Dimensions Festival 2024
Hello after an embarrassingly long time avoiding writing anything for this newsletter! As I wrap up the last of AIR’s episodes for 2024, I wanted to take a minute to look back on the two latest episodes and the special circumstances they were recorded in. After a couple years stewing on the fact that I want to do more interviews in live settings, but never doing anything about it, I was extremely grateful to get the chance to collaborate with Dimensions Festival on site in Tisno this August/September.
It was such a pleasure to work with Patrick Forrester and Hamish Cole on this project, two of Dimensions key players who share such a resolute vision of what the festival’s art, music, and identity should be. Pat and I worked for months on finding the right artists and pinning them down on the right dates for this collaborating, and in the end, we also teamed up with Resident Advisor to produce a Playing Favourites special with Sonja Moonear.
But the real treat was the two live versions of AIR that took place at The Haze stage on Sunday and Monday. I often talk about how important it is for me as an interviewer to actually hear someone’s voice when they talk about their ups and downs, look back at their history, and celebrate both their struggles and milestones. It’s something that’s exacerbated when we speak in front of an audience — hearing the reaction of the crowd, seeing them laugh and cheer and dance, and even shed tears, during an interview is one of the most moving things of all. All of that reflected in the face and voice of the interviewee… It comes full circle and it’s something that can’t really be replicated in a one-on-one talk.
Unai Trotti and Sabri of Cartulis Music commemorated their 15 years as a label and event series with an incredible talk together, discussing their personal journeys and the growth and maturation of the label; unforgettable nights at their London home FOLD, and their approach to the craft of curation. One of the best compliments I received came from a friend afterwards: “I hadn’t heard of Cartulis before the talk, but now I want to know everything about them.” And that’s the goal as an interviewer, isn’t it? Telling a story and inviting the listener to delve even deeper, drawing them in and keeping them close.
Similarly, on the Monday, I sat down with Tameko Williams, also known as Detroit in Effect. Tameko had some amazing stories to tell, I’ll never forget how much the audience and I laughed at his wild tales, but for me the best bit came when he talked about losing his former collaborator Odell Perry. He spoke so sincerely about keeping Detroit in Effect going because it’s what Odell would have wanted: “I gotta keep it going, so I’m going to keep it moving.” It’s one of those things that sticks with you — doing it for the love of the music, and pushing through even when it gets hard. Those are the messages you hope for as an interviewer, that remind you why you’re asking questions.
I hope you’ll take a moment to listen to both talks, which we also uploaded onto the AIR Soundcloud, recorded live from the festival. Thanks again to Pat and Hamish for their help on this.
++ Cartulis photo by Jamie Jar. DIE photo by Jake Davis