LuckyMe feature – Serie B 2008

LuckyMe feature – Published in Serie B Magazine, 2008

This feature is accompanied by a mix, which is available here.

——————————————————————

LuckyMe, Lucky Them, Lucky Us

A storm has been brewing for a while up in Scotland, centered on the city of Glasgow. Thing is, thanks to a collective of artists based around town, it’s a storm that has to do with music rather than weather. The name of the collective is LuckyMe, and while it may fool you, luck really has nothing to do it.

Heading the LuckyMe family are Dominic aka Dom Sum and Martyn aka FineArt. The collective’s naming was, as Martyn explains, “pretty spontaneous. I like things to be named positively and I guess it’s meant to be a joke about people thinking you’re lucky even though you put the work in.” Truth is, Hard Working Them would be a more appropriate description for a collective who have gone from putting on their own parties in a small Glasgow pub to international recognition in just a few years.

A new breed of hip hop collective, LuckyMe is not based around a label or a single entity, but instead is fluid, evolving and adaptable. Appropriately they make a new breed of hip hop, one echoed worldwide in recent years by people like Flying Lotus and Dabrye.

It would be easy to give their music a new, trendy name, but the fact is LuckyMe make hip hop. And if it sounds different to what people are used to it’s because it embraces a cornerstone of the culture that is too often forgotten: progressiveness. “What we do is inclusive and open to new ideas and influences,” says Dom, while Martyn admits that “we’re obsessed with hearing new music. And hip hop was always about progression, about making it your own.”

LuckyMe’s fluid ethos is apparent in how they’ve been operating and releasing so far. All the core members, Rustie, Hudson Mohawke and Mike Slott, are producers and DJs while Dom and Nadsroic, a female MC and singer, are vocalists. On top of solo releases, they also all collaborate under various guises: Heralds of Change (Mo and Mike), Surface Emp (Mo and Dom) and The Blessings (Dom and Martyn). And then there is the extended LuckyMe family, with Jay P, Mr Copy and Dema.

LuckyMe’s profile rose high and quick in 2007 thanks primarily to the success of releases by Rustie, on Hyperdub and Stuff, and Heralds of Change, on the Irish All City label. And in early 08, the LuckyMe label got off to a flying start with Mo’s ‘Ooops’ EP, praised by fans and producers worldwide. The key behind the success of these releases was a distinct take on hip hop and electronic music, one that explores new and exciting possibilities. At times loose and unquantized, but always banging and somewhat irresistible, these guys make seriously refreshing music, rightfully catching the ears of people worldwide, on the dancefloor or in the headphones.

Their ‘unusual’ approach to releasing, collaborating and promoting is all part of the plan. “It’s the modern way to me,” says Martyn. Dom further elaborates: “we are an artist-led, music-led crew. We promote our vision ourselves and if someone wants to release and fit our vision then they can invest in our music. Our label is there to put out stuff we love but no one is either biting at or ready for. The label should be indulgent and pioneering, but it’s only a small part of the plan.”

As the music industry continues to change and the live element becomes ever more important for artists to make a living, LuckyMe’s approach appears all the more logical. Especially when you consider these guys are true ‘live’ workhorses: they started and built the collective around club nights and gigs, have opened for incredibly varied acts from indie hip hop to folk, and continue to rock clubs and festivals worldwide.

“We’ll concentrate on the music while the big guys try and figure out what all the changes mean to them, we stay small and adaptable like that,” Dom says. “Live was always our linchpin, so I guess in a way we are better prepared for how things are now.” Martyn adds that “now that people want us to come and perform, rather than putting ourselves on, it feels incredibly good and rewarding to have stuck to our ideals.”

As we discuss live shows something comes up that feels key to their success and mentality. “When we first did live shows it became a ticket to be more creative and honest to all the other shit we do,” Dom says, before recounting a memorable gig with Mo in London’s Plastic People where they played beats and techno when hip hop was expected and ended with Goldie shaking their hands for bringing something fresh to the night. “And it was all because we felt we could do what wasn’t expected. They trusted us. That’s so important, so different to having to please. I feel like to have vision and a sensibility in this genre-less, beautifully open time in music is all you can have. It’s your biggest asset. Just do you, be original and don’t get too caught up in scenes or ‘rules’.”

Well aware of their increasing worldwide notoriety and growing fan base, they are keen to keep building and show that it is all thanks to a lot more than luck. “I tell myself to relax when I feel pressure, because it all came naturally and, excuse the pun, you can’t force luck!” Dom says jokingly, while Martyn knows that “this is everything we want to do, and we are blessed that a lot of it is happening how we want it to.”

Big things are already under way this year. Nadsroic’s EP will be out in late summer on the label, with other releases from various members also in the pipeline. Warp signed Mo for a release this year, while Mike has been overseeing the 7×7 series on All City which features art from Dom. And all of them continue to tear the roof down wherever they go, with gigs at Sonar and a US tour for Heralds of Change and Rustie the highlights of a busy year, without forgetting their own night in Glasgow which continues to showcase the cream of the hip hop and electronic scenes every month with no plan to stop.

“The stakes are bigger now, but it’s just another time to relax and rely on the natural sensibility and quality control that you can’t force or fake. We have got here for a reason and we can now make a career from moving it on and making more music.”