We sat down with Brighton based producer and DJ, Champloo, to discuss the current nightlife scene, signing to Step2UKG and what’s on the horizon. 

A grime kid at heart, he has supported the likes of Section Boys, AJ Tracey, Matt Jam Lamont and more. His productions span the whole musical spectrum, from 140 to UKG to DnB and House; and we discuss how hard it is to avoid being pigeon holed into one genre.

Looks like you’ve been living it up in Brighton post Covid, how is the scene there at the moment?

Brighton is very Indie and Rock heavy, but you still have some great venues pushing underground music such as Fortune of War, Gladstone, Volks etc.  For electronic stuff you’ve got nights like Afters Brighton & Roxy events ran by the super talented Inky. There’s a a lot to choose from.  It’s super varied, I’ve DJ’d at places you won’t believe here including a pitch and putt! 

On the other end of the spectrum the hip hop scene is popping off down here, got quite a few collectives like Basement Flat, Collective mind records & the Untitled boys. There’s a lot of cool pop up shows at Rarekind records which I love, more intimate settings.  

The best venue of them all though is Fortune of War, the variety of nights they put on, the opportunities they provide DJ’s and the vibe in there is spot on. 

Brighton used to be huge for House music, with Fatboy Slim obviously pushing things forward but since Covid with the cost of living crisis it seems like no one is going out anymore so we have to make do with what we’ve got to an extent.

Everyone knows about the struggles the nightlife scene fact at the moment and you’ve mentioned some of them there, what can be done to help?

It seems like there are way less opportunities and resources for students and young people starting things from scratch at the moment, like I saw in my uni days in Nottingham. It feels like there is too much concentration of the people running events, which can make things repetitive and boring. I hate that only certain people get in the room to start with and we need to make the industry more open for newcomers. It’s so heavily gate kept by people trying to make money or in a nepotistic way. I think they need to reduce the price of a pint to be honest. For personal reasons and to save the scene haha.

You’ve played at some of best venues around the country, what is your favourite?

Playing Stealth was an absolute dream come true, the sound system is every DJ’s dream.  I know i’ve already bigged it up but Fortune of War is my favourite, what more could you want than staring at the sea in the sun with a pint!

What is your ultimate goal?

I’ve finished 250 tracks ready to release but under so many genres, I struggle to pick just one alias! It’s not about chasing money or fame, I just want to release good music that I can stand by for years to come. I am too much of a perfectionist but I respect the art of music too much and want to take my time with it rather than make fast food music. I need to release more of it but it’s hard to know where to start when they vary so much in style! 

I’ve just opened up my own studio in Brighton Lanes which I just get in everyday to push the needle forwards so jus gonna live in there until I can retire and move to Jamaica haha.

What is your favourite track of yours for people to check out?

Peekaboo – My take on an old school Deep Medi 140 wobbler. I cba with this new Skirllex Fred Again 140 it actually does my head in. All the tunes sound the same.

Dream B2B?

Ooh that’s tough! It would have to be grime or UKG so JackDat, Interplanetary Criminal, Sir Spyro, .. just a massive cypher really.

You can find Champloo on Soundcloud here and Instagram here.