DJ Larni Interview
DJ Larni ‘HIM NUH NORMAL’ one of the UK's top DJ / Selectors is making waves in the scene. Larni always knew that he was going to be a DJ and from the tender age of fourteen, started to play in clubs. Despite his young age, DJ Larni is arguably one of the UK's most young and versatile DJ's. Specialising in Dancehall and Reggae, Soca, Hip Hop, House, R&B, Afro Beats, Revival but that’s just the beginning. As time progressed, his skills and versatility has led him to travel and play in many locations such as; Amsterdam, Egypt and numerous cities within the UK such as London and Birmingham - playing for different cultures and different people.
There was me sitting in DJ Larni’s studio where he creates many of his mixes and records with other artists. It was nice and comfy on the sofa where I perched myself. I was very interested in this story and just had to find out more.
So tell me how did it all begin, what sparked your passion for DJing?
“I think it started more with my family cos my Dad was a DJ as well. Before I got like deep into Djing I was actually in church, I used to play drums at church. I’ve just always been into music mainly you know, I’ve always had music around my family and church as well”. CC “That sounds very familar to me as well so I can definitely relate”.
During the lockdown period things started to excel even more for you. Can you tell us a bit more about how that happened?
“So in lockdown everyone was a just a bit depressed ennit, I used to have a four bedroom house. One of the rooms had a lot of junk in it, I cleaned it out and whatnot and changed into a little studio”. CC “That must have been super therapeutic to do that as well”. Larni “Yeah, do you know what I mean, so I have two of my friends living with me as well and my little brother. So we’ve made this little studio and actually I’ve done a bit of research on how to make the audio. Cos a lot of people was like doing Instagram lives, Clubhouse and House party. They might just be playing music in the background but there was nothing where it was clear”. CC “Yeah it’s true I’ve noticed it’s almost like it washes in and out and sounds a bit tinny, so I get what you mean”. Larni “So yeah I wanted mine to sound crystal clear so I actually figured it out how to do it. Obviously because all phones have a mic input, a headphone input. Yeah so I figure it out and then I went live and I only had maybe like 1,000 followers if that, I had 5 people join the live”. CC “Small beginning, you can’t knock small beginning”. “We were lit though we were lit! *laughs* Then after the next day had 15 people, like a constant viewing of 15 people and then it just kinda grew from there, it’s crazy”. CC “That’s amazing! How often were you doing the lives, was there a specific time you were doing it, was it everyday or just in the evening?”. Larni “Do you know what at the beginning it wasn’t scheduled it was like” CC “When you felt like it”. Larni “Yeah, let’s go on, let’s do it. When it started to blow up it started to turn into a demand. That’s when I had to start scheduling like every Tues from this time to this time”. Stanz “Buzz Tuesdays, Santise Sundays”. CC “Santise Sundays!! *all start laughing* that’s such a sick name, I love that”. Larni “We have Santise Sundays where we would play slow jams all night. Buzz Tuesday was more like a dancehall night we had a Friday but I forgot what the Friday was called yahkno. It got to the point where I had 22,000 people in the live, i don’t remember the peak peak but I remember that specific night. Yeah it was crazy, people were joining with their families. Joining with their Mums and what not, yeah it was like a community”. CC “Yeah and just a time to get out of the all the negativity that we were all collectively going through”. “Yeah we would even do competitions a lot of people were doing CashApps at the time. So I put a little Cashapp link there and that I was making from the CashApp, I was just giving it away as gifts. So I never actually kept any of the money, I kept none of it for myself. So with the CashApp money when people joined the live it would be like cool it might be a Mum dancing Vs a young girl *laughs*, everyone vote. Whoever, we give them a little cash prize, just to help out”. CC “That’s so sweet” “On the Tuesday night it was the more dancehall, Caribbean, Soca, Afrobeats nights. On a Tuesday I made it seem like it was more in a club. People would book tables and they would put money in the CashApp, there was a cloakroom *fits of laughter the room*”. CC “Wow this is like properly thought through, oh my gosh”. “People would be like yeah £2 cloakroom and some people would be like here is £500 it was my birthday today I’m stuck in my house I wasn't doing nothing and you made my night. People would have a games night with three of their friends and then the live would be playing in the background, so it’s like I would be playing for them. CC “Wow I never knew how intricate it was, how complex it was, but that sounds amazing and I really feel like you helped a lot of people. I mean you might not have thought of it like that but I think you definitely helped a lot of people during that time. But maybe in your eyes you were just having fun”.
