Talking to: Lu.Re
Lu.Re is a London-based producer, DJ and vocalist who began producing during lockdown and has already established a fanbase and a great deal of support from others in the field, including Radio 1extra’s DJ Target. Her debut EP, Ruminate, is set to drop on May 26, with a release party in London on June 4. A classically trained viola player, Lu.Re interweaves spiralling breakbeats and thick, bendy basslines with viola and vocals, mixing and producing all the tracks in her London flat.
She’s also one of new wave of UK garage artists at the forefront of the genre’s resurgence. And those reappropriating jungle, 2-step and UKG are doing much more than simply copying the styles of 20+ years ago. Instead, this slice of the 90s soundscape is getting a genuine refresh: while respecting and valuing the music’s roots, today’s artists are evolving and developing what the music can be and is about. For example, for a style of music often associated with the hedonistic side of rave culture, it’s refreshing to hear jungle and UKG artists such as Lu.Re, BKLAVA, Nia Archives and others using their music to shine a light on questions of mental health. Equally exciting is the extent to which non-male and non-white artists are a true driving force of this movement.
Speaking from Pirate Studios in Hackney Wick, Lu.Re joined us for a really interesting and open discussion exploring musical influences, the UKG scene, mental health and the impact of lockdown.
Thanks for talking to us today! I love the new EP and the way you’re bringing 90s 2-step and UKG right up to date. It’s quite nostalgic for me, but with a fresh twist. Where does this genre fit within your own life? Do you remember it the first time around, or did you come to appreciate it more later on?
We grew up knowing all those garage classics, but for me, there wasn't loads beyond that. It was more as I got older, when I started making music, I really liked the kind of choppiness and the rhythms in garage, and that there are often some really nice lead vocals – that soulful element. There does tend to be quite a lot of the jazz, piano, keys sounds coming through garage music.
When I was writing [the EP], I had garage in mind, for sure. But I didn't necessarily have the club in mind. That probably does come through, because it sounds like you could listen to it in the afternoon. It's quite chilled.
Were there other artists or other kinds of music that shaped your sound?
I had quite a weird entrance into dance music because when I was growing up, I played loads of classical music. But although I appreciated it, I was never one of the people in the orchestras who would go home and listen to it. I just enjoyed playing it with other people, but that was kind of it. I've come into dance music production from quite an unusual place. But I guess that kind of explains to me why I like the syncopation of it… if we're being quite nerdy about it!
Also, as a vocalist, I feel like it would be a shame not to include my vocals. That’s also how I feel about the viola – as I mentioned, I had that classical folk start. Viola is definitely not a necessity. But personally, I quite like to get it in where I can.
Other than that, I love the big dance tracks from people like Tina Moore. I've got three older brothers, and I remember them listening to the garage classics when I was growing up. Nowadays, though, I feel like I'm listening to quite a lot of underground music. But there's just so much now, there’s some amazing garage coming out. It's cool to see vocalists doing DJ sets with vocals, and female artists getting into it. It does seem to be quite a male dominated arena.
It’s interesting, coming at it as a vocalist, because a lot of my producer counterparts are male. They often don't have female vocals, and maybe they're doing dubs, and it makes the sound come out so differently.
It’s still a very male-dominated industry, right? What’s your experience been like as a female artist in the electronic music scene?
I think that's why it took me a while, through lockdown, to really think about myself as a dance music producer. It took a little bit of a switch click in my head because up until then, growing up, I didn't really have that many female dance producer artists in my world. Then in lockdown, I started picking up DJing more. And there are a lot of female artists out there. It's just that maybe I hadn't been aware of them. As everyone's talking about, they’re not always on the lineups. The more I've immersed myself in dance music, the more I've seen, and I think that's given me the confidence to do it myself.
At my school, classical music was kind of the only route. Now you get classes on music production, A-levels in music production. There are lots of initiatives now. And it does give you that little push to get to get involved.
How long have you been producing, and what’s your journey been like to get to where you are today?
The first single I put out was the year before the pandemic, and I was doing open mic nights for about a year before that. And then I released three singles. And then I kind of decided I wanted to make my next release a bigger project, and to have more to put out than a series of singles – it's quite a jolty process. So I decided to make the EP, and I think going through lockdown probably dragged it out a little bit. The pace of life was slow then!
Also, like a lot of people did, I had some mental health issues that definitely didn't help, although they did influence the music a lot. But yeah, so a couple of years for the EP, which was a long time. I definitely feel like I'm making my next tracks more quickly. I guess that's just how it works. I think it's part of my nature to reevaluate, and redo, and rework. And lockdown really gave me that time to go over tracks and make multiple versions before settling on them. I'm trying to get a bit better at that now. It's quite a hard thing, to say something's finished.
