INTERVIEW: Low Steppa

The infamous roof terrace at the Rainbow Venues was home to one of the very best in house this weekend as Low Steppa and a few of his friends took over the sun-kissed stage. Before I even met Low Steppa I had a little feeling that we would get on. Both yam-yam’s, both a fan of fantastic music but I unfortunately I learnt quickly he supports Aston Villa. He kindly gave me his time and we had a chat about homecomings, travelling and what having his own stage meant to him.

What’s it like to be back home? I know you’ve been all over the place recently!

LS: (laughing) Back in Cannock or…?

Well, we’ll say Birmingham.

LS: (laughing) Birmingham then. Nah mate it absolutely awesome. I get so excited about it because It’s a wicked festival and it’s even more special because it’s where I’m from.

Do you feel a certain buzz coming back?

LS: Definitely mate. I’ll be walking around and I’ll see so many people that I never get to see anymore because I only play Birmingham probably two or three times a year.

It’s a little different to last week’s schedule. You were playing at Tomorrowland weren’t you?

LS: Yeah yeah, I was at Tomorrowland. I really enjoyed it, it was such a good experience even just being there – it’s so organised for a festival. Every artist just seems to be treated like royalty. It was definitely a career highlight for me. There aren’t many things that I want to tick off the list now but Tomorrowland was definitely on it.

What do you prefer, festivals like MADE or the global giants like Tomorrowland?

LS: Well today is a special one for me because I’ve got my own stage. This is definitely one of the highlights of my year. It’s great that I can have some of the DJs on the stage join me today.

You’ve obviously been flying all over the place as the summer is a very busy period for DJs. Do you think touring and travelling so much affects your ability to make music?

LS: To be honest I’ve always been fine up to now but this summer I’ve struggled quite a bit. I really haven’t had a lot of time to make music and it is a struggle to finish tracks off. I played America recently and then you need a week to really recover from that. I’m constantly tired from flying because it really does take it out of you. The other week I did 12 flights in ten days so to get back in the studio is tough. I think you need a studio day just to get back into the thought process of making music. It’s been a tough summer.

Your tune ‘So Real’ was used for last year’s MADE Birmingham after-movie, what kind of set have you been thinking about delivering to this crowd?

LS: It’s going to be a lot different in comparison to what I played last year where I played a lot of big tunes, a few classics because I played straight after MK which was the closing set. This year’s a bit different with having my own stage and that. I’m going to be playing a lot of tunes that people won’t be familiar with. Definitely some more underground bits.

Finally, do you have any immediate plans for the future?

LS: I’ve been working on a new single recently, just loads of music really. I’m looking at doing more shows like this where it’s based around myself where I can pick acts to play. It’s something I’ve really enjoyed.

Matt Cooper

@mcooperwrites