Music to get lost in from London’s untitled 909 Founder
Hey Chanel. How are you today?
Hi Gary! I’m doing really well thank you. Answering these questions in my garden whilst I catch a rare bit of sun London is offering today. I just did two back-to-back races, the Copenhagen Marathon and Hackney Half Marathon, with both going better than expected so I’m enjoying the post-race glow and the new lease of life it has given me both creatively and personally.
What was the last song you listened to?
I listened to Aaron J’s stunning Melbourne Deepcast mix this morning which was the perfect way to start my working week. If you’re looking for a track, then it would be Verraco’s Sí, idealízame which is what I crossed the finish line to at the Hackney Half Marathon yesterday. The perfect emotional dancefloor tearjerker to cross the finish line with.
Do you have a favourite place to listen to music?
Whilst running or walking or recently I’ve started hosting listening sessions at home with some of my close friends where I set up my living room all cosy and ask everyone to bring a piece of music or album they’re loving at the moment to play for us all. We did the first session a couple of months ago and was super inspired by the music that was shared and the conversations we were having surrounding it. I can’t wait for the next session! There’s honestly no better feeling than sharing music with friends, the shared joy when you find a track you both love and the conversation that comes with it. I miss the days of Facebook music groups – they’re slowly coming back in the form of WhatsApp group chats.
What was the inspiration behind Untitled 909? How long have you been working on it?
I started Untitled 909 just over 8 years ago now (insane) as an output to write about music that I love. At the time, I was working in a music job where I didn’t connect with the artists that much so this felt like a way of still being able to tap into a world I loved outside of my day job and feel creatively fulfilled. Since my early teens I have always blogged whether that was on Tumblr, Blogspot or via Wordpress, sharing online is something I’ve done for as long as I can remember so this felt like a natural way for me to connect with artists that I love. My first blogs were focused on street style, fashion and personal journaling but then I started to connect with fellow music lovers on those platforms and moved into that world.
What’s your favourite thing about running it?
Connecting with artists, labels and events that I’m fan of and being able to dig deeper into their creative world and everything that influences them. I’m obsessed with finding out how artists work and what their journey was like to become an artist, it’s incredibly fascinating and inspiring. Also being able to curate a platform is so creatively fulfilling. I spend a lot of my time digging for new music and artists to then be able to platform them on 909 in some way and find out more about them – incredible? Also the mixes! Every single one is so good. I’m obsessed and eternally grateful to every artist who has contributed to the site so far. I have some plans of how I would like to expand it in the future and create a physical element of it but first I need to find some time.
Probably a tricky one for you but is there an artist or album you listen to a lot we might not expect based on your mixes?
Harry Styles, Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter. I’m a sucker for pop music. It’s where my music obsession started.
Is there a sound or genre you’d like to see more new releases of?
Hmm, that's a really tough question. I actually don’t know if I have an answer for this one, my mind keeps going to what I would like to see more coverage of and that would be more of a focus on DIY/independent artists who aren’t headline grabbing names but have a story to tell. A lot of the narrative or coverage that exists these days are of a select few and would be nice to have wider/fairer coverage of the micro-scenes that exist within music today as I actually think we’re in a really exciting period of new releases and artists. I’m constantly so inspired by what I discover. I don’t know if that answers your question haha?
Can you tell us a little about your Theory Therapy mix? What were you feeling when you made it? Where did you record it?
This mix is actually a set I had planned to play at kwia for John Loveless’ night Hot Concept but I got really sick whilst I was in Berlin and couldn’t play so here’s what could’ve been. I recorded it at home on a Sunday night with the lights turned off, one candle lit and a F1 race going on in the background (she’s a multitasking queen). It was the day after I got back from Berlin and only just started feeling better so I was in a really introspective headspace, quite anxious and sad from not being able to leave the house for most of my Berlin trip due to being quite burned out. I often record my ambient mixes when I’m in a mood like this as I find the recording process an amazing way of channeling my emotions; the creative release is so cathartic so maybe some of these feelings will resonate with you whilst you’re listening to it and can find some healing within the mix. That’s why I started the ‘Sounds of Healing’ series.
Where would you recommend listening to it?
On a long walk or in a comfortable safe space like your bedroom or living room. I imagine it would be quite nice to listen to whilst you’re writing (creatively or journaling). It’s the type of mix I would lie down and meditate to or put on in the background whilst doing some yoga and reconnecting with my body and breath.
Theory Therapy mixes are about sharing the music that you personally find therapeutic, cathartic or restorative. What does that mean for you?
It means finding comfort or an emotional release with the music you listen to. A lot of the music I play are tracks that I’m deeply connected to on an emotional level and I think it all links to being either therapeutic, cathartic or restorative. Music either helps with balancing my emotions or heightening them – soundtracking times of purge (that would now often be through recording a mix) or times of going inwards and figuring out or processing my feelings – that’s where ambient and downtempo music comes into play as well as mix series like Theory Therapy, Melbourne Deepcast and Living Room.
Is there a particular album or piece of music that you find yourself returning to for similar reasons?
Tell us something exciting that's coming up in your life, music or otherwise.
Refractor Festival - new environments, new people, seeing artists for the first time
ABYSS at Open Ground - it’s coming up so fast!
playbody takeover at V&A East - it’s been incredible to see their growth over the last few years, so proud!
Tackling my first 50km Ultra Marathon