5 MINUTES WITH...HAAi Hello HAAi! How are you? I’m good, I’m good, I’m in Berlin at the moment.
So, first question… Describe your sound in three words… Psychedelic, percussive, melon twisting but that’s four words isn’t it...
You started off in psych-rock, when did you first become interested in electronic music, was there a catalyst? It was actually when i came to Berlin two years ago after my band split up, I went to Berghain for the first time and that was when it all changed. It was the first time I’d heard dance music properly. In the main room is was Ben Klock, weirdly I went back the other night for the first time since then. Sola was playing in Panorama Bar, that was great. But yeah, that was when the electronic music penny dropped for me.
And when you were in Berghain, what about it made you realise that DJ’ing was something you wanted to do? Music sounds different in that place, like it’s so special. I’d never heard techno sound like that, it sounded so much more interesting than I ever thought it was, then after that I got the bug! It was also down to timing also, because it was after my band had split up, I think I was sonically more open minded.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
I definitely have people who I look up to DJ wise, Andrew Weatherall is the number 1 for me in terms of mind-expanding DJ’s. He’s amazing, the sets of his I’ve seen have really blown my mind and I’ve been totally sober. He’s one of those DJ’s who really pushes it and keeps it so interesting in his sets.
You’ve done B2B sets with Daniel Avery, The Black Madonna and Midland to name a couple, if you could go B2B with ANYONE (dead or alive) who would it be? Not really, I am always up for a B2B with anyone. Having played with those three was amazing, that’s probably the three people I’d have wanted to play with. I did a bunch of B2B’s last year that came about sponteaneously.
I think that’s nice when it’s spontaneous.. Yeah, I did one with Anthony Parasole really really spontaneously, we ended up playing for 3 hours together in Sheffield. I think it’s more about that than having one particular person you really think about going B2B with all the time.
What was the first record you ever bought? The first record ever or the first dance record I bought?- The first record I bought when I moved to London was a Kenyan compilation, or actually it might have been The Funkees actually, they’re like a Kenyan 70’s funk band. I actually still really love that record.
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