Recognise: Hagan

During university, it became apparent to Hagan that the UK was starting to formalise a UK Afro sound. He also noticed that the home-grown club culture required a lot of tracks to have a weighty low-end: “We love bass!” he says. “This pushed me to work on making sure my tracks could compete within that spectrum, while adding African-inspired grooves and dark textures.” He achieves some of this through software like Massive, SoundToys’ Decapitator to give some saturation, and CamelPhat for distortion.

He talks about the importance of learning from other producers: “One thing that I’m big on is perfecting mixdowns and making use of space within a mix. I often ask producer friends what steps they have taken to give their mix the character and shape that it has. It isn’t necessarily about it being ‘clean’ for me — it’s the thought process behind making the bass sound a particular way, or how they were able to give their drums that punch or crunch. On other occasions, I may ask what music they’re listening to so that I can expand my muses and share some music or YouTube clips I’m watching as a source of inspiration.” Ghanaian producers inform his work a lot. “Appietus and Jay Q produced a lot of my favourite hiplife tracks back in the day. I also draw inspiration from Ghanaian producers who are pushing boundaries and fusing sounds, like Juls, Gaffaci, KG, Blaq Pages, Kayso and C-Tea Beat.”

For the album, he’s enjoying working with features, including a Ghanaian rapper on a track celebrating the country. It’s important to Hagan to work with Ghanaian artists, especially since “it’s hard to connect the artists with producers like myself, KG or Blaq Pages, who are doing things that are less conventional. Our music blends influences, it’s not only Azonto sounds or traditional Ghanaian sounds; because we are of the diaspora, we have influences from both where we were raised and our heritage, which gives us a spin on our sound.”

Texture is a key factor for Hagan. He shows us his djembe that he’s been playing at church since he was young. He makes loops from it, covering his hands on different areas of the skin to get varying pitches and tones. Elsewhere on the album, he’s laid down shakers and random household items — ”glass bottles, coins, pots” — harking back to when he was little and would play on anything. Sound memories imbue his style, especially the upbeat rhythms of praise music from church. He wants to highlight this by including instruments such as the dondo and the fontomfrom. 

He says he’s struck by the way that producers like Lil Silva and Juls capture an authentic sound by mixing electronic tones with live instrumentation, and he wants to do that in his own style — “to connect with people, not only in the club, but anywhere, in the bedroom, in the car, as they go to work... music brings moods that don’t just belong in the club”. He’s already had sessions with musicians ranging from guitarists to saxophonists.

Hagan’s drum kits sample from session musicians that he’s met over the years and asked to play — from agogo bells to bongos. He’s also built a collection of packs from some of his favourite hip-hop producers, like Timbaland and J Dilla. From these, he manipulates his samples, and has built a sample bank that is specific to the Hagan sound.

A large thread of Hagan’s work is in archiving, even making documentaries like Yenkyi Taxi with Crudo Volta. He wants his work and music to help people to connect with Ghanaian musical heritage. He also sees his work as a personal archive.

“I’m trying to look back and reflect on my life,” he says, “tracing back to the Ghanaian artists that I used to listen to while I was DJing with my uncle, when I was young to now. How did my South London and Ghanaian roots come to form my musical ability at this point?” This reflective ethos creates a sound that is meandering and evocative; bubbling with the kind of inquisitive energy you’d find in the queue for one of Hagan’s sets, and presented either like the soft thrum of bass pulsing through walls to the street, or hitting you right in the chest as you arrive in the room. 

Listen to Hagan's Recognise mix below.