British producer Joe Bradley (a.k.a Latmun) has witnessed his profile skyrocket in the last 24 months. One glance at his events pages on Resident Advisor from 2015 and 2016 will tell you just how rapidly Latmun's deft abilities behind the booth were sought. The former year had him in venues across England, with hints of what was to come being in line-ups that had him placed with Erol Alkan, Eats Everything and Skream. While the latter was a completely different ball game, as tracks like ´Def' and a remix of Green Velvet's ‘Flash' had a catalyst effect that saw his events schedule bulging with both national and international gigs.
He tore straight into 2017 with dates at BPM Festival and Miami Music Week, and off the back of that Green Velvet rework, the veteran booked him as support guest across two dates in the U.S. On top of that, the desirable tracks keep coming, with recent release ‘Everybody's Dancin' being picked up by The Martinez Brothers, Mar-T and Matthias Tanzmann, among more.
Taking those feats into consideration, we should be amped to know that we'll be in between Latmun's sonic layers this summer, as not only is he booked as a resident for Cuckoo Land at Ibiza Rocks Hotel, but he'll also being making a debut for Paradise at DC10.
We caught Latmun on a productive day in the studio that was fuelled by Earl Grey and chocolate, and squeezed a little out of him on what's headed our way over those six scorching months.
Hi Joe, how you doing? What's on that schedule of yours today?
Today is a Wednesday, meaning that I will be living in my studio stocked up with plenty of cups of tea and chocolate (the best tracks get produced when chocolate is in hand). I'm in the studio 10am to midnight Monday through Thursday for the moment, as the touring schedule is about to get really hectic when summer comes so I'm getting lots of new music written while I can.
Jumping into your year so far, it's been a huge start for global gigs. BPM Festival and a number of dates in the U.S, including Miami Music Week. What are your highlights from across the Atlantic?
The BPM festival was most definitely a huge highlight. It ticked every box from the sun to fresh coconut water and also unexpected crazy afterparties which always make it. The best of which was at a beach club after a big night at Blue Parrot, it got planned during the middle of the night out so I wasn't expecting that much. I turned up to a full outdoor venue and an up for it crowd who partied into the afternoon with myself, Solardo & Gorgon City going B2B2B - that´s one to tell the grandkids.
With the U.S stuff I had an unfortunate situation arise where my visa got held up and I missed a number of shows because of it. I´m therefore even more excited to make it over there in June to party with everyone at Mamby On The Beach. Ask me that question again after that and I'll have some stories to tell.
You earned yourself some serious kudos for the remix of Green Velvet's ´Flash´ in 2016. Clearly impressed, you were booked as Green Velvet's lead support month. How did that come about? To have support from a veteran like Velvet must be incredibly nurturing to your progression?
That remix came out of the blue for me as I wasn't even aware Green Velvet was a fan of my music until the request came through. I didn't know which I was more excited about, the fact that he liked my music or the fact I had just been asked to remix him. It definitely did help me a lot as an artist - to be asked was an honour. We have then gone on to play at some parties together as you mentioned, where it turns out the legend at writing music is also a legend at the party and lots of champagne was put to good use. I'm looking forward to the next time already.
You made your RINSE FM debut this month which is huge exposure to gain new followers. How's the feedback been? How did you find the experience of putting out a selection of tracks, and seeing the gratification left via comments rather than instant cheers from a crowd?
I really enjoyed doing the RINSE show because it's a different experience than playing to a full crowd at a club or festival. You can craft a different journey on the radio that doesn't have to take into account factors like the time of the night, the quality of the sound system, room acoustics or musical knowledge of the crowd. You never know exactly who is going to be listening or when so those things are irrelevant and the journey is therefore unlimited in its direction. The presenting bit was something I had to get used to though as I don't do it very often, so it feels weird talking to yourself at first. It was really nice to see lots of good feedback though.
Ibiza season 2017 is close to kick off. How did the residency with Do Not Sleep´s Cuckoo Land at Ibiza Rocks Hotel come about?
