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Blinkie: 'A lot of the time I would be the guy making the beat using the side of the door'
A strong focus on music from an early age has elevated London based producer Blinkie from being the guy "making beats on the doors and walls" in McDonald's after school, to 14 million streams on Spotify for his first single 'Don't Give Up On Love', and official remixes for Major Lazer, Anne Marie and Sigala. After a 2 year hiatus from original productions, he's now back with new single 'Halfway'. We caught up with this exciting local talent to find out what's happening in his world.
Blinkie, you’re back! ‘Halfway’ marks your first release in two years - what were you doing during that break?
Gigging up and down the country, setting up my label and just working on loads of music.
Being a London-based producer and being surrounded by a thriving music scene, do you feel the city had an impact on your decision to get into the music industry?
It definitely did because everywhere I went, everyone was heavily into music. All my friends were into music, 70/80% of my friends sing, dance or produce and it has always been like that from when I was young.
What would you say is your earliest musical memory?
My earliest musical memory would be from when I was in secondary school. Almost everyday after school, me and my friends would link up with other MC's from other schools and have cyphers outside McDonald's. A lot of the time I would be the guy making the beat using the side of the door or window or something.
Back to ‘Halfway’, what are the inspirations behind the track?
Situations I've been through, country music & dance music.
The track was released on your label Edendale Road. Have you got anything in the pipeline for the label?
We are working on more releases from the camp. The next release will be from G.U.R.U. - a production & DJ collective that's on the label.
Where would you like to see your label in 5 years?
We really want to put our stamp on the music industry with Edendale Road. We’re aiming to build the team and create hits.
Talk to us about the remixes for ‘Halfway’ - how did the collaborations come about?
We are really good friends with the guys at djcity.co.uk, so when the time came for getting remixes together, we asked them if they could recommend any good DJs/producers that could remix the track. They got us in touch with James Bluck and Ben Rainey who definitely delivered great remixes. The G.U.R.U. remix was a no-brainer because of the connection to Edendale Road. For the Dexcell and Distant Light remixes, my brother/manager Nigel Munjoma scouted for talent on SoundCloud and came across them both.
What are the top 3 songs that have inspired you during your career so far?
Top 3 songs would be...
- Kanye West - Through The Wire
- Michael Jackson - Smooth Criminal
- Whitney Houston - Greatest Love Of All
Who would you say you look up to the most within the industry?
I wouldn't say look up to, but the people that I really admire in the industry are: Skepta, JME, Diplo, MK, Ferdy Unger-Hamilton, Tinie Tempah and his manager Dumi.
What do you love and hate the most about being a producer?
I hate not having time to do normal things, like being around family and friends. I do love meeting new people through music and collaborating; I have met and collaborated with some really amazing people.
What are your plans for the rest of the year?
Releasing more music, gigs, getting in the studio and working on more music.
Blinkie
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