MistaTrick - Interviewed by Max Golfar

Max Stuart Golfar

Max Speaks to MistaTrick, one of the most creative producers and promoters in the UK, about his new live project, his festival, and his musical roots. The new live act is amazing, blowing my housemate's tiny mind with its combo of close harmony, live brass, a tight MC and serious dance beats. 

MAX: For those of you who don’t know you, who is Mista Trick and what are you all about?

MistaTrick: My name is Mista trick and I am a swing and bass DJ. I'm from London but now live in Bristol and I'm all about funky drum and bass.

MAX: You weren’t always a Swing’n’Bass guy, so would you be able to tell us about how your DJ career started and where your musical roots stem from?

MistaTrick: My musical roots stem from the UK garage scene in 2000s where I DJ'd under the name of DJ Halo. When I was 16, I ran a pirate radio station from my back garden and I learned so much about DJs and MCing. I then went onto Leeds Uni & DJ'd in pretty much every club by the end of the three years I was there. I'd mainly play R&B and hip-hop and at legendary house parties where the basements would always be drum and bass. I remember the first rave I went to was at the West Indian Centre in Chapel Town in Leeds; Subdub. The bass on that system was just mental. 

I ended up doing some commercial Djing in the West End and pretty much hated it - it's soul destroying playing music that you're not passionate about for 8 hours. I then started going to festivals and Boomtown changed my life and introduced me to the beautiful sound of Electro Swing.

MAX: You’ve progressed your music production in to a live show with a full band. What was that process like?

MistaTrick: After going to Boomtown I found out one of my friends was in a swing band called Elle and the Pocket Belles and I asked if I could remix one of their tracks called Swinging Together which was then released on Ragtime Records. We got loads of bookings as a collab band but I decided to create Mista Trick Live for the harder Electro-Swing tracks. The change has been a journey trying different ways of doing the sets and I'm always learning and one day I want to play live kit. One major factor I have is that I want to create more original tracks similar to the likes of Scratchophone Orchestra, Jenova Collective & Caravan Palace. This is why we're kickstarting our album and we need all the support we can to make this dream a reality.

MAX: Who have been some of your musical influences?

MistaTrick: Wow, so many. I think, at the moment, London Elektricity Big Band. They killed it at Glastonbury. The musicians are insane. Ed Solo tracks are always big tunes in the clubs. The reggae/jungle vibe is just perfect in so many ways and I feel that's what can be created in a swing/jazz style.

MAX: What music production software do you use and why?

MistaTrick: I was on Reason for years but then moved to Logic 9 (standard) and I dabble in Ableton. The warping function is second to none.

MAX: You also started your own festival last year, what was that like putting it on?

MistaTrick: Oh yeah, that! Sometimes I don't know how this happened! I love sharing people's talent and showcasing the scene. Under The Hill is a collab with my old family friend, James, and Amy, our incredible marketing expert. Funnily enough, putting on a festival isn't easy, I worked so hard I gave myself meningitis straight after!

MAX: What is Under The Hill all about and when is the next edition happening?

MistaTrick: Last year was really successful, we had 500 people attend. We managed to secure a license for up to 3000 this year and it's going to be just as good. We're also opening for one day more on Friday evening till Sunday morning. We'll be showcasing some incredible live bands and superstar DJs. I also want to reach out to anyone who wants to get involved, from sound, lighting, stalls and traders.

We also want local bands (Hereford and Worcester) and we are running a dj competition.

MAX: Where can people next catch you performing?

MistaTrick: Depending on when you may be reading this, I play all over the shop at a few London gigs, Bristol and the odd city in Europe. And a handful of great festivals. Also, Canada is going to be fun. Check Facebook and follow me on bands in town - great app for gigs. I also run a venue at Boomtown with Marcus Gear from Subsonic called Little Pharma.

MAX: Any else you would like to mention?

MistaTrick: You're a G! 

Mista Trick’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mistatrick/

Under The Hill Festival: www.underthehillfest.co.uk

Under The Hill Festival Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/234855063725631/
MistaTrick Live's KIckstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mistatrick/mista-trick-live-album-fundraiser

Swingamajig 2015 - line-up preview

Traditionally there are a number of things which herald the arrival of summer. For some it is the arrival of the first swallow, for others its when the hawthorn bushes come into flower. For me there are two indicators that summer, if not yet here, is at least hastening towards us. These are my first cricket match of the year, and the imminent arrival of the UK's (the world's?) only festival dedicated to the electro-swing sound. The former of these took place yesterday (we lost, I still ache), and the latter is now just two weeks away.

In fact, this time in a fortnight I will be on a train returning to London from Birmingham, and if last year's shenanigans are anything to go by, I will be leaving a small pool of dribble on the train's table.


For those of you who haven't heard of Swingamajig, it is, in its own words, "a utopian future where scintillating circus performers meet under night club lasers [...] where the streets are alive with frivolitiesm, festivities and music day and night and where jazz and swing fuse with thundering synths and everyone parties like its 1929." Utopia, indeed.

Less cryptically, and more informatively, Swingamajig is a one-day urban festival in Birmingham dedicated to the electro-swing, gypsy folk and vintage remix sounds. For a taste of what to expect, here's a faintly amateurish video that I made at last year's event.





Building on the success of last year, the festival has expanded quite significantly for 2015. This year we will see six stages of live bands, DJs cabaret performances, circus skills, magic, and all sorts of other nonsense. The gates open at 2pm on Sunday 3 May and close again some 16 hours later at 6am the following morning.


As always at Swingamajig, the cream of the vintage remix and electro-swing worlds will be performing. What more would you expect from a festival organised by the Electric Swing Circus and Ragtime Records? I won't list the whole line up here, but acts definitely not to be missed are French trip-hoppers Chinese Man, the crew behind some of my absolute favourite tunes including this absolute head spinner.





It is to my shame that I have missed Chinese Man every time they have performed in London over the last few years, so I intend to be front and centre this time.


Another act at this year's Swingamajig that come highly recommended are Smokey Joe and the Kid. It would be fair to say that these guys are the electro-swing DJ/producer's act of choice - so many people in the scene cite them as their favourites that again, I find myself asking why I have not yet seen a live performance. Rumour has it that they spend 60+ hours per week in the studio, so it is hardly surprising that they have such popularity. Their sound combines so many styles and flavours that its hard to pin them down to one style, but almost everything they do has a sweet vintage tinge to it and their music is eminently danceable.




Of the live acts, I would also recommend that you catch Jenova Collective, who I saw for the first time a month or so ago - they really killed it in front of a really mixed crowd and are sure to get you moving with their dubby take on Vintage Remix. I'm also sickeningly excited about the Dutty Moonshine big band, which promises to be loosely controlled musical mayhem.


This year one change to the festival is the upgrade of the Ragtime Records stage to the Ragtime Records Warehouse. Anyone who has (literally) bumped into me at a gig knows that my dancing is... expansive, so the implied extra space in this name sounds like a good thing. There's going to be plenty to get me dancing too, with names like Ed Solo (who made the windows shake recently at the Boomtown warm-up event), Don Johnston (ft Leo Wood) - who are behind one of my utter favourite reworks of a classic jazz-age tune - see the video below - the lovely Tallulah Goodtimes, the legend that is Chris Tofu, Mista Trick, Mr Switch (World DMC Champ) and C@ in the H@.







I for one am shivery with excitement - if you've got your tickets I hope that this has helped to get those juices flowing, and if you haven't get over to the Swingamajig website before its too late!
See you in Birmingham!