Dexter Kane has been putting out a decent body of work now for nearly 10 years having released on the likes of Akbal Music, Fear of Flying and Shades. Known to those close to him as Ed Kane, he’s been producing his own brand of house that has been met with much applause with regular support from Mr G, Rodriguez Jr, Livio & Roby and Maya Jane Coles. Not only is Kane the boss of his own label Shadow Sanctuary, but he also cut his teeth co-founding Lower East under his previous moniker Kanio.
The last few years have found Dexter trotting the globe to play DJ sets, from Brazil to Australia. Back home he’s been rolling with the WetYourSelf crew for the last couple of years, playing at fabric, London and Space, Ibiza. So after a crazy journey that any aspiring bedroom producer would dream of, we talk to Dexter about where he’s going next, about the parties he digs back in London and the 90s trends he wants to avoid.
Where do you make most of your music? Are you still based in South London and does this location fill you with inspiration?
Yeah I’ve lived in Brixton for nigh on ten years now. I like it here, but I don’t know how much a location really inspires your music though as I’ve not really worked anywhere else. Most of the time you’re doing it in a dark room anyhow. I think I get more inspired by other artists and hardware than my physical location.
How would you compare the main musical differences between Lower East and Shadow Sanctuary? How do the artists differ?
Well it’s nice to have full creative control over things these days that’s for sure. When there are three of you, you spend so much time bouncing emails back and forth and having meetings, you loose a bit of your creative time. Here’s what the Shadow Sanctuary bio says and I think it sums things up nicely: ‘Shadow Sanctuary is the home of London based artist Dexter Kane. Whilst the imprint is primarily an outlet for his own music, showcasing work from friends, established artists and rising talent is also a large part of its ethos. Expect a plethora of sounds to resonate from this sanctuary’s shady depths, a home for dancefloor fodder and cutting edge cuts alike.’
How was the creation of ‘Hit Rewind’ EP a different process to ‘Closer Still’ EP?
It wasn’t hugely; I usually start of with an idea for how I want a track to sound. Maybe with a couple of tracks I like as a bit of a reference I can consult for ideas while putting it together. Sometimes you end up on a total tangent that I usually tend to go with. It’s not good to force things in a certain direction; it can just result in frustration and unfinished tracks sometimes. ‘Angel of the North’, ‘Hit Rewind’ and ‘303 ’til Infinity’ all kind of turned out pretty much how I imagined them though if I remember rightly.
What were the musical influences behind the original tracks on this EP? Were you listening to anything extensively at the time?
You know I don’t tend to obsess over one particular sound any more, I draw inspiration from various sources and whatever I’m feeling at the time. There’s not one particular artist or label that I love at the moment. I think I tend to get inspired by individual tracks more than artists as a whole a lot of the time.
The 90s revival is truly upon us, these days on a night out you can’t seem to move for bucket hats, puffa jackets and backpacks. If you could bring back one rave fashion from the past what would it be?
Christ are puffa jackets back? Seen quite a few bomber jackets knocking around. Guess they look alright, maybe I can dig mine out from when I was 12. Thing is, I remember the actual 90’s quite well, and to be honest it was a pretty naff decade the first time round. The best things to come out of the 90’s were 90’s hip hop, drum and bass, The Prodigy and brit pop for me. Most of the fashion can stay there.
Have you got any gripes with the current dance music scene?
Granted there was a bit of a golden era in London about 6/7 years ago. The End, The Key, Pubic Life, Light Bar etc. but there’s alot of good stuff to do now too. Oval Space, Dance tunnel, Corsica Studios, Bar 90 etc. not to mention a ton of dedicated warehouse space. My main gripe would be people moaning about how it was back in the day. If you can’t find a party you like, you’re not looking hard enough.
You’ve played all over the world, from Australia to Brazil, and all around the UK. Where has been your favourite place to gig as Dexter Kane and what made it memorable? On the flipside have you got any horror stories or anywhere you never plan on returning?
WYS! @ fabric and Club Vibe in Brazil are my two favourite places to play. You have average gigs from time to time, but thankfully no horror stories for me.
Are you looking forward to adding any particular new names to the Shadow Sanctuary books? What can we expect for the rest of the year from the label and yourself?
The next release is from Niko Maxen with a remix from myself and Twenty2 (AKA dub.c & Secondself) out on the 25th of May. Then I have a release from Twenty2, also with a remix from myself. Currently about to finish a new EP myself so might put that out on Shadow Sanctuary too.
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