A few weeks ago re:ni posted a photo on her stories of a record shop shelf at Rubadub, with the labels section neatly divided into Hessle Audio, Timedance, Blank Mind and re:lax. It’s a small but telling moment of hardwork for Lauren Bush, whose imprint, co-run with Laksa, has quietly cemented itself alongside UK dance music’s most respected heavyweights. It’s a fitting and deserved arrival point for an artist who’s been working at a blistering pace across DJing, producing, label-running and event throwing. Alongside Laksa, she’s been throwing consistently raved-about re:lax parties at Ormside Projects, bringing artists like Jurango, Harba and MJK to the south-London decks, while steadily shaping re:lax into a label with said artists all defined by a fearless, elastic approach to club music.
Musically, re:ni’s output mirrors that same restless spirit. Last year’s Thousand Yard Stare on re:lax, following her BeautySick release on Batu’s Timedance, signalled a bold leap forward in her musical artistry. A continuation of the bass-driven, vocal-led 140-150bpm territory explored on her previous records, this first release on her own label saw her more explicitly drawing on inspiration from electro, drill and jungle all woven together with her unmistakable touch for tension and her flair for walking the line between functional and strange. Off the back of a touring schedule that’s busier than ever, it’s clear re:ni has been carving out more intentional space for her productions and it’s paying off: she’s wrapped up contributions to anniversary compilations for two of her favourite labels and is deep in the studio working on her next solo EP and a close-to-the-heart collaboration.
When it comes to DJing, re:ni is the kind of artist who thrives on adaptability and versatility, finding joy in both the long-haul warm-up and the high-wire headliner slot. Her Truancy Volume mix is a perfect example of exactly what’s made her one of the UK’s most exciting DJs, a 70-minute set of evolving energies and tempos, with a real liftoff moment you’ll recognise the instant it arrives. With music from the likes of Introspekt, Intrusion, Sub Basics, Nurve, Shai FM, DK, and VC-118A, expect the unexpected, but above all, expect to move.
Hey there Lauren, hope you’re good! So how have you been recently? What’s the year been like for you so far? Any particular highlights you care to tell us about? “First off for the readers – me and Riccardo go way back as we were in neighbouring university halls in New Cross in 2011! Pretty sure we made friends on the 453 bus home from Corsica Studios – Ben UFO and Actress Boiler Room if I remember correctly?” (I think it was! I’d always connected the friendship with 2011-2012 Corsica Studios smoking area for sure though lol)
“Last year ended pretty hectic as I was in Asia and moving house all around the same time, this year is feeling more settled. I did the sound design for a New York Fashion Week show which was a new experience for me and definitely something I’d like to get into more. 2 of my favourite labels asked me to contribute music to their anniversary compilations which are now finished and ready for the world!”
You mentioned to us about having a bit of a mix-making writers block recently and that you had been focusing a lot of your time on your own music lately. How’s the progress been with your productions since last year where you had both the BeautySick and Thousand Yard Stare releases out? Do you feel you’ve locked in a way you like to work now? “My last 2 records were written quite a while before they actually came out; I’m still not very fast at finishing stuff but I’m feeling better about how I work. I believe routine and structure are the most important things and have struggled with them before but I’m a lot more organised this year. Fortunately there’s a studio 2 mins from home which I use as often as I can. The act of leaving the house and being intentional about the time you’re dedicating to creativity makes such a difference, even if you don’t end up making anything tangible just messing around with sounds or watching tutorials in that time, it all helps. I find I’m then more disciplined at not going on my phone or getting distracted when I work on music at home because going to the studio has got me in the habit of locking in properly.”
Have there been any technical breakthroughs since you started making music? Like any proper ok that’s how it’s done moments. “To be honest not really. I think it’s just an ongoing journey from being consciously incompetent (you know what you don’t know), to conscious competence (learning and awareness of skills you’re acquiring ) to unconscious competence (you can do it without thinking about it). Things become second nature, like layering and automation. I suppose an important lesson has been learning that the mix side of things and the creative/effects/arrangement side of things are very intertwined and the strength of basic sounds like kick and bass will determine the whole vibe of the track and how many other sounds and frequencies you need, rather than being things that I just leave till the mix down to work on.”
