Messenga Interview

Messenga (Lewis Stone) is a drum and bass DJ/producer/promoter from Devon, co-founder of Lateral DnB, an artist of Urban Wildlife and the Playaz DJ Comp winner.

Messenga was introduced to dance music and began mixing UK Hardcore vinyl records in his early teens. He moved to the South West, gained various residencies, and became a committee member for the DJ society 'UpBeat'. He has also co-hosted 'Access All Areas' on Brooklyn Radio and has played a vast amount of the major nights in the Southwest and beyond, supporting countless heavyweight artists along the way.

Messenga has a history of promoting, co-owning Lateral DnB, booking and playing alongside many notable artists and now currently works alongside clubs in the area and is holding down numerous residencies.

We thought it would be a good idea to ask Lewis in for a chat to see if we can find out what makes him tick, and I’m happy to announce that he agreed.

Hello Lewis. Thank you for taking the time out to talk with me.

Yo yo!

How has 2019 been treating you so far?

Very well, keeping busy! Habitat Festival in Hamburg was a highlight, it’s a different atmosphere there. Not a single mobile phone in sight! Everyone attending is purely immersed in the goings on.

Masked Ball in Cornwall was possibly one of the coldest sets I've played but also one of the most fun! This led to meeting Nick Rees from House of Après who I recorded a guest mix for as part of their series, which was featured with yourselves (here with full track list) on jungledrumandbass.co.uk.

Following on from S.P.Y on the Plymouth leg of his Dubplate Style tour on that same weekend was also absolutely kicking!

I’ve got a very busy month ahead as club season kicks off again. I'm playing between DJ Krust (who hasn't played down this way for over 20 years!) & DJ Hype, so that will be one for the books. (27th September @ Hanging Gardens, Plymouth...plug plug plug).

I've been enjoying an amazing residency with Hanging Gardens (shout out Simon Scullion) who are focussed on nothing more than facilitating the most tasteful and legendary bookings, allowing me to brush shoulders with my heroes month-on-month.

A highlight of this residency this year was warming up for DJ Marky and watching him use the 'Phase' technology for the first time - the geezer was scratching without the record even being on the turntable

Wow! Loads going on then!

Can you go back a few years and tell me a bit about the music you liked and listened to while growing up, and what first attracted you to drum and bass?

Growing up I had a very wide palette going on...and still do fairly. I was big in to garage, hardcore and hardstyle...also hip hop coming from my years playing basketball and the people I surrounded myself with.

I was pretty hooked on Channel U (RIP) for a grime fix back in the day when I was rocking a New Era fitted n' Ecko tee too! Do people still watch TV music channels? If the answer is no I'm gunna start feeling pretty old!

Drum and bass came around by chance in my early teens. Shortly after I bought my first home set up (2 x Soundlab belt-drive turntables, 2 channel Numark mixer and 2 x Raver Baby vinyl) a buddy of mine came round with a box of DnB records...the golden era stuff...and that was that! ...and I just really like snare drums init.

You can’t beat the golden era stuff. The Old School tunes are timeless!

Do you have a favourite drum and bass genre? If so, what are some of your favourite tracks within that genre?

My favourite thing about drum and bass is the versatility. From full on relax mode to full on head smashing and everything in between, there's an abundance of tracks to suit, so it all depends on what mood I'm in as a listener, so it's difficult to give a direct answer to that question!

Fair play. It’s the same for me with mood dependency. Although I must say, ‘Valley Of The Shadows’ has always been my go to tune.

What made you want to produce your own tracks?

I'm very much a DJ before a producer. My abilities are in reading a crowd, creative mixing and flexing some versatility, warming up and closing events in the right way!

Making records was the next natural step. I love getting lost in a world of creativity, endless possibilities and getting my head nodding, still a long way to go though!

‘Endless possibilities and getting your head nodding’ Love that!

You’ve released tracks on Urban Wildlife. Are you exited to be on their list of producers?

Of course! It was a slow burner; I was introduced to Mathias who runs the label some years ago whilst running Lateral. I polished off some tunes and felt they very much fit with the label...and fortunately so did he.

Mathias runs this label with real soul, supporting the up & comers and every release is shown in its best light. ‘Dushi - Love & Happiness’ is one of my favourite tunes from the past couple of years and that came from this camp.

The artwork for my ‘Keep From Trouble’ release was an original piece created by 'Human Robo' which was awesome. I would highly recommend checking this guy out if graffing is your thing! I had the pleasure of meeting him at Habitat Festival this year and cracking a beer!

Awesome! ‘Dushi - Love & Happiness’ is one of your favourite tunes from the past couple of years? That is a beautiful piece of Liquid drum and bass!

I love that your friend Mathias is supporting the up & comers. Everybody has to start somewhere, and support is always needed!

Your ‘Keep From Trouble EP’, released on Urban Wildlife, is pure quality! Could you tell me a little bit about this EP, how long the tracks took to write and what production techniques you use at the moment?

Again! A very slow burner! ‘Keep From Trouble’ was a track I had dipped in and out of for a long time.

‘Revolution’ came around a little quicker. I've known Restraint for some time and after he'd listened to some of my unfinished projects we discussed a collab.

This track actually started as a bit of a joke. After a laugh we were having and many Kevin & Perry impressions later, we recorded some impersonations and set out to create a track called 'Jam Sandwich Riddim'. After the track started coming together, we decided to ditch the jokey samples and move it in a different direction; ‘Revolution’ was the result.

