Truancy Volume 138: Moxie

Towards the end of 2014, London based DJ, presenter and radio host Moxie, saw her efforts and skills as one of the city’s finest selectors culminate in a wonderfully curated eight track compilation titled Moxie Presents Vol. 1. Mirroring the varied nature of her radio shows on NTS and Radio 1 that have made her such an in demand DJ by a mix of audiences, the compilation saw artists such as Ikonika, Kowton and SCNTST all contributing. Picking up off the success of the first instalment, work on a second soon followed with bigger aims in sight. Released last month, Moxie Presents Vol. 2 follows a similar outlook to the first one – shining light on both new and established talent that have regularly featured on her shows the last couple of years. The interesting aspect of the second compilation however is the recently announced label and club night starting off the back of it. Titled On Loop, the night gets set to hit the road from March 19th onwards with cities such as Manchester, Glasgow and Paris being some of the few destinations.

We’d have happily received a mix from Moxie at any point in the last five years but with two compilations out now and the start of a new venture into club night and label territory we feel we’ve caught her at the height of her game and her Truancy Volume only cements this further. From Basic Channel inspired productions by Scott Grooves to forthcoming house anthems from Body Jack’s Body Trax Vol 3 release, Truancy Volume 138 acts as informative stepping stone for what should be another fantastic year for Moxie. We briefly caught up with her to talk about the Moxie Presents Vol 2, Loop Out and what she likes to do if ever burned out from music.

Hey Alice, thought I’d start with asking about the recent Moxie Presents Vol. 2 compilation and how you went about putting it together? Anything you learnt from doing Vol.1 that you took into account for this one. There’s also the fact the tracks on this one will be pressed to vinyl too? “Ahh yes, it’s been so great to get it out there! I’ve been working on it since the beginning of last summer. There was a point when I had to put it on hold because I was getting busy with festivals and gigging over last summer, but once that calmed down I got back to my list of artists I’d been wanting to get in touch with. When I put the first compilation together it was a bit of an experiment to see if doing this kind of thing was something I was into. After I’d finished the project it made me really start to think about a label and realised how much I love curating and working in that way. I suppose with the first one I was a bit nervous about how it would all come together as it was just me working away on it, but after I got it out there I was already writing notes for the second edition. Whilst I was working on Vol.2 I always had the vision to potentially start a label off the back of this, and after my manager and I had a sit down, I thought why not make the first release vinyl samplers from the comp? We’ve chosen 4 tracks that we think offer something really different from one another and that’ll be coming out in the next few months so watch this space.”

You’re also starting a new night called On Loop (which I think is also doubling up as the label you mentioned earlier) that gets set to hit a few cities starting in March. Can you tell us a little about the night and your reasoning for wanting to set this up? Any current labels you admire that you’d like On Loop to reach a similar level to?  “Yep that’s right! The club night and label are both called On Loop and the first event we launched last week kicks off on March 19th at The Pickle Factory which will be my new London residency. I’ve got Rush Hour and Dekmantel’s Tom Trago who’s a don, playing alongside The Maghreban who’s someone I’ve been a fan of for years and makes some of the most amazing beats. After that we take it to some of my favourite cities including Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Paris and Lyon. Running my own club night is something I’ve always wanted to do, finding the right venues has been the tricky bit! For the other cities I’m working with different promoters who I’ve played for in the past so we’re all on the same page about everything. The vision is to take the same vibe to the different clubs; good sound, low lighting, disco balls and party vibes! In terms of labels there are so many excellent independent ones out there, especially Ruf Kutz, Public Possession, Running Back, Brstl, Rhythm Section, Phantasy, Apron, Wolf –  I could go on forever! For me these are labels that offer something totally different and I’d like to see On Loop up there alongside them.”

With a pretty extensive touring schedule now, how often do you feel comfortable playing whatever you want, even if it’s not be in line with what the crowd necessarily wants? “There’s so much music I love and I always play what I want haha I think it’s a balance of playing for the crowd, as what is the point if no ones dancing? I like taking risks and experimenting with new music. The scene I come from it’s important to try new stuff out and for people to expect that.” With that, how much time do you spend listening to new things compared to the time spent listening to things that you already know you like? Are you getting inundated with demos yet? “Last year I started to make a point of not letting my music promos dictate what I was listening to. I get sent so much it starts to take over the time where I would go digging in shops or online. Now I make sure that takes priority and then keep an eye out for promos that I know i’m going to definitely like say from producers, record labels, pr companies people like that. I’ve learnt I’ll never be on top of everything but I can only try my best.”

What do you do when you’re (if ever) temporarily ‘burned out’ with music on the whole? Do you ever feel you need a break from constantly having to be on point with new sounds? “Yeah, I mean sometimes it can get a bit intense, but in the grand scheme of things it’s really not that bad haha When I do feel a bit overwhelmed I just step back from it for a bit. I love living in London and there’s always something fun to do, even just popping to the British Museum or walking around Soho takes my mind off things. I’m also training for the London Marathon so if I’m ever feeling a bit claustrophobic I just get out and go for a long run.”

Is there any idea or theme behind the mix you’ve done for us? Was the approach different to say how you might plan your NTS ones? “I’ve been a fan of your mix series for ages so was really looking forward to putting this together for you! With every mix I try and treat it the same and if anything I get a bit too deep with them as I want every track to compliment each other perfectly. With my shows they’re more a reflection of what I’ve found that week so the mixing is a bit more loose and more about me presenting to you what I’ve been digging for. In this mix there’s a bunch of unreleased bits and some of my favourite old school tracks so I hope you enjoy.”

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Moxie: Site, Facebook, Soundcloud, Twitter 

Moxie Presents Vol. 2 is out now to download via her Soundcloud

Photo by Vicky Grout 

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