You’ve talked about the issue of getting a busier touring schedule but then finding it nearly impossible to get back into a rhythm of writing tunes around this. Have you found a happy median yet with this or a way to find that rhythm despite more gigs? Are you able to make tunes whilst travelling? “I received some arts council funding which has helped ease the pressure. As Elijah says – rent is the creative director. It’s deffo the routine thing too. I have to be strict or it just won’t happen. When I was less competent on Ableton I didn’t find it as fun and probably put more time into my DJ sets which I rarely properly prepare for right now. Digging for gems obviously does take time so I set aside a day to go on deep dives and buy new releases, but it won’t be as frequent. I don’t think this is a bad thing as DJing in the digital age has made music so disposable; there’s no need to have an entirely fresh batch of new tunes for every set. I do most of my tune prep on the journey to a gig and am confident I can turn up and play a good set thinking on the spot which gives me more headspace and time to do studio stuff in the week. For anyone new to production, I promise the scales do eventually tip from scary to fun haha! I just checked through my files to see if I had started anything on my travels and found a project called ‘Shanghai doodle’ which was just a loop of weird eerie synths, think the reality of travelling home after 3 weeks was sinking in.”
Can you tell us a bit about how the Thousand Yard Stare release came together? As your first release on your own label RE:LAX, was there any pressure at all in what you felt you might put out? Or did it all come quite naturally with the themes you wanted to explore for it? “The A side came from a batch of tunes I made for Timedance, it didn’t end up fitting on that record but Laksa loved it and we both felt it had big anthem energy so would make a great A side banger for re:lax. PLAYPLAX came together very quickly (my favourite tune on the ep I think!) and was nice to put out something more distinctly dubstep-leaning, same with Dragons being more on the jungle tip but done in my own way. The combo of metallic/digital sounds contrasted with granular/dubbed out samples I guess are the main themes. They’re definitely some of my more out-there tunes and I think following the Harba release which was more functional and rolling but with wild sound design and vocals, there’s a nice continuation/evolution of styles that are idiosyncratic to us – something that’s really important for the label.”
You’ve talked about really thinking and considering what impact your music is going to have on the audience when you play it? Can you expand on that a bit for us? Do you have to take into account the lineup and crowd you may be playing with also? “Definitely, I approach things differently depending on the party/crowd. For example when digging I might come across a tune that has big Timedance energy – not necessarily in the technical style but it might just evokes the vibe of the Timedance parties at the Island which were raw and trippy. I love going through my rekordbox library and picking out moments like this and putting them in a playlist ready for those special sets. I go wild with the comments in rekordbox too – a feature which lets you type your own description so you can have personalised notes for every track. In this way djing can feel like a conversation I’m having with myself which I really like.”
Do you think experimentalism in dance music still surprises people? You’ve talked about how an important ingredient in making music is being able to strike that balance between weirdness and functionality so wonder how you try to balance that? “I think the culture of big viral clips has tainted crowds’ expectations and reactions for sure, but I don’t think I’m really in that part of the scene so it luckily doesn’t affect me much – the labels I release on are niche and have their own following of people who actually want weirdness! I’d say getting a consistent groove is the best way to get a more experimental idea off the ground. You need to keep in mind people want to dance; when things get too laden with fx/delays or you make breakdowns too long the momentum can be lost. Keeping your drums going and instead creating subtle variation to the timbres and patterns can be a far more effective and functional approach than having them drop out completely. Repetition is the foundation of dance music after all! Off the top of my head I’d say Bruce and Flore are both pro’s at functional weirdness.”
Have there been any challenging obstacles in finding your DJ style and what you enjoy playing out? “Playing b2b with people who were way better than me when I started learning to beat-match was a necessary baptism of fire. By playing with others I feel your style organically becomes a melting pot of your peers. Sometimes I love to do subtle melty transitions like Darwin but other times it’s proper UK mix n’ blend style cuts and rapid mixing which Laksa is the king of. When I first started playing I was vinyl-only and didn’t buy any DJ tools so my sets were kind of a mess tbh. I’ve learnt to space those ‘moments’ out and to let tracks and stretches of repetition give the crowd space to get locked into the groove. The biggest challenge is mental – trusting that I will get into the zone. For example yesterday I played an amazing day party Freerotation did in Ghent (Belgium). I had done my digging and knew there were certain vibes I wanted to cover as I was opening for 5 hours, but I didn’t prep any track ordering or practice on the decks as I hadn’t had time. I did feel a bit underprepared but as soon as I played the first tune I knew I had it and was completely focused for the entirety. People in the crowd said afterwards how I didn’t come up for air the whole time – I’m not much of a performer, I will move a bit but I’m concentrating too hard to dance or engage much with the crowd.”