And which did you come to first, production or DJing?
Production. I produced my first two singles [Rains and Silence]. And I was DJing a little bit at home, pre-pandemic – just as the pandemic was starting, which was good timing, really. It was mainly just hosting parties at the house and DJing. So production came first, but they go hand in hand. And DJing has definitely been helpful for my production, because it makes you really think about what your music sounds like, and where it sits in a set. Before I was DJing, it was quite rare that I would listen to a whole bunch of tracks and think, OK, mine fits here or doesn't fit there. So yeah, I'm really happy to be getting into DJing more.
That’s interesting. How would you say your DJ sets compare to your production style?
Actually, the DJ sets I do for my Netil Radio show have been really helpful in getting mixes out and preparing shows, and thinking about how to package up a couple of hours. On those shows, I try to show the spectrum of the more chill, jazz-influenced side of two-step. So I think my productions that I've released so far are definitely more at the chilled end of dance music. But I'm probably slightly edging towards the other end with my next couple of tracks, of my own production, at least. I’m just listening to so much music, I think putting together mixes means you're just having to go through so much, you know, you'll be on SoundCloud for hours just trying to put together a stash for a show.
You touched on the kind of some of the struggles that you went through during lockdown, with intrusive thoughts and your OCD diagnosis. You’ve been very open about this in interviews and with your fans and the media, which I think is incredibly courageous. Was it a clear decision for you to speak up about mental health? Or was that decision slow in coming?
It definitely took a while. Not saying that I hadn't told people – I told a few friends, and that was really important. I have better ways of coping with it now than I did at the time. But the feeling that it creates is so strong, and real, and scary – intrusive thoughts can be quite dark. But when I was diagnosed, I just thought I had to share and be honest. So “rumination” is thought of as a mental compulsion, one of lots of different types of compulsions. They kind of feed into the thoughts that you have it all seems very real. It's a bit of a Catch-22. Going through therapy, I realized that rumination was a thing. I'd already written the track and it just it felt kind of weirdly, I don't know… “serendipitous” isn't the right word, but it was that kind of thing. Yeah, it just felt really mad that it was so honest. And I thought, well, I should just be honest.
And hopefully it'll help others as well. A couple of people have actually messaged me since. Which does mean a lot because if it can just help a few people, then that's massive. More than I could ask for really!
Even though Ruminate is about something quite difficult, the EP feels very forward-looking.
There is obviously some darkness in the EP, but I do think it is quite hopeful as well. I think I was trying to channel that into it. Trying to make that my positive outlet. And yeah, it's nice that a good thing came out of it.
Your lyrics are very poetic – for example, in one of my favourite tracks, Night Soul. Do you enjoy writing for its own sake?
I did an English degree, and I've always enjoyed reading and poetry. I like songs to have meaning and to feel real. I don’t really write other things though – just lyrics at the moment. At uni, I did do a little creative module, but that was pretty much as far as it went! I just think I'm thinking so deeply all the time. Actually, it probably would be impossible for me not to write something with multiple meanings.
You touched earlier on your upcoming show in June. Tell us more!
I'm doing my first live vocal DJ set on the fourth of June at The Glove That Fits. I've just kind of launched in – I'm going to start putting on a night, it’s called Ruminate Lates – like an EP launch party. And actually, you're hearing it first because I've literally submitted the event on Resident Advisor today. I'm really excited about it. I’ve got some cool DJs and producers lined up, including Pray J, who’s quite well-known for releasing fun garage stuff – she’s being booked all over the place. And a couple of others.
That sounds really exciting. What else have you got coming up?
The EP drops on the 26th of May. And the third single off the EP, Ruminate 2 Step, is just out. The two-step version is a bit quicker. It's got some double speed vocals and a bit more bass, and yeah, it might be a bit more of a dancey version.
And then I guess after that it'll just be more music coming out. I've got a couple of singles that I've been working on. And I'm starting to do some more DJing out and that's kind of my big dates really!
You also have a show on Netil Radio – when can we catch that? And what can listeners expect from your show?
It's the first Tuesday of the month. It's kind of the spectrum of sounds that I'm enjoying at the moment. It’s new stuff with a few classics – there's a lot of new stuff, actually, in every show. I put them on SoundCloud and Twitch as well.
Where’s the best place to keep an eye on what you’ve got coming up?
Instagram probably – that’s where I post things, I deleted Twitter!
Good to know – we'll keep an eye out and hopefully see you in Bristol one day!
Thanks, nice to meet you!
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