People call me Lotek, but what’s in a name? For your information my Mum calls me Wayne, as far as I know it means maker of wagon wheels. I don’t make wagon wheels, not even the chocolatey kind. I make music, I have done for as long as I can remember, so either I’ve been doing it a long time or I have a short memory. I started off as an engineer at Motown UK where I made Tea and Coffee for people such as Shirley Jones (from the Jones Girls and backing singer for Diana Ross). She likes it with no sugar and just a splash of milk.
I then went on to work at Rollover Studios in London, where people like Seal, Adamski, Leftfield, East 17, Take That and Peter Andre recorded. It was there I started making toasted sandwiches to go with the Tea. I eventually became the head engineer for Sound Of Money Records who had a young Roots Manuva on the books. I began producing for Roots Manuva and the rest is history…and geography…as I was the musical director for his tours for 2 years before venturing out with my own project…Lotek HiFi
If you could curate your own festival, where would it be, who would be on the bill, and what features would it have
I went on a Carribean cruise once, the ship was like ¾ mile long and had 17 different bars/venues on board including a 800 seater theatre and a 300 capacity night club. I always thought a festival on that ship would be incredible….with maybe George Clinton as one of the headliners..I saw him do a gig in London, he went for 4hrs with no break..EPIC!
What can fans expect from Lotek and Die Rude at Eclipse Festival?
We’ll do some of my songs from “International Rudeboy” but with a Die Rude flavour to it. There’ll also be some ska and reggae classics thrown it and we’ll probably end up jamming at some point…whatever the vibe calls for. It will be high energy with added low end!
If you had the choice of any musician, dead or alive, who would you most want to share a stage with?
Ah theres so many to choose from, especially if I get to choose from those who have died too. Although I’m wondering,am I travelling back in time or are we going to reanimate them? I reckon a zombie funk band led by James Brown would be pretty awesome. Seriously though, of those still alive I’d love to perform with Prince I think hes one of the most talented musicians alive today, as is Stevie Wonder, he’s also someone I’d chew my arm to perform with given half a chance.
Do you have a favourite festival moment?
Watching Marilyn Manson sing the chorus to an Eminen song at Reading festival was pretty cool. My favourite festival was Reggae Sunspash 1992. There wasn’t any particular moment the whole thing was one massive adventure. It was held at a football stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. It lasted all week and featured pretty much every single reggae artist alive at that time.
You recently did a remix of Hilltop Hoods ‘Rattling The Keys To The Kingdom’, is there any other Aussie artist you would like to remix?
Um, I dunno, It’s not really about the artist. I didn’t set out to remix Hilltop Hoods, but when I heard the track I thought it would sound sick with a Grime meets Dubstep UK kinda vibe to it…so I asked Suffa for the parts. Similar thing with the Little Red cover I did, it started off as a remix. I just loved the piano hook and thought it would work well as a horn line. I have to have a clear idea of what direction I’m going to go in before I decide to do a remix.
Can we expect a new record from Lotek soon?
Well I’m always in the studio, everyday. So my work is always out there it its many different forms. The next actual “Lotek” album or EP will be early 2013…not entirely sure how its going to sound though. I’ve been playing with a few different ideas..It will probably be a bit more progressive and expansive than “International Rudeboy”
What and where was the first gig you went to?
It was The Drifters (minus Ben E King) I was about 11 or 12 and was on holiday somewhere with my parents, can’t remember exactly where. Funny this is the thing I remember most about the gig is that one of them had a pair of sun glasses with the shop tag still on it. It’s the first time I had seen that. 20 odd years later and I think it still looks pretty stupid. Not quite as stupid as leaving the sticker on a baseball cap with the size on…what’s that for? Are they boasting about the circumference of their cranium?? Anyway,I digress…it was a good gig.
What’s on heavy rotation on your iPod right now?
I don’t own an iPod, I and I mostly deal with tings with a big I…seen?
Mostly reggae gets played on my system when I’m not making music. The Lee Scratch Perry Anthology is getting a pretty good work out right now.
Do you have any particular ritual before you go on stage, or even a lucky charm you take with you?
Er…yeah but I’m not sure I want to reveal it. It’s not so much a ritual more like a call of nature. I guess its a physical manifestation of nerves and anticipation. I don’t feel nervous or anything, just merely need to lighten the load…so to speak.
What is your music the best soundtrack for?
A moonlight bikeride on a sunny day in winter in a hot country…or…a big day in after a quiet night out…or…catching up with friends you haven’t met yet.
Where we can see you play next, what releases do you have available and where can we get them?
My last album “international Rudeboy” is worth a listen if you like reggae, hip hop and dub. It’s available at all good record stores…and a few shit ones stock it too…also available online, directly from lotek.bandcamp.com
Obviously playing at the Eclipse Festival with Die Rude, expect a tour early next year to go with my new release.
More info at lotek.cc including links to twitter, facebook etc.
