PREMIERE + INTERVIEW — Megatronic – Been Thinkin [Razor-N-Tape] [MI4L.com]

Megatronic is a force. Singer, songwriter, DJ & producer, the London artist has taken herself away to the sunnier climes of Portugal as her base now. Growing up in the multi-cultural city of London to African parents, Meg’s influences in music are colourful and wide. Joining forces with Brooklyn crew Razor-N-Tape, Megatronic releases her powerful new EP which asks the question ‘Do I Belong To You?’. Jitwam makes an appearance in production plus veteran artists Jimpster & Kiko Navarro add extra power on the remixes. We have the pleasure of putting some questions to the intriguing artist that is Megatronic.

Interview With Megatronic

Thanks for taking the time to talk. Where are you at this moment and how are you spending your day?

Thanks for having me, currently 30,000 ft up in the air flying from Barcelona to London after playing SKATELOVEBCN with Moodyman, JITWAM and Willy Soul. Super fun 3 days!

Where are you from, and where are you based now?

Originally I’m from London via Africa, I’m based in Lisboa, London and Dubai.

What do you love most about where you living?

I generally spend most of my time in Lisboa at the moment, honestly it’s like a dreamy location. Community is very important to me and Lisboa has definitely welcomed me with open arms, it has been easy to make friends and feel at home.

There’s always something to do … the beach is 20 mins drive from my house, beautiful hikes, great food, amazing weather most of the year and also I’m surrounded by other artists… so my creativity has been challenged and celebrated.

I have my own strap line on Instagram “don’t move here, it’s rubbish” followed by some amazing photo or video 🤣

What sounds were you surrounded by as you grew up?

Growing up in vibrant London with African parents meant I was constantly surrounded by sounds. I think my earliest memories are of listening to African music that my parents would play at home. The tones within my parents dialect when talking on the phone to loved ones, especially my mom native language Wolof, is super musical sounding.

The streets of London are full of so many different cultures Co-existing in one space. So I think I was exposed and interested in sound from an early age… my ears where constantly stimulated

When you first started to make your own musical choices, who were you into?

Like most kids I think my taste started with the hand me down music choices of my

older siblings and my parents. There’s quite a considerable age gap between me and my brothers and sister. I listened to a lot of house, garage, acid and jungle and then my parents would play Tina Turner, Ebo Taylor and Paul Simon. By the time I was a teenager my taste started to steer towards indie bands like Blur and Oasis and eventually more into the indie dance bloc party. This was a whole vibe

Is there a particular album that sticks in your mind from when you were a kid?

Tina Turner – Nutbush city limits and Blur – Parklife

You were playing guitar as a youngster, was there someone who inspired you to do this or was it just off your own back?

PJ Harvey was my biggest inspiration to play guitar. I just thought she was so FKN cool and really she still is. “Stories from the city, Stories from the sea” was like a bible for me at one point in my life.

Talk to us about the beginning of Black Cherry and the vibe of the music.

I think the idea of Black Cherry started in 2003, but the real full band execution started 2006 in a basement on Mare Street in Hackney. I think at first we just all wanted to belong to something, just a bunch of awkward kids that could play instruments. Eventually this developed into a vibe we would called “indie electro”

Who was in the band? How far did you guys get?

The main core of the band was Guillem Fraisse, Robert Moore and myself.

Over the 10 years plus life span of the band, we worked with several different session musicians. I would like to think we had some underground success, playing Glastonbury twice (Other stage & John Peel stage) and touring across Europe and America. I think some peeps have definitely heard of us.

You started Djing in 2013. Did it just feel like a natural next step?

No, DJing really didn’t feel like a natural next step. I definitely struggled at the beginning, because I was so used to performing my own music that it seems strange to play other people’s music and somehow be celebrated for it.

Where were your first gigs, and what kind of vibe were you playing?