As far as production techniques go, I always try to implement something new and quite often that's the starting point of a track. Whether that be trying a new synth with different processing techniques, programming/layering drums in a different way etc.

What aspects of producing your own tracks do you love the most, and what keeps you going?

I'm surrounded by so many producers who are technically and musically brilliant, who I have full admiration for! It's often conversations with these guys and the sharing of projects that sparks me to get my head back in to some tracks.

I'm very much a selector before a producer but laying down your ideas and catching a vibe of your own is massively enjoyable. Other days I can just spend hours learning the sciences of production which I also love.

Yes, just lay down your ideas, catch a vibe, and see where it goes. Sounds pretty much like your 'Jam Sandwich Riddim' idea that ended up with ‘Revolution’.

What do you find is the most challenging thing when making your music?

Time!

We would all love a bit more of that!

Which DJ’s and/or producers out there do you get your inspiration from?

Inspiration can come from anywhere at any time from anything. There's so much talent and interesting music inside and outside of this scene, it would be hard to pin it down to a select few sources.

To those that are new in the music industry, and may feel the struggle when starting to produce their own tracks, what advice would you give?

Your first track will be s*** - just accept that!

Surround yourself with like minded and motivated people who you can bounce ideas off and exchange advice with.

Also give yourself some routine and structure to your learning. Education & Bass is a brand new platform that's really working it for me right now - it also doubles up as a great forum of producers helping each other out with no ego!

Great advice!

You’re a co-founder of Lateral DnB. Can you tell me a bit about this set up?

This was an event series that ran for a few years just after I left Uni, set up by myself and a few compadre’s.

Each event was focussed on putting a single headliner in the spotlight, sandwiched between the finest local talents, and to fill a void we felt the city was missing and there was a demand for. Over the many events we put on we had the pleasure of bringing down characters such as Alix Perez, Amoss, Ed:it, AKOV, Foreign Concept and whole heap more to our city.

We also ran a collab night with The Prototypes (The Prototypes Presents: TC & Jakes) at The Hub (RIP) which was a vibe.

As myself and the other crew running Lateral DnB were starting to go our own ways, the platform actually morphed in to an in-house event at Factory (where we held the majority of our nights), which we helped behind the scenes for. The club went on to make some incredible bookings including Fabio & Grooverider, LTJ Bukem, Total Science, DLR and more - many incredible and memorable nights were had.

Interesting!

You started off as a DJ before becoming a producer. How did your DJing career kick off, and how has it progressed?

I started off in my bedroom in my mum's house with a pair of belt-drives and 2 x records, learning how to beat match with the same 4 tunes, much to my family's delight!

After moving to Devon for Uni, I ditched playing basketball and jumped straight in to club land with both feet. Some guys at the Uni DJ society took me under their wing and gave me my first club set back in 2010.

The 2nd set I ever played shortly after was at a DJ competition held at a club with around 1000 in attendance, so needless to say I was bricking it! I went on to win this competition and bagged a mid-week residency at this club, along with a Friday night residency at the Uni's SU, representing drum and bass and other styles in their room 2 to provide some contrast to the cheesy main room.

Countless club nights, one-off events and other residency's have followed over the years, as well as winning other DJ comps, including the Playaz DJ competition in 2017.

Another big reason of setting up Lateral DnB was to progress my DJing career and network a lot more, which is where most of my current residencies and contacts have come from.

Lol, much to your family's delight! Yes, same here Lewis! I used to drive my parents nuts!

Winning a DJ competition with the 2nd set you played. Sweet! I bet you were in bits!

You’ve experienced playing alongside some huge artists such as LTJ Bukem, Fabio & Grooverider, S.P.Y, Commix, Alix Perez, Amoss, Fabio & Grooverider and countless others over the years. Can you put these experiences into words?

It's always a pleasure to brush shoulders with the giants of our scenes. Warming up and handing over to so many of these guys has presented opportunities to dip into many different areas of my collection that wouldn't necessarily come out otherwise...and who doesn't love meeting their idols?

Do you prefer festivals or clubs, and do you think each have different energies?

They are totally different atmospheres and different approaches to playing. I must say small intimate clubs with low ceilings and sweaty rooms take the biscuit though!

Sweat dripping from the rafters? Grim!

What are your goals for the rest of 2019? Can we look forward to any more releases from you?

There are a few things bubbling, so we'll see what surfaces!

That’s good to hear.

Thank you for taking the time out to chat with me Lewis. You gave a lot of deep and intriguing replies, and it’s great to hear that you’re getting complete enjoyment out of your career as a DJ and Producer.

I wish you all the best with your journey, and for your future in the drum and bass scene. Is there anyone you would like to mention? Any shouts or thanks?

The biggest of shouts goes to my homie and local club visionary, Simon Scullion for supporting Lateral DnB during its lifetime and the continued residencies to this day.

Big love and thanks to Rudi & Warner @ 2SME events who have also given me some incredible highlights over the past couple of years and all the other promoters who continue to throw sets my way.

Mathias Busse (Urban Wildlife Head Honcho) - big shouts to you Eightball!

Last but not least, Seantelle my partner for putting up with the noise!

Buy ‘Messenga - Keep From Trouble EP’

Follow Messenga:

Soundcloud / Facebook / Instagram

Interview conducted and posted by Brenton Clerkin