MIXED BY/ Loz Goddard

Mixed by Loz Goddard
Loz Goddard is a man, a man who creates fine house music with a disco twist.
(soundcloud) Hailing from Manchester in the UK, he has released music on labels such as Outplay, Razor-N-Tape, Quintesstials, Secret Reels and LargeAnyone who has seen him play or listened to his staple ‘Downtown Groove Sessions’ monthly radio show will know he blends leftfield jazz twinged house with disco stompers and straight up groovers with ease, truly a DJ that caters for all tastes. 

[soundcloud url=”https://soundcloud.com/boltingbits/mixedby-loz-goddard” /]

Today we ask him some questions about his approach to making music and what he has planned for the future. Loz has also kindly put together a mix for us to accompany the interview.

INTERVIEW


Since releasing your first music in 2012, how has your setup and approach to making music changed?
My set up has changed a lot since 2012. I started out making ambient kinda stuff with just my laptop and a Korg microKontrol which was a lot of fun back then as it was the first time I’d messed about with electronic music. Nowadays, I’m much more hardware focused and use a Korg microKorg synth, Juno 106, Korg m50 workstation, Roland TR-8 drum machine & more recently my Roland TD-30K electronic drum kit.

I’ve been experimenting with a lot more live instruments in my tracks lately, so my work flow has changed from jamming around a sample, to jamming out some keys or synth lines and recording some drum loops around that. I still do sampling of course but I’m trying to move away from it just to challenge myself a bit more!

Your EP on Outplay could be considered a bit of a breakthrough, how did things change for you after the release of that EP?
Yeah I agree with you to be honest. My ‘Loose Jams’ EP on Outplay was my first solo vinyl release and because of the promo, support and the label itself, it got my name out there in a much bigger way than I was used to with previous releases. I remember shortly after the EP dropped, Razor N Tape got in touch about wanting me to do a record with them too so I guess it opened quite a few doors. I had followed Razor N Tape for a while before that Outplay record so for them to ask me was a huge deal and a real nice surprise.

Who would you say are your biggest musical influences?
I’ve got to give a big nod to Sheffield’s Warp Records here as the music on that label was the first real electronic music I’d heard that I truly loved. Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Autechre, LFO. All those guys were the ones that had my attention from first listen. As you may have seen in my cheesy little bio, one of my friends show me ‘Roygbiv’ by Boards of Canada which introduced me to the whole electronic music world.

I ended up getting into that disco / funk kinda sound through listening to the old Sleazy Beats releases, old WOLF Music & Melbourne Deepcast. Once I started producing more disco oriented cuts, I inherited a few of my Dads old records which I’ve used for sampling and playing out, so big shout to Goddard Senior too!

Dead or alive, who would you love to collaborate with?
Great question! I reckon it would be insane to jam with someone like Roy Ayers or Herbie Hancock. I’m really into all that kinda jazziness lately and loving the live instruments again so getting on the drums and playing with any of those guys would be mental. It would be interesting to see how well I could hold down a jam with wizards such as those two.

I recently saw Snarky Puppy in Manchester who fully blew me away so if Ayers & Hancock aren’t up for a jam then Snarky would also be a solid choice. Those guys are musically TIGHT.

You have recently been playing all over the UK and abroad, what have been your favourite venues/cities?
I played in Lille in France on 9th June which was such a blast! The City is really nice too, kinda reminds me of Brussels & Bruges, with plenty of old architecture and cobbled streets. The gig was quality as well and was on this outdoor terrace with about 1000 people, so the vibe was huge. Other than that, I played a set at Stage & Radio in Manchester for a party called Bad Fun, the day before my gig in Birmingham for Secret Reels and that was a stand-out gig of the last 4 or 5 months.

I think my favourite venue I’ve played yet is Canvas in Volkshotel in Amsterdam. I played there for Midnight City so I always knew it was gonna be a decent jam. Fouk & Laurence Guy were on the bill with me too as it was an Outplay Records party so yeah, that one was extra nice!

What is coming up for you this year and beyond?
This year I have my ‘Rule of Three’ EP dropping on Outplay mid-July (Pre-order) which I’ve been really excited about for some time now. As well as that, I have more gigs lined up, a couple of remixes and another EP for Nov / Dec time (provided there’s no delays). I’m especially looking forward to playing with Nightmares On Wax in Leeds on 28th July and also my remix dropping for Hotmood on Whiskey Pickle. There’s a little video of that remix knocking around Facebook for anyone who’s interested in a sneak peek..

As a grower of fine chillies, what tips would you give anyone wanting to start making their own produce?
Haha this brings back memories of discussing chilli growing over a curry in Birmingham before my gig at The Hare & Hounds.

Chillies can be real easy to grow most of the time but I’ve got a couple of plants on the go at the moment that are just not enjoying themselves. I’ve tried over watering them which they didn’t seem to like. I also tried depriving them of water to teach them a lesson but they didn’t like that either. I’m unsure where to go at this stage with those two plants.

If you’re looking at growing some of your own though, it’s worth buying a small plant that hasn’t started flowering yet. This saves quite a bit of time waiting for it to sprout. If you want to do it from seed, get yourself a propagator so they’re in a relaxed environment. Once they sprout you can move them to a bigger pot and try and keep them outside provided the weather is half decent. Keep watering every two days or so and that’s it, job done!

A little tip from me – grow Scotch Bonnets. They have just the right amount of heat, a lovely flavour and have been very easy to grow in the past.


What was the thought process behind the mix you have provided for us and are there any exclusives in there?
With this mix I wanted to include some of my recent record buys and obviously a couple of exclusives, one being from my upcoming EP on Outplay. I’ve put some older stuff I’ve been listening to for years in there as well which has been fun to source. Always get a buzz off digging through my records picking stuff I’ve never used in podcasts before, for me that’s the fun part to recording a podcast. Rediscovering or discovering those B sides that have either never had a play or only had 1 or two plays.. loads of fun!

You can pre-order Loz’s upcoming EP on Outplay at Juno


Interview by Lee Dearn