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Bumped into Waifs & Strays at EE to speak festivals and partying with Skream
House | Thursday 20th August 2015 | Osh
Emerging out of Bristol’s fertile music scene as a duo back in 2010, Waifs & Strays has been a solo project since last year. Amos Nelson has taken it back to traditional house music, releasing top-drawer material on labels like Madtech, Futureboogie and Skream’s Of Unsound Mind, as well as playing festivals across Europe this summer. We had a quick catch up with the man himself before his set at Eastern Electrics.
So here we are Eastern Electrics, I’m here with Amos, Waifs & Strays, how you doing man?
I’m really good man, how are you?
I’m chilling man, it’s a lovely day for this right?
It’s a very good day. It’s perfect festival weather, nice and sunny but not too blazing hot so people aren’t flaking out. Absolutely spot on.
Exactly. Is this what you got into this for, coming out and playing days like these?
Absolutely. I’m definitely a festival person, I love going to festivals. I’ve been going to festivals all summer already, this is actually my last one at the moment but Secret Garden last weekend, Garden in Croatia, Glastonbury, yeah I love festivals, festivals are brilliant.
I’m sure you’ve had some absolutely wild moments, is there any particular one that stands out?
They’re all a bit of a blur to be honest with you. Glastonbury this year, fantastic, Garden in Croatia was unbelievable, it was their last one, their tenth year, it was real close knit friends and family vibes, so that was definitely an emotional week.
Nice! And you’ve been doing some work with Skream is that right?
Yeah Skream started this label called Of Unsound Mind, I’ve done two EPs with him already and I’ve got another one coming out in the autumn, early winter time.
Have you been out there getting messy with Skream, having some fun?
He’s too full on for me, too much! Oli’s great fun and it’s a real privilege to work with somebody who has been such a pioneer in what he does. Now he’s changed projects a bit and he’s absolutely smashing it in that, so it’s brilliant to be with him, and yeah he’s a lot of fun to hang around with.
And you’ve been moving from strength to strength yourself, so what are you most looking forward to going forward?
Just getting the new music out, people hearing that. I’ve got some really exciting bits coming, as I said stuff with Skream, stuff with Futureboogie, a few other bits I’m working with, a few collaboration projects I’ve been doing, so yeah just looking forward to doing what I’m doing.
And apart from your stuff, what are you most excited about playing at the moment?
Oh wow, there’s a guy called Ben Grunnell, I’m really loving what he’s doing, it’s a kind of tribal, very percussive sound, really enjoying what he’s doing. And then some of the stuff from people in Bristol, there’s a guy called Arkist who I’ve been working with, so watch this space.
Bristol’s so strong, you don’t need to come out of that space.
It’s a great place to live.
Well lovely catching up with you at Eastern Electrics, have you got a couple of words to sum up your day here?
Sun, music, people. That’s all you need.
Follow Waifs & Strays on Twitter.
