Kode9, Hudson Mohawke and Actress will play a special RBMA pre-event later this month at Roadhouse in Manchester.
The night is hosted by Hoya:Hoya, a Manchester party thrown by Jonny Dub and Illum Sphere, the latter of whom will be a participant at this year’s Red Bull Music Academy. Dub and Sphere are known to bring genre-bending, bass-heavy lineups to their Manchester party, and this event is no exception, with Hyperdub boss Kode9 appearing alongside wacky beat scientist Hudson Mohawke and Actress, the deep and raw Werk Discs boss. Occurring one week before the RBMA’s commencement, the party will serve as a preamble to the classes, workshops and events Red Bull is sponsoring this February in London.
We caught up with Illum Sphere earlier today to chat about Hoya:Hoya, RBMA and more.Why did you decide to apply to the RBMA?
I actually applied last year to the Barcelona edition, but I didn't have a lot of productions out then. This year, when I applied, I had some things coming up—and already out—so I felt like I had some more experience. A friend of mine had gone to the Toronto one, and recommended it to me. The way it looked to me is as though you could go back to high school somehow and you could pick out exactly how you wanted it to be. I mean, I haven't been there yet, so I can't vouch for that. But that's kind of how I imagine it to be.
How long have you been doing Hoya:Hoya with Jonny Dub?
We're almost coming up on two years. The second anniversary will be at the end of February with
Brackles and
Floating Points, while this next one is with Kode9, Hudson Mohawke and Actress. We started the night because we weren't getting booked into clubs. We started at The Music Box after
The Electric Chair—which was one of the best multi-genre, eclectic nights in the city—stopped doing regular gigs there.
But after doing four events at The Music Box, we ended moving to a smaller venue called Roadhouse. We're quite lucky there. Because of pure stubbornness, I think, we've created a crowd that can handle us playing a Ben Klock record, and then an early '80s boogie record and then somehow flipping it into grime. They kind of thrive off that switch; no one else in Manchester do you quite get that.
You will be starting a label called Hoya:Hoya soon, but you also have a few releases out now as well on other labels.
Yes, I have something coming out today actually on Fat City called
Long Live the Plan which is the first part of an album that is coming out later this year. I also have a remix of Martyn coming out on 3024, and a remix of Om Unit as well.