Where did the name Smasher come from?
I got the name from DJ’ing under 18 club events, that was where the name was born and was the first time i had a chance to play in front of a decent size crowd people would always say you smashed it !!
How long have you been performing under that alias?
Over 20 years now.
Where are you currently based?
Im based in Essex.
How has your lockdown experience been so far?
Ive had a lot to focus on with the album being released so that has kept me busy but generally id say ok, i think I’ve used the time to keep creative as possible the biggest hurdle for me and my family has been keeping our daughter busy as the boredom has kicked in i feel sorry for the children i think they are finding it hard.
How did you first start playing music?
When i discovered turntables id say around 1997, i started visiting record shops on a weekly basis collecting as much records as i could afford this was where the journey started for me.
Your debut album ‘Locked In Locked On’ via On Top Records is out now, what influenced the sound and songwriting for this album?
The album is scattered with the 2 step/garage sound i fell in love with coming up on the london pirate radio scene in the late 90s/00s, the songwriting has been very much an organic process depending of the feel of the music.
How did you go about writing the album?
It was really a case of the records wrote themselves my whole approach is based on vibe, if the vibes hits then the words/melody starts to flow a lot of the lyrics started from freestyle i like to write without paper i find things flow much more natural.
Where and when did you record/produce and who with?
I recorded everything at my studio in east london over the space of a year, i produced every record on the album apart from track 12 which is produced by “prescribe da vibe”, i worked very closely with my long time friend a collaborator Aaron greenwood on the project.
How did you approach the recording sessions?
Every session was different some tracks may have been an 8 bar loop and then developed more or in other cases some records was wrote and recorded within the space of a few hours usually when the creative spark is there it all comes together quickly.
What programs/instruments did you use to write/record/produce?
Every song was recorded and mixed using Logic Pro x, using various different synth plug ins all vocals was recorded on My SE Z5600a II
What did you find most challenging and rewarding during the creation of the album?
The most challenging part of the process id say is the mixing / mastering stage, the most rewarding part is receiving great feedback from the listeners I’ve been overwhelmed with the response so far.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
To keep my spirits high I’ve been listening to a-lot of reggae over the lockdown period.
What do you like to do away from music?
Spending time with my family is important to me, when the sun is out i quite enjoy gardening.
What’s planned for 2020?
I will let the album run its course but generally i will keep the releases coming via the label “On Top Records” there will be no shortage of music, id love to do a live show when we are out of the lockdown so fingers crossed that can happen.
Favourite food and place to hangout?
Im a sucker for good food and I’m quite easily pleased Caribbean food is up there for me, a glass of red in my garden and I’m happy 🙂
