Osunlade Interview

by Shani Hebert | Published November 2007 | Features Archives

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5: Do you think your style of House can be as profitable as Hip Hop? Do you think we can have Moguls like Russell Simmons or baby moguls like P. Diddy?

OSUNLADE: I think it could be, however vibrations are moving faster and people want harder and need faster movement and elements to revolve around themselves today. I am not sure that this sound will ever go beyond what it's touched thus far. Nonetheless, it is important in the end as most things of this nature become the music of tomorrow. It's like when a great artist dies: he never sees the fortune of his art in his lifetime. Maybe it's the same for this music.

5: Do you think that because your style is so conscious that we can't achieve this level of materialism?

OSUNLADE: Partly.

5: Is it possible to take politics out of music and still affect the spirit?

OSUNLADE: Of course. Politics is only one part of the equation. The spirit is whole within itself. Usually the political is built on anger and fueled disappointment. The seed of this is the soul and its desires for change and the betterment of our desires.

5: How did you hook up with Jojo Flores? What was the tour like?

OSUNLADE: Jojo was one of the first promoters to book me as well the first for Canada. We've been family since. The tour? I'm assuming you're speaking of the Offering tour as it's the only one we've done together. It was good, but too far gone to really remember or speak on today.

5: There are definitely different sounds that come from analog versus digital. Which do you prefer? Do you always have a live percussion section on your tracks?

OSUNLADE: Analog for sure! Live percussion always!

5: With 142 available tracks on Traxsource, it's no wonder that you have a good relationship with them. How did that start?

OSUNLADE: The relationship with Traxsource is good. We actually just started this year with Traxsource. I've known of them for the years they've existed but wanted them to have the entire catalog so it took some time as the back catalog of Yoruba is still under license with Soul Jazz. For the past two years, Yoruba has not affiliated with any other label.

5: What drew you to Greece and made you decide to live there?

OSUNLADE: Everything and nothing. Greece was a homecoming for me. I'd visited and played many years prior to living here. Santorini was simply the perfect place for my soul. There is absolutely nothing to do except reflect and grow. No clubs or bars (at least of interest for me). Me and the wind - that's it.

5: You've said in other interviews that those in the US knew you as an R&B producer and in Europe as a House Producer. Is that changing at all?

OSUNLADE: Not at all. I'm pleased that it is that way. The US bases everything on media, not on art. The rest of the world sees the art first, and then they care about the artist.

5: Do you have a favorite place to DJ in the world? Where in the world have you spun where you really felt that the crowd truly got what you were doing as a DJ?

OSUNLADE: I have no favorite place to play. It always varies based upon the crowd the place, the energy, etc. Most places feel the music and vibe, but it's just a part of what I convey in connecting when I play.

5: What new projects are you working on for other labels and for Yoruba?

OSUNLADE: I'm not working on music at the moment. As well I am no longer creating for any other labels, only Yoruba. Also, no more remixes, House Music or DJing. I'm bowing out from the scene to watch it grow and support it from beyond. It's time for the nextÖ whatever that is.

5: Have you any guilty pleasures that no one would ever imagine?

OSUNLADE: No guilty pleasures.

5: What are your opinions on radio and its approach to your genre of House?

OSUNLADE: I'm not aware of any options on radio.

5: Any advice to up-and-coming DJs?

OSUNLADE: Support the music! Don't spend your time seeking music just for the sake of exclusivity. This doesn't make your sets better. Artists eat from the music they create. If you steal and/or share the music, it cannot continue.

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