Following the runaway success of her recent single Feels Like, Lens will drop her debut EP on September 2 via BCee’s Spearhead Records. Four tracks heavy, the Marufo EP reveals more of the Brixton-based artist’s inspirations and sonic palette… And has a spicy story behind its title.
“I’m excited to get my releases out there,” says Lens who’s currently best known for her broadsword DJ sets that hit hard and heavy as she burns down subgenre boundaries and oins the dots between the eras. Lens productions are set to be equally wide-armed and will seal the deal as she establishes herself beyond the realms of DJing.
The world has already had a taste of Lens’ production skills by way of Love The Way, a collaboration with Lally on her Hospital Mixtape in March this year but the new single Feels Like was technically her debut production to be signed, as it was held up by the obligatory vinyl delays. Released as a taster of the full EP to come, it’s received heavy support from heavy hitters such as Hybrid Minds, Pola & Bryson, Whiney, Fred V and of course BCee.
“Steve has been a hero,” says Lens of the Spearhead bossman. “He’s been so inspiring in bringing the EP together. I’m not the most confident person in the world but Steve (BCee) and Chris Blu Mar Ten made me feel comfortable and gave me some great feedback notes which gave me the confidence and hunger I needed to finish the EP.”
Finished and already firing hard as highlights in Lens’s selections, the Marufo EP covers everything the artist loves as a card-carrying drum & bass connoisseur. Following the contemporary jungle flavours of Feels Like comes the deep smouldering soul of Give Me A Reason, the industrial strength dancefloor venom of Gun Point and the powerful rave beast that gives the EP its title Marufo.
“It’s a pretty random EP,” laughs Lens. “I made every tune in lockdown when emotions were a rollercoaster for everyone. I was experimenting with a lot of different sounds and ideas and these were the strongest.”
Strong moments call for strong tunes. Marufo has been a long time coming for Lens as she actually first explored production before becoming a DJ. “I hated music lessons at school, the teacher was awful,” she laughs. “But there were extra lessons on electronic music which looked really interesting. It turned out the teacher was the touring keyboard played for the Chemical Brothers. He was so cool. He gave me some lessons on Logic. We cut samples up, he got me playing with vinyl. My journey started there.”
Renowned for chopping up the tunes behind the decks, Lens’s passion for cutting up breaks also played a role in the Marufo EP. “I was listening to some classics for inspiration, especially the track Babylon by Undercover Agent. I love how the drums take over, it’s all about the breaks and I really wanted to make a tune inspired by that vibe. I became obsessed with chopping up Amens and the track (Marufo) was the first time that I wasn’t overthinking it. It just came out, I was having so much fun. I realised then that I was getting rid of my inner demons.”
Other inner demons are harder to shake, however. The EP’s unusual title comes from another source of inspiration for Lens. “It’s named after my favourite chicken spot,” she laughs. “It’s a shack on the side of the road in Algarve and they make this amazing piri-piri chicken. I literally dream about it at night…”
Full flavour and plenty of heat: Marufo is the sound of Lens stepping up as a producer in a big way. Served up by Spearhead this September, you can pre-order it here and can follow Lens for more tasty dispatches very soon.
Lens – Feels Like is out now on Spearhead Records
Pre-order Marufo EP – Out September 2
