Luke Dean Interview: "This EP has my four favourite tunes from my catalogue"

Emerging from the UK Underground at the start of the year - introducing himself to the masses with the stratospheric 'Get Hard (You In The Lobby)' - Luke Dean is on the brink of releasing his next collection of tunes with his Ready, Set, Go EP, coming out on the LOCUS imprint on December 13th. 

Luke has also had a busy year behind the decks too, with him tearing up sets at festivals and parties across the world, most notably on his cousin Max Dean's NeXup shows, which he frequently headlines and goes B2B with Max on. With new music on the horizon and a whole host of experiences across the year, we caught up with Luke to chat all about it. Check out what he had to say below!

Hi Luke, how are you? What have you been up to?

"All good man, I just got back from Dublin last night, me and Max were out there doing a B2B at Index, which was a proper sick club.

"I got back at like 11 last night, so I’ve just been getting the sleep in, and yeah, now I’ve woke up and it’s back to reality and back to the studio."

There's no better place to start than your new EP “Ready Set Go” EP due out December 13th on LOCUS - what can you tell us about it, how long has it been in the making?

"It's been a lot of fun. It's been about two years in the making in terms of when I started making the beats to it being signed.

"I always say that these four tracks on the Ready, Set, Go! EP are my top four favourites out of my catalogue.

"I sent a playlist of that catalogue to Enzo and he came back a couple of weeks later and was like I really like these, I want to sign some, and he came back with the four that were my favourites and ended up on the EP. 

"I was perfect, especially with it being on LOCUS. It was as always one of my goals when I came into the scene to get on that label, so it was just a win-win. My favourite tracks that I've made are on one of my favourite labels. Yeah, it was perfect."

That’s class, especially with it being so long in the making. Are there any tracks off it in particular that people have been receptive to when you play them live?

"I'd say ‘Babies on the Decks’ is the one that most people have heard or know, mainly off of social media as that tune has built quite a bit of hype around it

"‘Pump It’ is another that's gone down well, I've been hammering that out literally since the day I made it, I've probably played it at every show. 

"‘Ready Set Go’ and ‘Rock With Me’ haven’t had as much exposure. They are sort of the darker, heavier-sounding beats, so I don't always get to play them, but whenever I can fit them in, I 100% throw them in.

"It’s hard to choose as I love the whole EP. But I think ‘Babies on the Decks’ is the one that’s got the most legs on at the minute, which is good, but I just can't wait to get it all out there."

You’ve been getting some major support from Enzo Siragusa and will be aligning closely with the FUSE brand into next year, how was that relationship formed, what is it like working with him and LOCUS on the new EP, and what has the support from him meant to you?

"Enzo being Enzo, I've always respected and loved what he does. 

"It just started with me sending him beats and then him coming back and giving some advice and little pointers here and there. From there, we just built a relationship and he’s really helped and supported me. 

"Whether it’s getting me down to Fuse, booking me for LOCUS, or like I said giving me pointers on beats; Enzo’s always looked after us.

"As a whole, especially with what he's got going on himself, having the time to sit down and do stuff like that, means a lot to anyone. For me, I was just like, wow, he does really care, and not just about the artists, but the whole thing, and wanting to help everyone get it right.

"I’ve got huge respect for him."

How do you approach creating new stuff, do you have a process, do you start with a lead or a vocal, or is it more of an organic thing where you test things out and see what sticks?

"It all varies, to be honest. It depends on the week I’ve had to what I’ve got on that weekend. I might have an idea where I hear something or think of something and then I do a little voice memo and boom, get in the studio, start with that and then work around that. 

"Or I might just get in the studio and just have a little mess around and just whatever comes of it. There's no real set way I make music. It's just sort of how I'm feeling at the time.

"However, when I first started making music, the software I used, FL Studio, I only had the demo version. So that would mean when you made a beat that day, if you didn't finish it, it would be gone. 

"So before you shut down your computer, you had to finish that beat and export it. So I got into a routine of whatever I would start that day would be finished, whether I was there for 24 hours or three hours.

"It gave me quite a good start, as I always made sure tracks were finished. Obviously, back then, they weren't that high quality, because you're just cracking out a tune in a day. I still do that here and there to be fair, but it's a bit more rare now. 

