. Or a lot nuts.
What started as a ‘what if..’ idea, quickly developed into a beautiful 100 page collector’s item and we’re now about 6 issues in.
I love it.
It’s print only, proper nice quality, the features are all top tier and nothing like any other (current) mags that are out there right now. We don’t do any project reviews, we don’t rate albums (because why would we when you can do that yourself) and everything is written from the perspective of ‘a lover of the culture’.
Most of the stories we tell involving artists are about the social and cultural times their project was made in, so it’s super interesting even if you don’t mess with someone’s music.
FP: For someone who is normally so active and on the move, what are you doing to keep active and inspired during lockdown?
Jyoty: I work out six out of 7 days. Been doing @ciaralondon ‘s daily hour long workouts (these are no joke and I can actually see myself toning up) – I do 5 of these and once a week I do a workout in the park. Then I try to go for nice walks around London. I’m attempting to run but this… let’s not even get into that.
I’ve been reading a lot more as well, I forgot how much I loved reading. But now instead of just picking up Plato, Kant or Descartes.. I’ve also picked up novels! This is almost new territory for me so really fun.
My number one thing during lockdown is that I have fallen in love with listening to music again. I’ve been listening to music ‘for work’ for the last however many years and didn’t really ‘enjoy’ the act of listening to tunes.
But now? Oh my days, the 80s and 90s R&B and soul playlists in the shower go off! And lying down on my bed, staring at the ceiling whilst listening to old Lupe, Tribe, Nas, Mos Def has been really therapeutic for me. I feel like a teenager again and it’s bringing me pure joy and peace of mind.
FP: What other DJs, artists are you currently listening to help with your quarantine?
Jyoty: To name a few: Josey Rebelle, Lefto, Shy One, Dreamcast, Noia, Shaka Lion, K-Meta and Virginie!
FP: Jyoty, thank you for your time today. Please keep safe and keep inspiring others! Please can you just close out by letting people know what they can expect in the mix and where they can keep up with what you’re doing?
Jyoty: Thank YOU! Actually, really enjoyed these specific questions! Okay, here comes the self-promo..
People know me from being either very soul-heavy on my radio show or club-heavy in my dj sets so I figured I’d give something in the middle. I never really mix hiphop continuously (’cause it’s hard) so I thought I’d give you some of the hiphop tunes that are repeat in my room during lockdown. Hope you have a few ‘oooh remember this one’ moments during the mix.
Keep up with anything I do on Instagram I’d say (I still don’t get Twitter): @jyotyWatch. (shorter) versions of my radio interviews on Youtube. Listen back to all my Rinse FM shows and a handful of other mixes on SoundCloud, My Red Light Radio, The Lot Radio and other misc radio shows and mixes on Mixcloud.
Thank you,
#TEAMFP