Like most DJs, my early gigs, where at house parties at people or family gatherings until my confidence grew and then Hackney, in a pub called London Fields & The Cat & Mutton became my regular grounds.

Did you find it tough as a woman to be a DJ when you started?

I think everything was tough as a woman back then, there were very few women in the scene that knew about each other. Those days before social media DJing was heavily denoted by males. I was luckily enough to have a strong crew of friends that would come through to all my parties.

Femme Fest –  Tell us about that a little.

It’s a hybrid festival and creative agency celebrating female-identifying SWANA & POC artists to collaborate, create and rave …. We pride ourselves on being and staying grassroots, small and community driven.

Global Music Movement, your radio show that was on WWFM.

Yes that’s correct .

Are you still working on the show?

The show still exists and is broadcasted on Radio Alhara & Oroko radio once a month guests curation come from me and my good friend aka son (Curls).

Swana Music –  Can you help us to break down the multi varied sound from South-West Asian and North Africa.

Wow, that’s an interesting question… I think speaking from my own experiences and not a generalisation – the artists and music coming from the region are so strong in terms of the re-imagining of it’s historical bridge. I really like modern variations of some of the old folklore sounds.

DJs like Nooriyah, Salma and Disco Abarbesquo are great examples of this crossover. As well as musicians like Alsarah, Gharam Electric and Emel.

GMM is also a party right?

It used to be a monthly party in London, but throwing parties is a lot of work and we both have pretty independent schedules. So maybe we will be back in 2025 with some sexy lineups

How did you first connect with Razor-N-Tape?

Not really sure, over the years I have spent lots of time in NYC. I share so many mutual friends with the RNT crew so most likely at a party.

What was your first release with RNT?

My first release with Razor- N-Tape was a track called “Luck (With You)”  Under the project name SMTHNG SMTIME  aka Megatronic & Edseven. You should definitely check out that project, it’s good.

Your new EP talks a lot about love. Organic in particular, can you talk us through the song, its inspiration, and the message.

Of late, I have definitely become more obsessed with the idea of love, it’s a subject we can never ever stop talking, learning and writing about. The idea of the track was to write a conclusion to a relationship in the format of beautiful love letter 💌. Hopelessly romantic with my experience of the treatment I was experiencing while I was in love. The boundaries we don’t set until it’s too late

You worked with Jitwam on ‘Nuffin But Luv’. Tell us about that experience and about the track.

Working with JITWAM is great and always fun. He really is a very talented artist, so when we get together magic flows. We have been friends for some time and now we are sorta neighbours. It’s always easy to create music for me with someone I have a pre-existing relationship with and honestly he’s definitely like a little brother to me. We see each other regularly and jam ideas together, give each other advice and generally just care for each other. Safe space energy 🥹

Are there some other musicians and artists you want to shout out on the EP?

Massive shout out to Morgan ‘Mutha F**king’ Wiley without him this record might not bang as hard. Co-producer, keyboard wizard and just big cheerleader vibes.

Daniel Winshall for dropping a sexy bassline wherever he could on Organic, Stavros Antypas for trusting me with his beautiful voice. Owen and Jonathan bringing great vibes to the studio session in Berlin. Jimpster, Kiko Navorro and Kuzco for bringing the last night vibes with the foot stomping remixes.

It takes a village to bring up a baby and this my baby. So big big love ❤️

What was your intention with this EP?

The intention of this EP was to re-introduce myself back into the scene as  a singer, songwriter and producer and I am proud to say that this record really shows a cross section of styles.

What are you most proud of with ‘Do I Belong To You’?

That I managed to finish it and let go enough to release it. That’s the hardest part of making music … letting it for the world to hear.

What was the most difficult part in making it?

Nothing was difficult, it really was a fun process. Everyone involved in the project are awesome humans and everyone really loved being part of making this record.

What can we hope to see next from Megatronic?

More music, different directions and more collaboration work.

Tell us something about something we might never know about you.

I am 6 foot tall.

-Megatronic