What’s one underrated moment, not a big gig or feature, but something small, that made you feel deeply connected to music recently? “I have a recurring dream from time to time that I’m looking through a shelf of records for this one dark green vinyl. I never hear the record but it’s heralded in my dreams as being ‘the’ one; I think maybe it’s a metaphor for finding my sound. The artwork for Melodius Thunk which is the Andrea Parker record which changed everything for me is also dark green so I reckon it’s definitely in my subconscious as a key influence. I always wake up really inspired so it’s kind of cool!”
I especially liked reading a comment where you mentioned ‘Sometimes you need to stop trying, or stop all together and do something unrelated to making music, then come back to it, in order for it to make sense.’ With a lot of DJs and producers suffering from burnout at the moment, it was a nice thing to read. Do you think there’s a lot of pressure in the idea of making it in this industry these days? “I saw a good quote on Krystal Klear’s insta stories where he said the best bit of advice he ever got was from Special Request saying whenever you’re feeling down about your career, produce your way out of it – ie keep on making tunes. It kind of contradicts my quote about taking a break (which I still fully advocate), but the point he was making was to tunnel vision on actually being creative instead of focusing your energy on the other stuff like branding/social media/pr/exposure etc. It reminded me of the the Georgia O Keeffe quote that says “Whether you succeed or not is irrelevant, there is no such thing. Making your unknown known is the important thing”. I use social media on a level that still feels authentic to my personality- and that is going to differ from person to person – but I often think to myself if the clout side of things was taken away, how many ‘artists’ would actually still want to make music? I’ve even had someone ask me why I bother making music as there’s no money in it compared to DJing. This highlights how the motivations behind creativity are increasingly skewed towards profit and away from self-expression or ‘making your unknown known’. When you’re making a living off art you undeniably need to make decisions that will benefit you financially, but the balance seems to be tipping further and further in that direction.”
There was a story you posted recently where RE:LAX was named in a record shop sorting section along with Hessle, Timedance and Blank Mind. How has RE:LAX changed the way you think about your own roles in the scene now, not just as DJs, but as facilitators or curators? “Yesss that pic was taken by Tash LC (who also runs an amazing label) in Rubadub, they do our distribution and have been such a support in getting the label up and running. I think people are waking up to the fact they don’t need to be propped up by big institutions, or at least if more people offer alternatives there’s greater incentive to stay grassroots and work with smaller/newer labels. We started re:lax as we felt there was a lot of interesting music that was falling through the net or being wasted on labels that weren’t going to do much for newcomers’ careers. We hope the artists we’ve worked with feel supported not just with their productions but with general mentoring and advice. It’s also not about tying anyone down to only release with us; we want people gain momentum and go onwards and upwards.”
You’ve been vocal about the importance of local communities in music, how do you feel you’ve stayed grounded in your scene and the people that form it in your circles? “I’ve observed the scene in London can be very transactional and it can feel like people want to be around you to further their own brand. I don’t have any interest in these types of relationships so try not to engage in that side of things. I prefer having a small core of people I trust and like to work with for example the team at Ormside Projects. re:lax hasn’t had a viral moment (apart from Nina Kraviz playing Harba’s tracks last summer, CMONNN), we’ve been bubbling away for a while and have slowly built a crowd of regular partygoers. Starting the label has opened up re:lax to the rest of the world and being asked to play shows in places like Japan and New York has felt incredible when you think we were doing tiny squat parties a few years ago. It’s a shame to me when artists reach a certain level and stop playing those types of parties as they’re the fabric of the underground. It’s more important than ever to support small venues and sacrifice higher fees if you can afford to every now and then. We wouldn’t be where we are today as DJs if it wasn’t for those smaller parties.”
If you had one day to take a fellow artist on an adventure around where you live, where would you go and why? “Oooh we’d do a lil food and park tour of South London because some of the best green spaces in London are south of the river! Swim, pizza and coffee at Beckenham Place Park, walk around Crystal Palace Park to see the dinosaurs, cool off with an ice cream from the gelato place on Lordship Lane then finish with deliciousss grilled sea bass from this little spot in West Croydon (I recently started eating fish and could literally eat this every day).”
