G: Hellur and welcome to GMIX003 thrilled to have such a sick producer on it! Can you introduce yourself?
M: Heyy, I go by MISFYA <3
Paris-born & of French-Ivorian descent~ I’m a dance music producer, DJ and visual artist based in London :), it’s such a pleasure to be a part of the GMIX series !!!
G: I always like to ask this, can you explain how you started DJing and started getting gigs? And what about producing?
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M: I’ll start with producing, as it ties into how I got into DJing. Music has always sparked joy in me; I knew since I was 8 that I wanted to perform and be on stage! I was always either singing in my school choir and talent shows or learning choreography off of YouTube or creating my own to show my friends. If I wasn’t singing or dancing, I spent most of my time with headphones on, dissecting songs in my head and reimagining them with my own arrangement of their elements. I dabbled in Garageband, but tbh I never felt like I was able to translate what I'd composed in my head on there.
At 18, when I found a music production course at the University of Westminster, I took the leap. I wanted to have the tools that I'd been lacking to create and I knew that by learning to produce, I could still find my way to performing while having my own unique sound and maintaining creative freedom with how I want my sound to evolve. Missy Elliot came to mind when I made that decision; I always admired her balance between artist, performer, songwriter, and producer. I aspired to achieve that level of artistry.
My parents have brought different influences into my musical palette. My mum shared hers for R&B, Soul, Disco, Funk, as well as Coupé-Décalé, Highlife, and Zouk. My dad shared his love for French Rock, Opera, and Classical music. Moving back to London in 2019 for uni meant I discovered more of the bass-heavy side of UK dance music I hadn't really known when I was growing up here as a teen, such as Jungle and 140 Breaks/Dub, both have definitely shaped my sound in more ways than one!
By 2020, I'd bought myself a DDJ 200 with no expectations or goals at the time, just having fun with mixing during the pandemic. I started taking it more seriously in 2021 around the time I'd chosen my alias. I remember sending some of my early mixes to Sweetpea for feedback, a sick DNB DJ and producer I'd connected with. I saw DJing as a great way to perform my own music while I began to build up my discography and share music I loved with others.
My first gig came through meeting Lava La Rue at MAP Cafe a couple of times earlier that year. They knew that I'd been practicing my mixing and asked if I wanted to be one of the opening slots for their upcoming Halloween party, which landed me my first DJing gig. My second gig came shortly after, at Keep Hush for LCY’s label SZNS7N takeover at Corsica Studios. LCY and I were already in talks about distributing my debut EP with their label at the time, and they also knew I wanted to get into DJing, so they offered me the opening slot of the night. I was so gassed! The rest was history from there really, I think Keep Hush had the biggest knock-on effect in terms of putting me on the map for other promoters to discover me. I recognise that I was quite lucky to kick off my DJ career in such a way, and I appreciate both LCY and Lava La Rue for putting their faith in me.
G: What are some up and coming artists and producers you have your eye on?
Artists: BXKS, namesbliss & ALLMYCOUSINS
Producers: BAMBII (tbhhhh she's way past up n coming but I'm always keeping an eye out for her releases!), JIALING, Slim Soledad
M: What’s in store for MISFYA for the rest of 2024?
I’ve got the next edition of my event DEUXFEUX coming up on the 8th of August at Dalston Den, lineup is giving black queer DJs who are absolutely killllllling IT!!! (TBA soon)
Release wise, I’ve got a couple lined up for the end of the year with my next single dropping early September with a featured artist, hint hint it’s earlier in the mix ;) very excited to share the new tunes~~~
G: Now you ask me a question!​
M: What’s your lucky number and why?
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G: 11! It's my date of birth, angel number, and in Italian numerology also means extreme intuition :-)
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