1 More Mix 076: Lucidik

For this latest edition of the 1 More Mix series we’re getting stuck back into the multi-genre vibes courtesy of Manchester’s Lucidik.

A regular at institutions such as Hit N Run and her own event Modern Roots, Lucidik is a graduate of the lockdown chapter when streams suddenly became everything for a shot-but-intense spell of many of our lives.

Catapulted into IRL shows the minute we could move freely again – playing all around the UK and Europe – she’s taken to club settings with powerful impact and a natural flare for taking dancefloors to all kinds of places they didn’t expect to go to.

This mix is a great example of where Mel Lucidik is at. Following this gut-punching adventure at Vision Recordings first ever UK club takeover at Hit&Run earlier this year in September, this mix flips things even further as she takes us from D&B to 140 and back again in the most interesting and captivating way. Press play then get to know in this extensive interview below…

This story begins with Hit&Run doesn’t it?

A lot of stories do, I reckon! We’re lucky to have Rich Reason. I swear he’s super human. He does so much for the culture and the city. So yeah it was nice to meet you, the night was great fun and I was happy with my set.

You warmed up the main room as I warmed up downstairs. Both multi-genre vibes.

Always for Hit N Run to be fair. Rich encouraged me to play different tempos more in the first place. So yeah I’ve got properly into that type of selection and can really showcase the range of styles and vibes. I mainly played D&B when I first started.

Was there a turning point?

Yeah a big one was when I went to Hospitality In The Woods in 2021. It was the first festival I went to after I’d become a proper DJ and started taking it seriously. I went with a DJ head as opposed to a raving head. And it were Thys’s set especially that really switched me. The variation in selection was like nothing I’d ever heard. It was so inspiring. I love the idea of fitting so many styles into one flowing journey. It’s an experience of sound rather than just one genre.

The amount of dots you can join!

I know! I guess it’s good to start with one genre so you don’t get overwhelmed but you need to expand and grow don’t you? I’d hate to like a track but feel I couldn’t play it just because it’s not a genre I DJ. No limitations! That’s the rule.

And you’ve made that work on the mix you’ve done for us. You start fast then go slow and bring it fast again.

Ah thanks. It’s the second mix I’ve done where I’ve done that. I love the challenge of going from fast to slow because it’s usually the other way isn’t it?

You’ve got to be careful with it or you lose the energy and momentum but you smash it. Tell me your musical journey…

I’ll be honest, I was quite late getting into electronic music. I never had it around me growing up so I only went to my first rave when I was 19. That was my first real experience. I’d heard bits before but didn’t quite understand it or know much about it. But when I heard it in a rave and felt it properly, it made complete sense you know?

Totally!

I’d been to club nights but raves felt different. Like the vibe and people and the fact you can do anything. So that got me into things. Then my boyfriend started mixing and I had a little go. I thought it looked like fun. I’m a mad fidgeter, so it looked really appealing.

Yeah it’s great for fidgety people, there’s always something you can be doing in the mix!

I think so too! So yeah I had a go and took to it but we were living in my boyfriend’s parents house so we couldn’t really mix much because they hated it. We could only mix on Saturdays when they were in the pub. So we couldn’t do much with it. But then we got our house and I could properly into it and I set myself a little goal of getting a set somewhere. It wasn’t to lead to anything bigger, just a bucket list thing you know? And then lockdown hit and it became a bit of an obsession. Quite a healthy one. We had so much time, it was a good thing for me to invest my attention in. I had work but I didn’t work as much.

What is work for you?

I’ve got a cleaning and dog walking business. It’s nothing special but it works with music. I can listen to music all day and let my mind be full of ideas and creative stuff all day. I’ve started writing bars now actually

Oh sick. Another bucket list thing?

Yeah it’s the plan for 2024. I used to sing years ago but then I lost my passion for a lot of things and lost myself a bit to be honest and fucked myself up a bit. It was an acid trip that changed my life. I realised if you turn to face the beauty instead of the bullshit then life can be a much nicer experience.

YES! Is this off or on the record?

Oh massively on the record. I’m a big advocate for psychedelics. Psychedelics, especially mushrooms, help with flow state. They stop the over-thinking and all that nonsense. They have some great healing properties. Obviously it needs to be explored safely and people need to be educated. You have to be safe and ensure you’re in the right set and setting.

Absolutely and fully agree. So this is where the name Lucidik comes from?

Ha! Not really. I liked the name Lucidity but that was common so I changed it to Lucidik and couldn’t find anyone with that name so went with it. I feel like I’ve really grown into the name. It’s been one of those natural things you know?

Totally. So the bars… Have you practiced them? Have you ever MC’d for anyone?

Not yet! It is very early days on this. We’re talking weeks. But it’s been in the back of my mind for a while. Do you know Savvy B? She’s Charlie Tee’s resident MC and she’s one of my best mates and she’s an inspiration. We had a mix, I was playing some garage and she was freestyling like mad. Like going right off for 15 minutes, pure flowing. I was like ‘wow, what the fuck?’

I want to give that a try. I know it’s going to take a lot of practice. I haven’t MC’d for anyone yet but I did perform as a kid and I do love the idea of performing anyway. It’s why I’ve taken to DJing. But just having a mic and being on stage is a lot scarier than being on stage with the decks.

So I’ve been writing bars and recording them and listening back. I do that a lot with things. Bars and also mixes. Just recording an hour’s mix and I’ll listen back. When you do that you can hear it better because you’re not concentrating on other things. You can focus on it and learn from it.