As well as being a DJ others may not know but you are also a producer. Could you tell us a few tracks that you have worked on in the past?
“One of the main tracks I did was with IQ ‘Bun Fi Bun’ with Stefflon Don and then that one took off on TikTok it blew up. Then we ended up doing a remix with Kranium, Stalk Ashley and Jermain Cartel. Yeah that was a good little project, we got some other things up coming”. CC “I can tell those are the ones, even just now with the way your face just changed, it was like I’m going to keep those close to my chest. My lil sis actually told me your were on live yesterday. You were showing people tiny little bits, maybe like 10secs and were like okay okay that’s enough now.” *Laughing* Yeah do you know why people kinda think that I’ve gone quiet. But it’s because I’m doing so much behind the scenes like also getting back into radio. So I’ve been doing a lot of cover shows and premixes for BBC so that’s looking like another step. This is actually the first time I’m actually saying it”. CC “Oh wow EXCLUSIVE”. Larni “Exclusive yeah, so for BBC 1Xtra”. CC “Yeah it just means that your focus is elsewhere, but obviously when people don’t see the visibility they think where is he going? What’s he doing? But yeah people aren’t patient they always just wanna be”. Larni “They want me to stay on live”. CC “Yeah exactly, you know what I mean and it’s like we ain’t in lockdown anymore, we OUTSIDE. I got other importance things that I need to be doing, they’ll wait for you it’s fine *laughing*”.
What would you say is the most rewarding part of being a DJ?
“For me it’s making people have a good night, you see it’s people it’s not about the money or fame that comes with it. It’s the fact that when people come back and they’re like Larni my week was terrible, I’ve gone to Larni’s party I’m lit, I’m good. They’ve forgotten about all their problems whatever, they’ve forgot about the rent they gotta pay, they nar spend any money at the bar. Like their worries are just gone for that period of time because of my work. That feeling is just, that’s what makes me wanna do it more”.
What does your creation process look like when it comes to making a mix?
“With making mixes because of the placement I have in the business I always need to bring more new songs. A lot of the times a lot of other DJs listen to my mixes and if I play a new song they’re more likely to play it as well. So it helps the business grow, so I do tend to try and get as much new songs as possible, what I feel like has the potential to help the business and that’s my way about it more time. It’s about making Caribbean music stay growing. That’s what I mainly specialise in so I need concentrate more on Caribbean music but just helping in grow mainly. That’s the main thing so if I have a main set I don’t feel a way to play a song that no-one knows but introduce it to them. To let them know this is the next upcoming song, listen to it and the vibes are still good”.
Do you have any advice for our readers who may be trying to get into DJing?
“Advice ooo in what kind of territory?” CC “Well, I guess if someone’s starting out as a DJ or wanting to get into it. They’re looking online and they’re like seeing all of these controllers and they are like I don’t know where I’m supposed to start, from that kind of standpoint”. “With Djing there's so many different fields to Djing, you got tour DJs, you got radio DJs, you got club DJs, you got DJs that are always abroad. You have to kind know where is gonna be your place in the DJ scene so you don’t get lost. You might end up being a club DJ and you wanna be a club DJ but you’re forever on the radio. So no-one has seen you in the clubs, so you have to kinda know you position and where you wanna be. That’s your first step know where you wanna be, are you trying to be a radio presenter? Or a radio DJ, or club DJ or a resident to just one club like you don’t wanna move around. You have to kinda know where you wanna be in the business”.
Name 3 people you would love to work with and why?
