Although it’s always a great thing to be out in the club and jam out to unknown music that you haven’t heard before, it’s an even greater thing if there are tracks that never lose their charm despite having busted your moves to them an infinite number of times before. London-based Optimum was responsible for one of those releases last year: his debut solo Max Power was able to get any club energized for the night each time it was dropped, somehow maintaining those elements of mystery, ferociousness and excitement time and time again. As a co-founder of Hum + Buzz together with Ikonika, he’s doing a more than succesful job as well, with strong releases of their own being launched on the label such as his latest Light Year and more to come by other artists from the likes of Brenmar, Dro Carey and Melé. Read on as we talk to Optimum about his creative processes, hip-hop and last but certainly not least, good food.

First of all, how have you been? What have you been working on lately? I’m doing well, thanks! I’ve just been working on some original tracks and a remix for Elkat & Moleskin at the moment. Aside from that, also been working on my ‘live’ show together with Ikonika, as well as general running of our label.

Yeah, you recently did your first show together in Amsterdam, which was great! How did that come about? I really enjoyed the gig, it was a great venue and we played with lots of amazing people, so it was really fun. We had been talking about doing live shows as a different way of showcasing our material. We also wanted to utilise The Bridge which is the new software that links Serato with Ableton. It’s quite straightforward after you use it a few times so it’s been working out quite well so far. There’s definitely a lot to explore and different possibilities to it.

What essentially motivated you and Ikonika to start Hum + Buzz? We actually wanted to do it a couple of years ago, but didn’t really get the chance. Our motivation was really to present our music in the ways that we wanted to, to have control over all aspects. It’s about building something that’s a good outlet for ourselves and also to introduce other new artists. On a long term, we just want to put out great music. I think things grow naturally if you continue to put out good tunes.

Can you tell us a little bit about how you guys work together dynamically, both set-wise and production-wise? It usually falls into place quite naturally but it’s quite hard to explain and it depends on the project as well. Sometimes I’ll do a lot the track and Ikonika will suggest some changes or write some new parts for it. We also have to agree on each part, so if one person likes a certain bit and the other doesn’t think it fits, we’ll write something else. The live stuff is similar in that we have to agree upon the direction, but because it’s live we can also be a bit more spontaneous as well.

What does your creative process look like when you’re working on your own? Sometimes I’ll just start by playing something and then writing around that. Other times I’ll start by writing a drum loop and then play on top of that. There are times when I consciously write to recreate what’s in my head and times when it’s more implusive, depending on my mood. Usually if I have a good idea of what I want to do, things flow better.

Does the process of working on a remix differ a lot from working on an own production? What have you enjoyed working on the most so far? That depends on the source material really. When I do a remix, it can mean moving bits of audio around, but it can also mean that I’ll just take a little part and write around it. I really enjoyed doing the Photomachine one beacuse it was quite different to my usual stuff.

What has been the most memorable night you’ve played so far? I had a really great time playing for Turbotax in New York last October, I played with Martyn and Four Tet. It was also my first time in New York so that was a great experience.

How about gigs you’ve attended yourself, what’s been the most memorable concert or night you’ve been to? Mmmm good question, there are so many! Clubwise, I think lots of 2005-2006 FWDs in Plastic People have to be mentioned. The sound is perfect in there, just a dark room with everything focused on the music. In the early FWD>> days, it was great hearing new tunes week in week out, because the producers were always so prolific and the sound was progressing at such a fast rate. As for concerts, it was really good to see the reformed Slint at ATP and then Jaylib and J Dilla at Jazz Cafe just before he passed away. I saw him twice back in the day and one was the debut London show. He didn’t move much but he was good on the mic. Mos Def was there too. It was just great energy, really. What do you think makes a good gig, for both the artist and the crowd? It’s just good when the crowd are open and there’s good feedback between the two. For me, I always love hearing new music/tunes I don’t know when I go out.

Has music always been part of the bigger plan for yourself? What path would you have followed had you not gone into music? Kind of on and off yes, I’ve taken it a lot more seriously in the last few years. If I hadn’t gone into music, I really don’t know to be honest. I think I probably would’ve liked to have done some kind of writing. I used to really like stuff like James Joyce, Kafka, Don Delillo. As for magazines, there was nothing really in particular, just a range of whatever music related ones. There’s this quote, “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture“. Would you agree? I would agree with that quote to a certain extent, but I don’t think the analogy is completely accurate though. I always enjoy reading good pieces about music. For example, well written pieces can change your perspective on the music in question, or it can introduce you to new music.

From what I understand you grew up listening to a lot of hip-hop. What’s your earliest recollection of really getting into it? I got into it through my friend Sam. Initially it was like the underground stuff, especially stuff on Stones Throw: Madlib, Slum Village, stuff like that. Then I got into more mainstream hip-hop, maybe Jay Z’s The Blueprint album really got me into that. Dipset, all the New York stuff, Just Blaze, Kanye West, The Neptunes and Timbaland beats were all popular at that time. Heatmakerz were great too, that whole era was great. They were all massively influential. Those beats were always so creative and the best ones would give you an instant physical reaction so you would have to get up and dance, or nod your head or whatever. I saw Kanye at Brixton Acadamy on his first album tour for College Dropout, which was really good. A-Trak was his DJ then too. Despite all the fuss about him now, he was/still is a great performer.

Would you say they still have influence on how you structurally make music yourself? Nah, structurally not really, more just trying something with a similar energy I guess, but it could sound totally different. For me structure is just influenced by DJing and clubs a lot more.

You started out making hip hop beats yourself too, right? Do you think you’ll expand further again in the near future? I did yes, but it was only a couple of months reallly. It would be something I’d be interested in in the future.

That should be good. Now for something completely different, what are the top three places to eat in London? Don’t really have a top three, I was just thinking about this! I ate at Arirang last week, that was really good. And then Nandos, doesn’t everyone say that? Silk Road is good as well. Oh yeah, my favourite is Relaise de Venise. They have the best steak frites about, no menu they just do that one dish! They have a secret sauce and are always really busy.

Complete this sentence: At heart I’m just a frustrated… R&B singer. I always thought that would be the best job.

When was the last time you danced? Earlier today. Ha! Are you also someone who dances solitarily in their room? Yeah definitely, especially when making a good tune. That’s the test!