DELS interview with eFestivals

Ipswich MC DELS (real name Kieren Dickins) has recently been making waves with his laid-back blend of electronica and observational rhymes. His first album, 'Gob', was released on May 2nd 2011 on Big Dada/Ninja Tune.

eFestivals spoke to him after his Camden Crawl show at Camden's Jazz Café on May 1st 2011.

Was your time on stage just now a good experience?
Definitely. It's my first Camden Crawl and the crowd was pretty responsive. A couple of people came up to me and told me they'd been to previous gigs, so it's good to be playing to some people who've seen me before and also to expose [my music] to people who have never heard it.

Your album, 'Gob', is out on Monday. What are your main musical influences?
I grew up listening to a lot of bass-driven music, so I was exposed to a lot of soul, funk music, hip hop, dancehall. My family is into a lot of contemporary music, but it wasn't until I got to university and studied graphic design that I met a lot of different people from different backgrounds, and I started being exposed to new sounds, people like Joy Division [for example]. All of these types of music influenced the way that I started to structure my music and approach it conceptually. [University was] a unique, defining moment in the process that I went through.

Is Camden Crawl different in comparison to the other festivals you've played, in terms of its vibe?
No, not at all really. There's a good mix of various people, and people who are just there for the music. People here are really open minded.

Is there a big music scene in Ipswich, where you come from?
There's a lot of bands that are just getting on and doing their own thing. There's a duo called The Brotherhood, who are signed to Wiley's label, and there's Nate James, who's a soul singer. There's quite a few bands, loads of indie bands and loads of grime artists. There's not that many hip hop artists

Is there anyone else you're excited about seeing this weekend?
I would have liked to have seen Odd Future, but I'm also going to see my friend Ghostpoet later on. Also, SBTRKT.

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