“Oh no *laughing*” CC “One or two things normally happen when I ask this question they give me loads or everyone goes out of their head and they can’t remember any names”. Stanz Three people in what that's bare still?”. CC “I’ll probably say artists because otherwise it’s far too broad”. Stanz “In terms of DJ or producer?”. CC “I mean that’s up to you really it could me someone who is a producer and artist, like a fusion of the both?” Larni “There’s so many, I wanna pick the right three and I’d deffo like to work with someone at the top like a Vybz Kartel or something like produce a riddim for them. I’d definitely love that, just actually being in a studio session with them. But obviously he’s in jail *laughing* ahh there’s so many names. I would love to work with Beres Hammond yeah deffo, this is one that people won’t expect you know. I think I would have a good session with Kirk Franklin, yeah it’s different”. CC “Wow, wow okay pause do you know what I see what you mean. The other day I was listening to an album that’s not on Spotify God's Property from Kirk Franklin's Nu Nation it’s the one that has ‘Stomp’. I could only find it on YouTube and I was listening to it about a week ago and just listening”. Larni “I think it’s amazing the band and everything”. CC “Just incredible, just such incredible music. Even if you take away even if people are not Christian or don’t believe in God. But listening to it for the musicality of it incredible work, such a body of work. So to be fair even though it might not be expected with obviously you having a church background as well it does make sense”. Larni “Well not a lot of people know that I listen to a lot of gospel music”. CC “Really?!” Larni “Yeah because they only take what they can see”. CC “Yeah, and a lot of people can be like that. Yeah very varied but I quite like that people are gonna be raising eyebrows”.
What have you got planned for the not so distant future?
“So many deffo more producing, I got some new mixes coming out real soon, radio as well. Stanz “Manchester, Birthday”. Larni “Oh yeah so we got my birthday coming up so I’m doing a big party for it. I do like a little tour Larni & Friends tour so we’ve done Birmingham twice which has just been crazy it’s sold out. We are now gonna add Manchester and London to it and because we’ve done events in London that’s been great already so we’re gonna to that specific brand Larni & Friends. We are gonna add Manchester and London to it and keep going with it”.
What’s the album or single you’ve played more than any other?
CC “So it can be something nostalgic you use to use to like school times, or it can be something present day it’s got you in a chokehold as it’s like that one has to go on, or that album has to go on right now. You’re in the car and you’re like that one is going on, you're go to”. Larni “Ooo oh my days, it depends on my mood. I listen to all music like I love my slow jams, love my R&B, love my soul, like it depends on my mood you know. Especially where I’m going as well, if I’m just cruisin’ then it might be R&B I’ll be listening to. If I’m on my way to a booking and know it’s gonna be a good booking and I know the set that I need to do I’ll put a little dancehall one get me in the mood. I’m ready for my set”. CC “So in of those two genres then R&B and Dancehall would you say there is one specific artist”. Larni “There’s so many it depends on my mood, so crazy it might even be a likkle Soca. Ooo ooo man this is a difficult one, even to say an album is a difficult one. On Spotify I’ll make it roll, and then be like ooo no-one used this one *laughing* and I like this one and then use it in a future mix. So it’s a crazy one you know whose album I had on repeat last week I had Tems album on repeat last week. The week before that Popcaan released this song with Drake ‘We Caa Done’ the week before that it changes every week *laughing*”.
Name three things you can’t live without?
“Music, Music, Music *laughing* that’s just the top. It’s so crazy, I’m having a bad day music, I’m having a good day music *laughing* music is the power. It’s one of the strengths because do you know whats even crazy I’m dyslexic a lot of people don’t know this but when I’m DJing it don’t affect me. My dyslexia use to affect me when I’m DJing but now I can fully type a sentence and I wont have no issue”. CC “It is power that’s why a lot of music therapy gotten so big, alot of old people it affects them in a really positive way. It’s why people end up going into music therapy and wanna be a music therapist because they’ve seen the way it reacts with different, people have mental health stuff or things that are going on with their body. I’ve seen videos where music has gone on and they start to remember things”. Larni “Yeah I hear that still, I can play instruments as well, I play piano, bass guitar and drums. I don’t know I got no issues”. CC “Music, music and music I love it”.
It is clear to see that DJ Larni is very passionate about his artform saying that you should definitely get yourself down to an event of his, see links below
Stay tuned as he continues his journey towards success!
Follow DJ Larni on socials:
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Tour Dates:
DJ Larni & Friends Birmingham Grown & Sexy All Black Edition
DJ Larni & Friends Manchester All Black Edition
More Time More Life I DJ Larni and DJ Shortman Birthday Bash
