From making waves on the radio to packing out underground clubs and festival stages alike, DJ Moxie has had one hell of a year, culminating in the startup of her own label On Loop. Leo Burrell went to find out more.
You’re a very busy woman at the moment! Could you give those who might be new to you a bit of a breakdown on what you’re up to?
It’s been a pretty full-on 12 months – but also really fun and challenging in some areas. It was definitely the year I put myself forward and out of my comfort zone. My club night, On Loop, has been touring all over, which has come such a way since the first session we did in March 2016. We’ve also developed that into the label and I’m working on Vol.3 of my compilation series ‘Moxie Presents’. Plus some big radio stuff coming out next year and then the DJing in between. A year of juggling different hats, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
We had a great time at your first On Loop night in Sheffield with Nice Like Rice back in November. What made you choose NLR as a collab partner and Sheffield for the first shindig?
When I played for the NLR guys last time I had an instant connection with them. The set before mine and the closing set by the residents were straight up vibes. I’m quite picky about who I’m doing the parties with, especially if it’s a collaboration, so when they emailed to see if I wanted to work with them my answer was immediately yes.
You brought Session Victim and Fold with you, the latter’s cracking EP Mill’s Theme is coming out under On Loop. Will you be doing more solo releases or will you carry on with the compilations?
I’m so happy to be releasing the EP, it’s been a long time coming and something I’ve been supporting loads in my sets and on the radio. With both the label and club night it’s all about creating a family of DJs and having that community feel about it. Fold is someone that’s been a mate for years and I couldn’t be happier to be releasing music by him – he’s incredibly talented and I really want more people to know about him. As for the compilation, Vol.3 is already in the making and I’m in the process on signing off the follow-up to the Fold EP by an artist called Avon Sai.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR4TmYgrgSc
The tunes on your label have had a lot of big-time support, from Benji B, Gilles Peterson, Annie Mac and Toddla T. Do you make a particular effort to play On Loop releases in your DJ sets?
Absolutely! Often people send me unreleased music and if I feel an instant connection when I play it out then it’s a no brainer. It’s the same for the radio; I’ll often use that as a place to test stuff out and see the reaction from the listeners.
I was there at your On Loop party at Glastonbury with Leon Vynehall, Joy Orbison and Julio Bashmore on the Thursday night of this year, the day of the EU referendum. Funny story actually…A guy at the front showed me his phone screen with the headline “BREXIT CAMPAIGN LOSES”, resulting in a night of false elation for me and my mates, all of us believing that Remain had won…You should’ve seen their faces at 8:30 the next morning when the real result came in! How was that Glasto’ for you? As I understand it you’ve been going since you were a toddler.
I love Glastonbury, it’s by far one of my favourite festivals and yep that’s right I’ve been going since I was super young. My mum actually used to have a stall and sell kids clothes that she made herself and my sister and I would just run around, it was definitely more family focused back then. So to then host On Loop all these years later was a dream come true, I remember when we found out we had the stage at Stonebridge Bar and I was so ecstatic. That was a big moment for me and I was on such a high after that night. I’d actually forgotten about Brexit till my boyfriend and I overheard someone talking about it just before we went to bed. I was campaigning to stay so it was crushing to hear the news. Especially because it’s the first of its kind and so our future is so unpredictable, it’s my generation that will feel the effects the most. I’m trying to stay positive as that’s all you can do in these situations. Oddly on a personal level it’s possibly been one of the best years of my life, it’s funny how the world operates.
Last year you played The Warehouse Project with Flume and Krystal Klear as part of your residency. Do you think On Loop could ever host a WHP?
It’s always nice to be invited by WHP to come and play, and it was a real treat to spin as a resident this year. Each show was totally different to the next and I love that the crowd are up for it as soon as the doors open. Generally, the energy in Manchester is always on top form – it’s one of my favourite cities to play. At the moment we’re keeping On Loop at intimate venues as I think it’s important to build the crowd and I’m wary of it growing too quickly. But you never know, that room 2 has a special energy to it.
Finally, has any new music been pushing your buttons recently?
The new Fold release from my On Loop label is something I’ve been playing out loads recently. That one’s coming out January 23rd. The new Mr G album A Good Place…? is also really great. And the new Artwork release forthcoming on Numbers is an absolute beast – I’ve played that at every gig since I got it!
For more about upcoming On Loop releases and live Moxie dates, head to www.djmoxie.com.
Photo credit: Vicky Grout
