Around the release of his fantastic EP on Rennie Foster’s RF imprint, we got to know em.ash…

Hi em.ash, thanks for chatting to us today

How did your journey with music begin? and how long?
“Music was always around my home as a child. I got turned on to electronic music by friends in high school in the 90s with Underworld, LTJ Bukem, Orbital, Prodigy, Leftfield, Photek, etc. It’s been a self taught journey since then. I started sequencing in Impulse Tracker and Jeskola Buzz them moved on to Reason, and finally Ableton and hardware.”

Can you tell us a little bit about your local scene?
“The North Vancouver Island scene is very DIY. Lots of smaller, long-established underground parties happen here and on the nearby islands, mostly in the forest and along the many beaches we can get to. There are bigger festivals like Diversity Festival and Cumberland Wild that help introduce us to the world. There is a huge amount of talent here, world-class DJs, producers, musicians and artists, so collaboration is the key to success.”

You are releasing on Rennie Foster’s label, how does it feel to sign your music to a label as such?
“It’s a huge personal achievement and I’m excited to build from here. Rennie has been really supportive ever since we first met a few years ago. Having taken my time to get here, and having gone a more DIY route, I’m really excited to have Earth Keepers out on such a solid and respected label as RF.”

What studio gear did you use for the Earth Keepers EP?
“An old Macbook Pro from 2007, Ableton Suite 8, some Akai tools, KRK Rokit 5 monitors, a Subpac and a cheap plastic desk fan.”

What’s your favourite gig you have done?
“There are too many magical islands and people to pick one. Sunrises at the Bay, Diversity, the Silent Discos at Cumberland Wild and every moment at the Mushroom Manor.”

If you could choose any label in the world to release on what would it be? and why?
“All Day I Dream, Keinemusik, and Objektivity. I really appreciate the consistency and quality of each label.”

Anything else you have coming up?
“I have shows coming up in August on Gabriola Island (10th), at Cumberland Wild (17/18th) and in Courtenay (24th with JPod). My remix of Wolf Loup’s ‘The Quiet’ will be featured on Nootka Sounds’ vinyl release in the winter and I’m working with Comox Valley artist LadyK, focusing on syncopated rhythms and South African grooves.”

em.ash’s latest EP is out now – https://www.beatport.com/release/earth-keepers/2634739 
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/emash
Mixcloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/emash/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djemashofficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emash.official/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMASHofficial