Admin is not born and bred in Bristol, but since moving from Winchester he’s quickly nestled himself deep in the city’s music culture. His most notable local movement has to be recent release on Futureboogie’s white label imprint Boogie Futero, with the blissed-out summer house track Gold Soul (see below). Other releases on Chasing Unicorns and Glasgow Underground have won admiration from as high up from XLR8R. As a DJ he’s also kept busy as resident for PIFF. and with hip-hop moniker 2Donuts. Despite this strong start, recently signing to Jack Music Agency (as part of a really strong looking roster now) represents a new phase in Admin’s musical journey. Embodied by the mixt he’s put together for us, on this evidence we’re really excited to hear what he comes up with next.
Download Admin’s Bristol Spotlight and for more info on the tracklist check the Q&A below and Soundcloud.
Hi Adam, for our readers who aren’t familiar with you, instead of introducing you and your music (that’s our job!), tell us something about you that hasn’t appeared in interviews or features before?
Well, apart from the all the musical stuff I get up to, I am also a really into film and TV sound. Actually, anything to do with sound these days really interests me. I like running around with microphones, sampling vinyl, attempting to jam on keyboards, editing sound for short films and reading about the philosophy of sound etc. I also have a soft spot for cartoons and animation as well.
You were recently featured on a release on Futureboogie’s white label imprint Boogie Futero with an excellent b-side to a DJ Nature remix. How was that, being on the same record as Milo, and how did you get involved with Futureboogie?
Way before I approached Futureboogie, I was listening to more and more of Milo’s stuff and it still seems kind of crazy to be sharing a record with someone who is such a legend in the game. I have alot of respect for him and his productions and mixtapes definitely influenced my musical direction.
I had been holding back Gold Soul as it was very different to a lot of my other productions at the time. I had sent it to a couple of labels here and there but to no reply. In my opinion this worked to my advantage because as soon as I sent it to Steve at Futureboogie he was dead set on getting a release sorted for it. I was more than up for it when I heard it was going to be white label featuring Nature. One reason I had moved up to Bristol was to get involved with guys like Futureboogie, so this was a great thing for me.
You’re a resident for the Piff Collective and were recently on the same bill as Roy Davis Jr. You’re coming into contact with some serious names in house. Are you ever tempted to slip them a demo or propose a collaboration?
Ah, not yet. It’s probably just because I’m too shy or something but I definitely need to start doing it. I always feel a bit humbled when there are well-established, headline DJs around. Even if i have had a bit to drink, I’m still not really concerned with passing on my tunes or anything, but it has been great seeing some real professionals in action. Personal favourites I have appeared on the same bill as include, Fred P, Wbeeza and of course Roy.
You’re also one half of 2Donuts. Can you tell us a bit about the project and what plans you have for it in the future?
2Donuts is a moniker I use with my pal, Paul Popa. It started in the late spring, when we where both sharing our appreciation for real hip-hop and mainly our love for J.Dilla (which explains the origin of the name). We just wanted to use it as an opportunity to play out Jay Dee tracks and such.
We debuted at a night run by Facta called Elephant at Take 5 Cafe, and it was a great night. We have some mixtapes at the ready for any future bookings and such that need a bit of promo. So yeah, hopefully the concept will continue to grow because it’s alot of fun.
What was the idea behind the mix you made for us?
The mix is full of current influences and tracks I’m really digging at the moment. My attempt at capturing raw, detroit style and flavours and going a bit deeper here and there. I put a couple of my favourite hip-hop skits that I edited over the top in homage to the 2Donuts concept, but i think it sounds really cool so I might start doing it more often! But yeah, some of my favourite artists appear such as Andres, Moodymann, Omar S. There is also a new production in there from me so listen out for that one.
A bit about Bristol now. What brought you to the city from Winchester, and what was it that made you stay?
I wanted to move to a city that wasn’t London, you know? Somewhere with decent amount of stuff going on but that’s not too intense. I’d heard alot about the music scene as well and that definitely helped me decide. I’ve met loads of cool people that are into their music and people have been really supportive about helping spread the Admin sound. There is a great atmosphere all around, and it’s a very creative city. Ideal for me as I continue my studies and carry on producing and DJing.
What nights in the city do you like to go to, purely as a punter?
There are loads of good nights cropping up in Bristol every year, but if i had to pick favourites they would definitely include Piff, Just Jack, Varme and 4ours. All consistently bringing new and old talent from both house and techno. I don’t think I have been to a bad event put on by any of these guys. I recommend checking them out if you don’t know already!
