DJ MAG WEEKLY PODCAST: FAZE MIYAKE

Some artists refuse to be categorised. Faze Miyake is one such producer; an East Londoner with a sharp ear for bass and boxfresh ideas who is constantly evolving. 26-year-old Farris Malik refuses to be defined by his city, boasting a transatlantic touch that sees him incorporate trappy snares and 808 bass with leftfield UK strands and productions that Novelist could be at home spitting over.

Having collated some of his previous work onto a USB (which sold out in under 45 minutes) courtesy of his own Woofer imprint, his debut album recently arrived on Rinse, blowing our expectations out of the water. With art direction courtesy of Nasir Mazhar, the only running musical theme of the self-titled LP is that it seems to be made for loud, hefty soundsystems. We caught up with the producer for a quickfire Q&A which you can read below, while listening to the latest edition of the DJ Mag podcast that he’s mixed.

It’s a cracker... tune in now.

Kicking off with your new LP, you've worked with quite a few vocalists. What was it like going into the studio with Little Simz, Sasha Go Hard and the Family Tree collective?

Pretty normal, to be honest. I just got stuck in with the album. I knew how I wanted to shape it and I knew I needed some features on there all from different places to make the album move in different angles musically.

That Inga Copeland collaboration was a bit of a surprise. Did you actively want to subvert people's expectations?

Of course. I've always been about that. Even when I was involved in grime heavily I was the one with my own style. I will always bring that to the table. I like to go against the grain and do what you don't expect. Plus I listen to so much music and I'm not scared to try new things. It's fun.

Do you think it’s gonna open you up into new territories of production or collaborations?

I sure do hope so. That's what I want in life let alone my career. I'm always going to grow and expand. I think it's healthy. I can't be stagnant or in the same place forever.

How did you find the response to the LP? Did anything surprise you about the way it was received?

I have been enjoying it really. I've had nothing but a good response about it. I'm just constantly working in the future. I'm already sorting my next releases or projects but that's just how I function as an artist. A lot of us do I think.

You’re not strictly grime production-wise but heavily involved in that scene... the genre’s become more widely accepted by the mainstream than ever this year. What’s your take on its increased popularity?

It's great to see man, honestly. Makes me happy that something with such huge potential is finally getting the love it deserves. It's hit a whole new crowd and audience now and is growing. For some of us it might not seem as cool anymore but I think a lot of people should be happy that there time has come on the big stage. For me personally I've never tried to be strictly grime so I just wish people would stop bugging me about making grime just because it's popular. I just do what I want.

What’s next for you? Any projects in the pipeline?

Loads that I don't want to talk about just now. I just like to give the product to the people. The album is out now and a lot is coming. I don't want to have a long time out like I did prior to the album. Even though I was still constantly working and putting stuff out for free or on the Woofer USBs I made etc. I just want to keep putting out great releases and projects. Just watch out for the words Faze Miyake, always!