Today's stellar FADER mix comes via Scottish producer Lockah, founder of the label Tuff Wax and the man behind one of the best releases to date on Mad Decent spinoff Jeffree's. Tuff Wax has released a series of 7-inches called "Aberdeen Truth," showcasing artists from Lockah's home city; in the same spirit of home-team pride, his bubbling mix is half-full of Scottish artists, with seriously impressive songs you've probably not heard. Download the mix, read an interview and check the tracklist at the bottom for some new names worth following.
Download: Lockah's FADER Mix
The title of your last EP begs for an explanation—When U Stop Feeling Like A Weirdo and Become A Threat… Was there a specific moment for that “becoming”? Well I'm not really new to making music, and even Tuff Wax was conceived in late 2009. Until recently I've never really felt like anything I've done either on a personal level or as part of a band, scene or movement has made a particular impact on people. As we (Tuff Wax) got more focused and started to figure out how to organize ourselves a bit better I was just slightly taken aback by the fact that we got props and recognition. So for the first time ever really, I was doing things, telling people about them and they were listening! So it sounds kinda dumb and sad but that's all there is to it really. From just accepting that what I do musically was just what I do, to the label and my own music being suddenly taken seriously had a big effect on me. We started seeing everyone wearing the Tuff Wax tees. Then one day I was hammered and just tweeted the immortal words.
Why is Aberdeen important to you? Well, Aberdeen's basically famous for one thing: the oil and gas industry. In terms of culture and art, we’re so far behind places like Glasgow, where you have world class art and club culture. So basically you have a city that's really heavy on young people who can make a lot of money and don’t really care about the arts. It can be a hard sell to push underground sounds and things that aren't mainstream. Representing Aberdeen for me is not important because I'm violently proud of the city—it's kind of a crappy place in a lot of ways, but it's where I come from and it's where I'm at. It's more about pride in what me and my close crew are all about. And if I don’t talk about a lot of other nights or folks making music, it's not a diss, it's just that I'm so focussed on my own stuff and those directly around me. We wanted to make Glasgow and Edinburgh take notice of us. We love so many artists, collectives and heads from these places, so it's a big compliment when we get a shout from them.
How tight-knit is the mix? It's basically a mix of Tuff Wax heat, Scottish artists who I've ended up getting to know more personally and a healthy dose of the ‘Soundcloud scene' stuff. About half of the mix is Scottish artists. I was really flattered to get some new stuff from guys like Pixelord who I've admired for so long, and to premiere a remix of one of my own songs by Offshore, who in particular is a hero for us having come from Aberdeen himself. It's a big boost when you can just approach people and say "Yo, you got anything new" and they say "Yes" and send it to you. It's still a bit of a novelty.
Tracklist:
Moist Ghost - Waterwalker
Ryan Hemsworth - 2 Naughts
5kinandbone5 & Robert Jeffrey - Penis Power (LOL GURLZ & ƱZ remix)
Lockah - Now U Wanna
Lockah - Now U Wanna (Offshore remix)
Grobbie - Acid Love
BF Hoodrich - Pocket Rocket
DM Bones - End Central (Holler Back)
Tastetester - Sneak Tactics
Ryan Hemsworth - Cold & Tempted
LOL GURLZ & DJ Hoodcore - Juiceboxxx
Branko - Going In Hard feat. Dominique Young Unique (French Fries remix)
Timbah - Can't Live Without You
Lockah - The Sour Drink From The Ocean
Pixelord - Modem
The Phantom - Gothic (Optimum remix)
The Phantom - Gothic
Lockah - Please Lockah Don't Hurt Em
Lockah - This Is True Muscle Suicide
︻╦╤─ ƱZ ─╤╦︻ - Trap Shit v3
ELOQ - Navi Ravi
S-Type - You Da Best
Yoin - Nails
123mrk - noname (Pixelord remix)
Zubuntu - Ruff Stuff