Loshh Aje discusses the making of his upcoming experimental project
In conversation with Luke Newbould
15th November, 2023
In conversation with Luke Newbould
15th November, 2023
Loshh Aje is one of my favourite musicians coming out of London. Brash, soulful and honest, his sounds speak on their own ground. Coming from a lineage of rich music, the musician draws inspiration from the juju, fuji and gospel music he was surrounded by growing up; Loshh is self-taught in drums and guitar, asserting his eclectic taste in unique instrumentals and vocals throughout his projects. The artist was born in the Netherlands, then grew up in Dublin before moving to London via the midlands. Formed from a range of sounds, his music has become that of the world. Having spent last year touring with Obongjayar and performing with Kokoroko (see Journal 1), the artist is ready to release a new performance-based EP.
Loshh Aje: The sounds have definitely grown from the last two projects. I wouldn’t say it’s very distant or far-left of what I’ve been doing already but its definitely something new, I’ve taken a new stance on it in a sense. It has elements of myself; I can be soft, I can be brash, I can be rock and roll, whatever it is, it’s still within myself, Loshh. I’ve figured out a way to encapsulate that in its essence in seven songs so beautifully.
Do you know what it was? Last year I was on tour a lot so I didn’t even really get to make any more music and I was also trying to figure out in what direction I was trying to move in with my sound and what I want to do next. But then I made this one song that’s on the EP; it was the first song I made which opened up everything else for me, it’s called Dig the Ground Up. Once I made that first record with Santiago, my producer, everything just clicked and I knew the direction I was going with this third EP. And then I’ve just been trying to bring that vision to life every time we’re in the session.
Can you explain your relationship with Santiago, do you work with him on all your music?
Yeah I do, but with this EP I’ve added another guy called Shrink. I think I’ve found my two perfect producers now, just the both of them. Because I’ve been working with Santiago for so long, we’ve built our sound, we’ve built this theme, this energy, everything. And Shrink gets everything I’ve built with Santiago and we’re just building upon that, making this sound more fresh and more exciting. Bringing Shrink’s ideas with Santiago’s foundation just adds another layer, it’s more in your face now, you can’t run from it.
How do you keep yourself grounded when making music?
I take my shoes off, or I take something off, so it feels like I’m leaving everything behind. There was this thing my therapist used to say to me - ‘forget about the noise, forget about who’s in the room, it’s just you in that room creating whatever it may be’. I’ve taken that in many aspects of my life, so when I’m in the studio I leave all the ego behind, it’s just me and the producer in the studio connecting, we’re collaborating on this one piece in the moment, it’s more fresh and more exciting.
I think it’s really important. My therapist, who I used to see a while ago, she really implemented that into me. She started doing this thing, when I came into her session she’d make me take my shoes off, take a deep breath, now I carry that into my sessions.
I make myself a vessel as well for the spirits to just flow through me, and then whatever flows through me in the studio sessions, that’s what you hear. I rely on myself to become free of all the noise and everything else that’s happening in the world.
It’s almost like I make myself a vessel as well for the spirits to just flow through me, and then whatever flows through me in the studio sessions, that’s what you hear. I rely on myself to become free of all the noise and everything else that’s happening in the world, so then I get into the studio, it’s free flowing; I feel as though I have no stresses of the world - It’s just me in my room so everything just happens much easier. That’s what you hear about when an artist stops thinking too much they can finish and make great songs in five, ten minutes.
Have you had that?
Yeah haha, it’s been so crazy. But that’s the thing, it’s all about allowing yourself to get to those moments, giving yourself that opportunity.
Do you also consider how your music will translate in performance?
Yeah, with this new EP especially that was on the forefront. It’s heavy, it’s definitely made for performance. It’s very instrumental heavy, very live-orientated. Most of my music generally is but with this one it’s even more live orientated. It’s a lot of live instruments: drums heavy, rock and roll, kind of psychedelic, that’s the whole vibe. We’ve still got that psychedelic sound from before but we’ve got a singer who’s entering my new world; she’s never been in this kind of world before so it’s really interesting to see how it works.
When it comes to performing live, how do you feel managing the pressures?
I honestly just love the feeling of performing on stage.
— and you’ve got so much energy for it too.
When I go on stage that stage becomes my ring, my opponent is the crowd. But not like I’m fighting with the crowd, it’s like we’re dancing.
I have my things I do before I go on stage especially. I feel like I’m an athlete when I go on stage, I don’t know why. When I go on stage that stage becomes my ring, my opponent is the crowd. But not like I’m fighting with the crowd, it’s like we’re dancing. James Brown used to do this thing when he was on stage performing This is a Mans World where he would jump on his knees and walk off the stage where someone would put a cape on him then come back on stage. So I’ve almost interpreted that in my own way, I do things that a boxer would do to get themselves psyched up before they go on stage — I even do it on stage sometimes - I’ll jump on my calves or run on the spot. Every crowd is different so I have to feel the crowd, figure itWhen I’m on stage I just allow a different part of Loshh to come out. There’s this thing I’ve been working on recently where I have sixteen expressions of myself. I’ve got a few of them tattooed on me actually. I’ve got them figuratively as well, all these different animations of myself but they’re still all myself. That’s why when I’m on stage it feels like another part of me, so much more energy, when day-to-day I’m so calm.
Have you given names to them?
LA: No, there’s just sixteen of them all under Loshh, no names for them at the moment. Haha, I’ll give them all their own names. I do that for my band as well so they can all play into that character and that role. We’re working on making all members all their own costumes so when we’re performing they’ll all have their own form of expression, like their own uniform. They’ll all be a different character of myself.
It’s a whole work in progress.