- Genre-fluid DJing from a key Rinse FM host.
- Emerald is a name that should be familiar to any Rinse FM devotee—she's been DJing on the UK dance music radio giant since 2014, and has just started a new flagship slot called The Dance Show on Friday nights. The Londoner is a consummate radio DJ, blending together genres and tempos with pitch-perfect mixing and an ear for hooks that makes each track stand out. (She calls herself "genre fluid.")
She's said so much in the lengthy, excellent interview below that we can keep this part brief. Her RA Podcast combines newer favorites from Lauren Flax, Queer On Acid and Neil Landstrumm with older, recently acquired records from DJ Deeon (1994) and FSOM (1992). If this is your introduction, then take a listen and make a note to check out The Dance Show next Friday. And if you already know Emerald, then you know this is gonna be a good one.
What are you grateful for these days?
There are so many new babies in my family right now, the next generation is coming on strong! I'm so grateful for all the new life, family is so important to me and see it grows fills my heart more than anything.
I'm also grateful to be doing music full-time, I remember dreaming of it while working four jobs at once and it feels amazing to be living it now.
Also London might not be the most amazing place to live right now, financially and politically but it's a damn sight safer and more liberal than a lot of places in the world. My family are from all over the world and have crazy stories of struggles through their upbringing, I feel blessed to have been born into the place and situation with the opportunities that I was.
How and where was the mix recorded? And can you tell us the idea behind it?
I recorded this live in a couple of takes in my humble, cosy, little, home sort-of-studio/wardrobe using Technics 1210s, Pioneer CD2000NXS2 and a Pioneer DJM900NXS.
This mix is made up of a few of vinyl records I dug for during my travels to Berlin and Barcelona recently, and some digital tracks that I love, ranging from early '90s to recent years and a few forthcoming gems (although by the time you read this some of them might be out!).
I've never been a purist, my taste is always evolving and changing and my selections have always been from all different corners of club music, from all different parts of the world, which can sometimes be a double-edged sword, but I can't help it! I am the way I am and over time I've streamlined a bit but I've learned to embrace that. This mix is an expression of that. Selections based on a serious love for each tune, regardless of genre, while also trying to take you on somewhat of a sonic journey. I've always found the expression 'stay in your lane' never sat right with me, what a boring life that would be!
You'll hear acid, electro, techno and breaks, it's definitely an expression of where my head and heart are at the moment and what I'm really feeling playing out. It's sexy and dark and it's got a lot of groove.
What is special to you about DJing on the radio, and how does it differ from club DJing?
Radio is such a personal form of media. When I'm delivering radio, I always envision that I'm delivering that show and talking directly to one individual person. Club DJing is all about a collective reception, a room/club/field full of people all together, and it's about navigating that specific passage of time. Radio is special because it's listening for a different purpose, it can be a completely private experience for the listener, they create their own environment to listen in and if they want (and nowadays they can listen at any time of day). Also you can listen in the car and that's my favourite place to listen to music!
What have you learned over your many years in radio?
Countless lessons! The most valuable lesson I'd say is probably through live interviews. You have to really learn how to be in control of the energy of an environment and the people in it. Being live in general is something that is never easy in the beginning but through practice you learn how to be quick and improvise, multi-task and save unpredictable situations constantly and be happy with imperfections. I've also learned a lot about the tech that goes into running a radio studio, how to write a great interview, time management, plus putting together mixes so often gets your mixing really tight, bonus!
You mentioned constantly changing tastes and phases—what do you listen to when you're not listening to dance music?
I love, love, love R&B and hip-hop, new and old. And Afrobeat. Secretly love a bit of pop too.
What's one social or political cause you want the world to pay more attention to?
Where to start!? I think community is extremely important. I really enjoy working with kids and feel passionately about opportunities for young people. I've worked with kids a lot over the years locally and I feel like we don't realise the impact we can truly make on a kid that can change their life and have a ripple effect on many lives around them for the better. Growing up my mum fostered and she had a lot of foster brothers and sisters growing up in Liberia so that was inspiring to me, my partner's mum fostered over three decades also!
I once fundraised for a couple of charities who help women who are either homeless due to poverty or are refugees and don't have the means to afford or access menstrual products which STILL aren't free and up to only one year ago were taxed as a luxury item. We did this shoot where my friend Tia made jewellery out of tampons and we made them look like luxury goods on this super slick looking photo shoot which was a hilarious and fun way to spread awareness. It's something I still think needs a lot of attention and change.
On a real positive one, I absolutely love seeing how the music industry comes together during humanitarian crises. It was an honour be a part of a fundraiser for the Ukraine crisis.
What are you looking forward to in the near future?
I've just started a brand new Friday night prime time show on Rinse FM which is their new flagship show for dance music. It's called The Dance Show, it's three hours long and it's a combination of all my radio experience, presenter led but with a mix in there every show and with an array of guests ranging from established artists to rising stars and unsung heroes. It feels like a coming together of all the last ten years of experience and knowledge I've gained. I'm so excited for this new chapter, I love radio more than anything and since I've been so much more focused on club culture and playing out recently, I've still been presenting and hosting here and there but nowhere near as much as I used to and I've really missed it. I love radio so much, it's my favourite thing on planet Earth.
I've also just started a club residency, my first ever at Corsica Studios! It's such a legendary London venue and every time I've played there, I've had the best time and the crowd have been incredible. I'm looking forward to curating lineups over the year.
I'm so insanely excited to be bringing back my club night/radio show/livestream Afters in the dreamiest place ever, Glastonbury. It's on Sunday night in a secret location within Shangri-La with a secret lineup, it was confirmed and then cancelled when Glastonbury was cancelled due to Covid-19 so it feels like a real celebration that we can do it again coming out the other side of never-ending lockdowns.
TracklistGood Guys - Hypergroove (She Loves Me) Acapella & FX [Century City Music, 2020]
FSOM - Resist The Beat [Meglamania, 1992]
Coop - Even Out [Heras, 2022]
Dawl - The Key [Pareidolia, 2017] Pareidolia Recordings
Detroit's Filthiest - Final Countdown [Curtis Electronix, 2020]
Client_03 - Compliance [Client_03 Unreleased]
Fear-E - Basics 2 Da Back [Fear-E Unreleased]
Terra Form - Ghettotech [Different Trax, 2020]
Lauren Flax - Sweat [Super Rhythm Trax, 2022]
Coop - Lightweights [Heras, 2022]
ItaloJohnson - 15B1 [ItaloJohnson, 2022]
DJ Deeon - Da Bomb [Dance Mania, 1994]
Primitive Needs - Eastern Philosphies [R.A.N.D. Muzik, 2021]
ItaloJohnson - 15B2 [ItaloJohnson, 2022]
Mary Lake - Dribble [United Identities, 2022]
Queer On Acid - Ravebow [Kneaded Pains, Unreleased]
Black Rave Culture - Activate [Black Rave Culture, Unreleased]
Joy O, Boddika, Pearson Sound - Faint (Dyslectas Weaker Edit) [Dim Sum, Unreleased]
A Saggitariun - The Head Test [Kneaded Pains, 2022]
Hooverian Blur - Kapital [Yellow Machines, Unreleased]
Neil Landstrumm - Disrespekt PM [Heras, 2022]