Relight | Interview with Hemai

• Describe your sound in 3 words

Okay so if I had to pin 3 words/phrases to the music they would have to be along the lines of Eclectic, Fusion and Off-the-whim. I think this would give a little inside to envision the sort of music you’d be delving into.

• The groove in ‘Relight’ is really cool. If you had to name one song with the best soul drop, which one would it be?

Thank you so much…you know, it’s a pretty tricky one because I don’t tend to keep an ear out for individual sections. Normally for me the attention is on the whole picture from start to finish. But a memorable section would be the tune Life in the rain by Quantic. Serious head bopper. Another being Celebration Suite by Airto Moreira. Iconic and beautiful.

• You moved from Birmingham, a major city, to London, for many the world capital of music. If you could name one difference between these two cities which one would it be? How do you relate to the London music scene?

Yeah! Crazy change, pretty life-changing to be honest. The most noticeable difference for me personally is that there is so much to learn here about the way people move so present. Always moving forward in multiple paths. Brum does this also but I find it harder to read and find people in a similar headspace musically.

• What would be your dream performance venue?

Back-end basement clubs and spaces across the world for sure, throwing some beach bars in there as well. Just me and my brother Sam, on a beach, acoustic guitar and congas…bliss. But big time, the energy at spots like KOKO and Electric Brixton are so so moving and pulsating.

• Is Spotify the music industry’s new Gatekeepers?

I wish I had the answer…being someone who has only released music digitally before I don’t know any differently, although I consume tunes heavily through physical formats. I believe either way it’s beautiful and humbling to be able to listen to art fullstop

• What was the best film you have watched during the quarantine?

Jungle with Daniel Radcliffe. On my toes the whole time. Guilty to say I didn’t watch any which intertwined with music…

• One last thing we should know about

Always learning, always wanting to experiment. Whether thats moving to a new city to experience a new rhythm of life musically and spiritually, or delving into a new piece of music equipment to make some lovely, crazy sounds with. Who knows!

• Thank you!

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