I like that idea – you’re going back in time. Also quite honest. You’re not recording a guest mix or something, it’s just a natural hour.

That’s right. And it’s good to listen back and get an idea of your levels. If you’ve got complex blends which are quite particular then you need to watch your gains and things like that. I’m a perfectionist freak though so that definitely works for me!

Haha. Yeah you’ve got to be.

It’s paid off and something I want to be as good as I can be at. I’m rubbish at producing. I just don’t have the time and I’m not built to sit on a computer for such long periods of time. It’s not me. So I’ll focus on the DJing and be as good as I can on that side.

I like that. There’s definitely a difference between the roles. Some people love being in their studio away from the world 24/7 and hate the idea of DJing but have to in order to pay bills. Some are great at both of course…

Like Imanu! He’s so so so good at both. He was another big inspiration for me on the multi-genre side of things. Halloween Hit N Run a few years ago was a good example. Just an incredible journey thought so many sounds but he makes it so seamless. I was in awe. Mind you, I was on mushrooms.

Haha. I don’t think that detracts from the experience. If anything on shrooms you really lose yourself in the moment. No distractions. You’re inside the music to an extent. The word awe is right. It’s like going back to being a kid and shedding the mental luggage for a bit.

Totally. It’s like playtime isn’t it? Just having fun and being able to let go of the bullshit. I find stillness very difficult and challenging in day-to-day life but in that mind state I love the stillness. It helps me re-centre and slow down. In life I feel like I’ve got be doing stuff all the time and can’t sit down but during those times I can do that and appreciate the time.

Like the fidgety stuff!

ADHD things!

Totally. You mentioned performing before, what did you do?

I danced from the age of 4 until my teens when I went off the rails a bit. Probably about 14.

You took it to a high level if it was 10 years?

I guess. I was good at it and won medals and things. But it was very strict and I lost my love for it. I still love dancing in general. Dancing at home, at raves and that. But I did drama and plays at school and always loved it. Then the shittness of becoming an adult kicked in. But I can appreciate the fact I did get quite lost in life because I can look back and see how far I’ve come. I’m very grateful to be here and doing stuff like this. It was never part of the plan!

It’s taken you by surprise.

Yeah it has! And that’s made it all the more exciting. Obviously I’ve made a lot of effort since I got into it but prior to lockdown, it wasn’t even a thing in any way.

How far have you travelled from it?

I’ve played Leeds, Bristol, London, Jersey, Prague and Germany. It’s been really nice. The bookings aren’t quite as busy as last year but I’m happy with that because last year got a bit too hectic. I was thrown into it. it went from lockdown to a very intense lifestyle. I’d raved before but not spent so long at events, so much travelling, so many late nights and socialising and networking. It frazzled me a bit by the end of the year.

Rapid! Like from zero to sixty in a flash

That’s right. I’m a bit socially awkward too so I had to try and get around that in my head. I love to push myself and challenge myself so I didn’t let that hold me back. I struggle knowing when to rest so I just went in on every opportunity but I’m happy things are a little slower this year. I’m enjoying the process much more instead of putting pressure on myself. I had massive imposter syndrome because it all just happened and wasn’t part of any big plan for me. It’s all taken me by surprise. Working with Rich Reason, for example. I’m actually dead proud of that. It goes against all the usual things you hear about promoters and the obsession with numbers and how many likes and plays and you’ve got.

I hate that!

Me too! Even when you know it’s bullshit you can get caught in all that can’t you? You have a down day and you see your numbers aren’t going the way you feel they should, or you’ve put some type of crazy value on them in your head, it can really get to you can’t it?

Absolutely

And breaking through online during lockdown, that was something that was very prominent. It was something we did have to bear in mind – numbers, streams, the usual online hustle, all that. It’s not that pleasant at all. So coming into the real world and things like this. Meeting you at Hit N Run; it’s a lot more natural and more wholesome isn’t it?

I think so. So your link with Rich Reason came about in a similar way?

Ah no, that was him checking my mixes. But he booked me because he was into the mix I did which had the least amount of streams. It was a multi-genre mix, it went from disco to 140 to footwork to liquid. I loved it but it wasn’t doing well compared to other mixes of mine. But that’s what got Rich in touch with me. I love that. He’s not a clout chaser – he does what promoters should do, it’s not just about the music, it’s about the connections and passion. He keeps it real, he gives so many people a chance and doesn’t just book line-ups because they’re big names. I’ve found out about so many artists through his line-ups. You trust his ear don’t you?

Definitely. So what’s the most recent new thing that blew your mind and gassed you up?

Seeing my mate Savvy B tonight at Warehouse Project tonight. That’s gassing me right up! I booked her at my night Modern Roots in a tiny little basement club and a year later I’m gonna see her live at one of the UK’s biggest clubs. So that’s gassing me big time.

That’s amazing! Tell me about your events!

Oh it’s just a little thing really. It’s a bunch of mates getting together and playing tunes. Just good vibes you know?

The most important thing! Have you got another one planned?

I’ve got ideas for the next one but it’s still very much ideas for now. I don’t want to rush things and only want to do things when it feels right. Plus I’m hyper focused on the MC thing so I’ll concentrate on that for now.

Ooooh, then MC at your next event?!

Maybe! That is an idea I had. But first I’ve got practice and get those bars down. I’m enjoying the process and that’s all that matters really isn’t it?