You’ve been part of some really cutting-edge lineups on your travels, have there been any sets you’ve managed to catch of other artists, maybe outside the usual cities that really blew you away? “V!sion’s set at Modeci, Seoul was unreal. I also enjoyed catching Olgica and Andria’s b2b set at the Ilian Tape party in Belgrade recently. They played some really rugged dnb and then Sun People followed with a live set v- I’ve been a huge fan of his music over the years! I had to go and play so didn’t see the second half but it was an amazing night of music for sure.”
Can you tell us about three albums that a) define you getting into electronic music in general, b) maybe a midway album when you were fully invested in DJing and and c) a more recent one.
a) Bit of a cheat as it was a VA but my friend made a compilation CD called ‘Audio 2009’ (shouts to Mikey) which was my intro to the post-dubstep sound: 2562, James Blake, Vex’d…
b) Andrea Parker – Here’s One I Made Earlier. Andrea is my goat and her impact on me has been colossal.
c) Hitech’s first album and FULLBODYDURAG’s ‘Hello:)’ LP, I couldn’t choose between them. The new sound coming outta Detroit is in its own league
What sort of other hobbies or interests do you have outside of electronic music? Are there any books, films, shows, podcasts or other things you’ve seen or been reading/watching/listening to that you might want to share? “Being constantly on the go, visiting new places and staying up late is FUN but it’s not too good for the body or mind when those lost hours of sleep start to add up. I love the gym and I’d love to become a personal trainer at some point. Before the pandemic I was working part time as a tutor/support worker for adults with learning disabilities and autism. I’ve picked this back up recently; the organisation I work for offers training courses and qualifications so I’ve been able to study alongside for free too.
Books – here are some recent faves:
Shuggie Bain – novel set in mining town in Scotland in the 80s
Bad Habit – novel about a trans girl growing up in Madrid
Look What You Made Me Do – a memoir of a domestic abuse survivor
Deeping It – a critical look at the moral panic surrounding UK Drill and the politics of criminalisation and anti-blackness”
What was your approach to crafting your Truancy Volume mix, and are there any particular tracks that hold special significance for you? “I wanted it to be a versatile mix that works in every setting – getting ready, cooking, running/gym. Our collective attention span is so short these days I feel you can lose people easily so it starts off energetically. I drew on my experience of playing REEF in 2023 where I dropped down to 120bpm at the peak of my set; slower doesn’t always mean softer and there are so many amazing tracks in my collection that are peak time but sit at a slower tempo, like that VC-118A – Vapor track for example. I like the middle section of the mix where there are bursts of feminine energy – an amazing Scratcha refix of the jungle classic ‘Greater Love’ by Elizabeth Joy (with vocals from Scratcha’s sister), a trappy Coucou Chloe remix – blended with tougher gqom sounds. The beauty of 120 bpm is you can easily switch things up with polyrhythmic mixing so it was fun to jump up to 160 for the final 3rd of the mix.”
Looking ahead, what territories—musical or otherwise—are you eager to explore in your upcoming work? What are you looking forward to most in the coming months? “I’m currently working on a collaboration with someone very close to my heart, I won’t say more than that for now! I’m working on my next solo ep too. I’ll be doing my first India tour in June, I’ve heard great things about the scene out there and can’t wait to meet the crew. re:lax is making its debut in the States at 2 of my favourite clubs/parties (Nowadays NYC and Sorted, Denver) which is going to be amazing too!”
Last, usual question from us, what was the last thing to put a big smile on your face and when was the last time you had a proper dance?
Last smile – playing with my niece and her Barbies
Last dance – couple of these are from last summer cos I’m too old to be going out at the rate we used to Ricc, lol! Some of my fave sets from last year:
– Introspekt at Nowadays
– Mia Koden in the Lemon Lounge, We Out Here festival
– Shed at Parameter SF
– Kode9 at Outlook festival
re:ni: Soundcloud, Instagram, Resident Advisor, Bandcamp, RE:LAX
You can download Truancy Volume 348: re:ni in 320 kbps and view the full tracklist on Patreon here. Your support helps cover all our costs and allows Truants to continue running as a non-profit and ad-free platform. Members will receive exclusive access to mixes and tracklists. We urge you to support the future of independent music journalism—a little goes a long way. If you need any IDs though, please leave us a comment on the Soundcloud link and us or re:ni will get back to you with the track :)