"However, the minute a track’s done I will play it at the closest show. I always love testing new music out. Nothing better than playing a new tune. Plus, the odd time you play it out and you're maybe not too keen on it it’s an easy indicator to just get back to the drawing board."

I've seen you talk about how Hip-Hop has been quite a big influence on you and your production. Could you kind of elaborate on that for us?

"Yeah, 100%. Since I was young I've always loved the Hip-Hop sound, always jelled with it. Then I got a tiny bit older and I discovered house music and was like, oh, this is cool.

"But when I slowly grew to realise there was a genre with both hip-hop and house I was sold was digging through all the old-school hip-house records and just finding this whole new genre that was exactly what I loved. 

"Then obviously from listening to that, I took inspiration and put that sound in my music, really."

I feel like hip-house is a genre that many may not know exists, if someone wanted to delve into it, what tracks or artists would you recommend giving a listen?

"I'd say Tony Scott's ‘Gangsta Boogie’ that's probably my go-to, but Tony Scott is definitely an artist to just go through his whole catalogue. Fast Eddie is another one.

"There are so many different artists, but for me, if I had to pick my top two, it'd be them."

Whilst chatting about influences is great, I'd also love to chat about who's new. Are you seeing any DJs or Producers coming up at the minute who you think are smashing it?

"You know what, at the minute, I think it's probably the most rife it's ever been with upcoming DJs. 

"There's there's so many to list off. But the ones that come to mind, obviously, my little cousin Joss Dean, he's absolutely killing it at the minute. 

"Then you've got loads of people like Gigsta, He's making some unbelievable tunes; Daetor is making some very good tunes; Tommy Phillips probably made one of my favourite beats this year, which people will be finding out more about soon.

"It'd be hard to sit here and listen to them all, but they're definitely the main ones that come to mind for me."

You've had a massive year and summer going all over the world and playing some of the biggest festivals, how have you found 2024 for you professionally and are there any moments from the year that stand out amongst the rest?

"I’m not even trying to give a cop-out answer here, but I'd say the whole year, to be honest.

"Last year I was playing a few gigs here and there, but now this year to be able to make this my full-time job and just do something I love consistently every week, in different countries, different venues, and meet different people, I feel completely blessed.

"Being able to experience the job you want to do, but do it in different places and meet so many people, inspires you so much. 

"A lot of people, I feel, can struggle when they're just in an office or construction or something, and can sometimes struggle to feel inspired. So I just mainly feel so blessed that the past year has enabled me to have all this time to visit places to feel more inspired, both in life and in my music for sure."

I feel like having a debut EP out at the end of a year like that must feel like icing on the cake, no?

"100%. I haven't released now since I had ‘Get Hard’ in November. I did a Bandcamp release at the start of the year, but I’ve just been stacking the unreleased stuff until I was like right we need to get some music out and it’s all timed perfectly here it will be in December."

You mentioned before how you just returned from Dublin after doing a B2B with your cousin Max Dean. What is it like getting to play all these amazing shows with family and have that connection in an industry like the music one?

"It's sick man, it's so good.

"Having someone that you’re that close with going through the same thing as you, where you get to share moments and the whole job itself together is unreal and obviously being family helps a lot because we pretty much think the same.

"Playing back-to-back with your cousin it's like you're playing back-to-back with yourself. You don't even have to speak or think, you just sort of do, we always have loads of fun."

Finally, we ask all our interviewees this, and you can take your time, but if your next set was reduced to just three tracks, what are you playing and why?

"I am going to go for, not even because it's my own track and on the EP - ‘Ready, Set, Go.’ Just because I always love spinning it out. 

"I think I would go for, Grant Nelson - ‘Love Reincarnation’ that's a tune I'm loving at the minute. 

"And then the last track I'll have to go Keepin’ Soul - ‘Scram!’"

Find out where you can see Luke play live in the last couple of months of the year, and into 2025, by checking out his artist's page on Skiddle - HERE

Check out our What's On Guide to discover even more rowdy raves and sweaty gigs taking place over the coming weeks and months. For festivals, lifestyle events and more, head on over to our Things To Do page or be inspired by the event selections on our Inspire Me page.