In Session: Eclair Fifi

Dance music has always been a family affair for Eclair Fifi. She was exposed to obscure subsections of her parents’ record collections and their cassette tapes by greats like Moodymann, Andrew Weatherall and Robert Hood while still in primary school, and from the age of 15 she began attending the outdoor raves her uncle organised in Scotland.

The Edinburgh-born artist took up DJing around the turn of the millennium and became acquainted with the city’s LuckyMe collective while gigging around the city. After impressing with sets at a number of the crew’s parties, she was asked to officially join and has been an integral member ever since. Her well-rounded and genre-spanning skills on deck epitomise the kaleidoscopic interests that have established LuckyMe as one of the UK’s premiere musical outlets.

Read this next: Eclair Fifi and Afrodeutsche talk Aphex Twin, family raving and techno musical chairs

Eclair Fifi’s radio residencies on Rinse FM, BBC Radio 1 and the current monthly slot she holds down on NTS have been widely acclaimed, and last year she took the leap into launching the label River Rapid. It’s made a strong impression so far with potent EPs from Afrodeustche and Santiago Salazar, while new music on the way from Belgian producer DC Salas is shaping up to be another top notch release.

She’s recently been penned to play an all-night set for the opening of brand-spanking new London club Canvas, saying this about the occasion: "It’s an amazing space - I love the shape, I love the lowish ceiling. It all feels sweaty and intimate, and it really is a blank canvas. It feels like a wee warehouse and most people know how much I love warehouse parties.

“I absolutely love playing all night long sets. It gives me a chance to open up as a DJ. And I get to play records that I wouldn’t normally get to bring out during a peak-time slot. A lot of people know me only for certain genres and might not know that I have been DJing for nearly 20 years… It’s gonna be so much fun to dig through my old record collection for this.”

Watch this next: Eclair Fifi in The Lab LDN

Upcoming residencies at Glasgow’s Sub Club and Edinburgh’s Fly are also a cause for excitement, and she’s not stopping there. In February Eclair Fifi is playing sets across the globe, so you’ll be seeing her pop up in places like New York, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Paris, Manchester and more.

For now, build your excitement by listening to Eclair Fifi’s spectacular In Session mix. It’s packed full of unreleased material, alongside bangers by the likes of Acid Jesus, Gemini and Moma Ready/Gallery S.

Tracklist:
001 - Taboo - into the sun (subway records)
002 - Bufiman - Sara sara (Dekmantel)
003 - Gene Hunt - Inspire (Moods & Grooves)
004 - DC Salas - Trustful (forthcoming on Live at Robert Johnson)
005 - Vyvyan - What they do (Me me me)
006 - Timothy J. Fairplay - Dr Lazarus (Charlois)
007 - Dan Shake - Mosquito (forthcoming on Shake)
008 - Pablo R Ruiz - Aferrado (forthcoming Portage Garage sounds)
009 - Woody McBride - Darrin Houston (Communique Records)
010 - Georgio - Bedrock (motown)
011 - Orlando Voorn - Pull up (Luca Lozano Praise Baruka Remix)
012 - Andrea Giudice - Everybody wants (forthcoming on Our House)
013 - Dan Curtin - House spirits (mobilee)
014 - Gemini - Soho (D’Julz remix) (robsoul)
015 - Moma Ready / Gallery S - We could have been better (self released)
016 - Acid Jesus - Radium (klang elektronik)
017 - Flora FM - Softest moon (forthcoming on Exotic Robots)
018 - Schmutz - Underwater yoga (Bryan Kessler remix)
019 - James Bangura - Lucid Memory (forthcoming on Vanity Press)
020 - DC Salas - Lealtad (forthcoming on River Rapid)
021 - Willesden Dodgers - 116bpm (jive records)
022 - Megabeat 5 - Jet Harris Tecno Dub (sabe ya quie mato a Laura Palmer)

Louis Chant is a freelance writer, follow him on Twitter

Read this next: Get the best of Mixmag direct to your Facebook DMs