I have been to my fair share of DNS parties at Space over the course of last year so to play for them this year is essentially a dream that has somehow amazingly materialised. I love the vibe of their parties and the line-ups are always unique and carefully chosen to make for a great experience. Cuckoo Land is going to be taking that a step further where it represents freedom from reality in a mystical dreamland. I played for many years at Ibiza Rocks as a resident prior to breaking through as a touring DJ, so I am really excited to be playing 12 shows in the same place over the course of the season where I can really get to know and learn the crowd there and curate the vibe.
Last year's Ibiza gigs were all about the basement sessions, and this year you're going in for the pool parties. How are you looking forward to switching it up and getting in some daylight? Do you feel that having a bigger variety of bookings (especially festivals) over the last 12 months has in some way helped you prepare for daytime, open-air vibes?
That is something I'm particularly looking forward to. Partying in the clubs at night is obviously amazing but during the day under the sun on that beautiful island is truly the ultimate way to make the most of it. Having a large variety of bookings really does make you a better DJ, and you are always learning to play the perfect soundtrack for that exact moment in that place. So, the more you do that to the best of your ability, the more variety and flexibility you have ready for the next gig. I´m really looking forward to putting everything I've learned so far into my Ibiza shows this year.
It looks like it's going to be a game changing year San Antonio this summer and Cuckoo Land is very much a part of that. If so, how would it feel to be involved in that progression?
For sure, it's really exciting. For me, along with most people, San Antonio was where I stayed on my first trip to Ibiza when I was only dreaming of playing over there one day, so to be going back to where my first experience of the island started is really special. Change is always exciting and I'm counting down the days till May 21st. I even tried to wear my shorts the other day because I was getting so excited but I was a little premature as I got some weird looks from people in their winter coats still. Hopefully people will look back on this year as being one which took San Antonio to new levels, and as a resident of one of the main nights it's great to think I will be contributing some memories towards that.
Will you be living on the island in between Cuckoo Land dates and spending some time clubbing yourself?
I won't be living on the Island as much as I would love to, but I don't think I will get anything done. I won't just be flying in and out though. As Cuckoo Land is conveniently on a Sunday I will be staying on into the week a lot of the time to party at some of my favourite places like DC10. I should mention I will also be playing some shows there for Paradise this summer, which I am hugely excited about as well. The partying on the island from the dance floor is actually essential to my career believe it or not, as going on a night out with my friends and spending the whole time on the dancefloor is where I collect most of my ideas for future tracks. When I'm back in the studio I can think back to the memories of that night and how I felt and it helps me create the vibe of what inspired me. You need to have been on the dance floor in the crowd I think to fully take in the vibe of the set and/or night.
Productions wise, have you any releases for the summer? Some of your tracks have been touted by some of your personal heroes – Neverdogs with ´Everybody's Dancin´ being the latest – how does that push you to progress in the studio?
I have three more EPs signed and waiting to be released this year, the first of which is coming out on 9 June on VIVa as a follow up to my Def EP, which was a career turning point for me so I'm excited to be doing that. I then have an EP coming out on Repopulate Mars. It´s been a long time coming as Lee Foss and I have been in talks about it for nearly a year now and trading lots of music. We wanted to make sure it was right, and the time taken was worth it as I'm really happy with that one. Later in the year I have an EP coming out on my dream label, Hot Creations. It's something I've been really hard working towards for a long time so I feel like it's an achievement similar to just getting my university degree result all over again. I can't wait to share it with you but that's all I can say about that one for now.
Any other big projects billed for 2017 that you can spill on?
Feels weird talking about things as far in advance as this, but towards the end of the year you can expect to hear some more music showcasing a different style of production for me. A more European feel focused around the groove and subtleties of the music but while still maintaining a high peak time energy - this is opposed to being more jackin' and in your face like some of my past stuff. I've been enjoying writing it because like anything in life you want to constantly challenge yourself and keep learning, I've had to relearn lots of new ways of filling a track out to create the vibe I wanted with these new ones.
WORDS l Aimee Lawrence
