INTERVIEW: LEV

LEV is the new alias of London producer James Levey. With several projects under James's belt, including the sought after My Friend on Anjunadeep, the man behind the alias is no newcomer to the underground music scene.

Here he creates a blissful Balearic version of the original. Infections bass line underpins a beautiful melodic journey that will melt any dance floor.

We have had the pleasure of speaking with him and this has been the result.

Can you tell us a little about your early musical experiences?

Well I started DJ-ing at the age of around 16/17 and mainly played drum and bass on vinyl back then. After that I went to uni and started getting into more of the house music stuff as well as messing about with production and Ableton Live. In my final year I ended up getting a residency at the main house night of the week on a Tuesday evening and that's where my professional DJ career sort of started really. After uni I started getting more serious about the production side of things as well as securing a few gigs a month up in London. The rest is history.

How do you hope that your music influences or impacts your listeners?

I think I mainly just want to make people feel something emotionally when they hear my music, whether that's happiness, or all out raving!

Tell us about the inspiration behind your new remix on Londam...

With this one I definitely wanted it to have an 80s feel to it. Not sure where the inspiration came from, I guess it sort of reminds me of a Krystal Klear track. Love that guy!

Do you feel that your sound has evolved over the years?

I'd say it evolved in terms of being technically better produced and put together. But in terms of sound nothing much has changed!

Do you feel consistency is important in creating music? Or is it ok to experiment with different styles and sounds?

In some circles I'd say it can be important. However I feel like at the end of the day you should make stuff that you feel strongly about rather than pigeonholing yourself too much. I think I'd get pretty bored sticking too closely to one particular sound!

How do you see the next few years or your career panning out, in an ideal world?

Hopefully bigger shows and more of them. Also there are some labels out there that I'd still love to get on!

What's the most important piece of advice anyone's given to you so far?

Be original, and try not to look too closely at what everyone else is doing around you. Never give up!