Skiddle Mix 054 - SG Lewis (Chibuku Shake Shake)

Image: Chibuku Shake Shake

Chibuku's reign on the top hasn't been short like leprechauns; instead they're currently in their 15th year of activity with their patented multi genre approach still winning rave reviews and legions of clubbers at each and every event.

Part of that has been down to the constant influx of new blood, and the beginning of their latest season sees SG Lewis installed as a new resident. The man, who also promotes Liverpool clubnight Dot, delivered us an hour mix to offer a snapshot of what his sound is about - listen to it above.

We also spoke to him quickly to find out what his new residency had in store.

Hi Sam, cheers for taking the time to chat to us. How exactly did your residency at Chibuku come about?

I moved to Liverpool to study in late 2012, and went to my first Chibuku for the re-opening party in October that year with Andy C, Mosca, Ben Klock and others.

I remember walking into the theatre of The Masque (now the Arts Club) and being absolutely blown away by the atmosphere and sound of the room. I came away completely in awe of everything I had seen. I never thought I'd get the opportunity to play the room within the three years of studying in Liverpool, but I made it a bit of a quiet goal of mine anyway.

I became a resident at Dot in September last year, and we were lucky enough to get invited to play as Dot DJ's at Chibuku in April last year. From there the guys at Chibuku just really started to support what I was doing, both as a resident DJ and as a producer, and this year they have asked me to play the theatre for the opening party, which I am so chuffed about! I can't thank the Chibuku crew enough for all the opportunities they've given me so far. 

How would you describe Chibuku to someone who had never been, and where will your style and sound fit in with it?

Chibuku has been running a long time - I was six years old when they put on their first night, and it is no coincidence that it has been so successful for so long. The Theatre in the Arts Club is my favourite room in the country, and that opinion is shared by a lot of DJ's, including Annie Mac.

The way that the room is laid out creates such an amazing atmosphere, and the way that the room rises towards the back means that the DJ's playing can really read the room and see how everyone is reacting to the music.

There's such a mix of people at Chibuku nights, and this is also reflected in the breadth of genre's displayed on any given line up, which is something that very few nights can pull off so effectively. Everything is carefully thought out and executed by the team, and I think it really shows.

I'm hoping to bring a progressive, atmospheric vibe to warm up the nights, and hopefully kick things off in a way that builds excitement towards the rest of the night.

You run the Liverpool-based night Dot, how did that all begin?

I didn't start the night, it was started by two friends from back home who are at University in Liverpool. They asked me to be a resident, which allowed me to cut my teeth as a DJ and really learn a lot. I remember the first night we did, I decided to move from controllers to CDJs for the first time, so I spent the week walking into Dawson's and practising on their CDJ set up, until I got banned from there (Thanks Dawson's). As the night has developed, I have become more and more involved in the running of it, and now help the guys as part of the Dot team. We've got some big plans for this winter which we're really excited about.

Your track featuring Josh Barry, Silence, has almost a quarter of a million plays on Soundcloud, how did the collaboration come about?

It's been crazy to watch the reaction to it, as it was the first original tune I put out. It broke one million views on Youtube the other week, which was an awesome feeling.

Me and Josh linked up after sending some stuff back and forth online. We got into a session and wrote the tune together over two days, and did the vocals on a laptop + interface type set up! The support from blogs like TheSoundYouNeed has been amazing, and has got me really excited about the next few releases.

Finally, a hypothetical question, you've been given your own Chibuku to curate, with any musician dead or alive available to appear in all three rooms. Who would you pick and where would you place yourself?

Okay so this line up isn't all that coherent, but more of a collection of just awesome people. Seeing as I have the choice of anyone alive and dead, I'll think I'll leave myself out of this line up! 

Theatre

Frankie Knuckles - Your Love is timeless. I never got to see him DJ, which is something I'm sad about.
Kidnap Kid - Purely because he absolutely smashed it earlier this year. When he played Stronger I had bit of moment to myself.
James Blake (Live) - I'm a massive fan, and seeing him live never fails to leave me in complete awe of him.
Daniel Avery - He's actually playing the loft on the 18th October, but I'd love to see what damage Drone Logic could do in the theatre. 

Loft

Burial - Because this is a hypothetical line up so I may as well take advantage of that fact.
Leon Vynehall - Haven't managed to see him DJ yet, but I really want to. Time is an amazing track.
T.E.E.D - Awesome producer with awesome taste, his boiler room set is really cool.
Kaytranada - I listen to a lot of old Hip Hop records, and Kaytranada brings a lot of that influence and soul into his music. 

Bar 

Bob Marley [all night] - Bob could bring the chilled vibes to bar area as an alternative to the club music in the other rooms. I don't know very many people who don't appreciate his music in some shape or form. 

Catch SG Lewis playing for Chibuku on the relaunch at the Arts Club on Saturday 20th September, as well as alongside Duke Dumont on Saturday 4th October (ticket box below).

Tickets are no longer available for this event