Spotlight On... Al Gu

Al Gu is an Edinburgh-based DJ and producer who has written scores for short films and art installations. They’re also the founder of club nights like Slànte Meath and Faerie Circle, the latter they created through their EHFM radio show ratarsed with malicedeejay. As a DJ, Gu is known for their eclectic high energy sets that incorporate electro, heavy bass and breakbeat, three such styles heard across their debut EP Goop, out today.

Goop opens with 'mort', and a satisfying tumble and fall of arpeggiated electronics, before squelchy throbbing synths swell, making way for frosted glass synth lines that rise before forming into a thudding breakbeat bassline. 'mort' feels hopeful, but always with an underlying threat; it sounds vintage and fresh at the same time; otherworldly and destined to soundtrack a super cool dystopian sci-fi movie. When garbled synthetic vocals enter the fray, it brings an undeniable air of mystery and intrigue – are these voices from beyond the grave, as alluded to by the title, or are they transmissions from a distant more alien land? Either way, it’s this simple tool of subtle nuance that Gu uses so well over the course of Goop’s four tracks. 

It’s in the bleepy haze that brings 'mort' to an end, or the techno thud that jolts you awake on 'hark', a track that while using the same sonic palate, feels altogether darker. Its faster pace evokes a high speed car chase, or a club scene à la John Wick or Blade. It’s intense, the single maniacal laugh towards the end chilling you to your core as Gu once again catches you off guard.

While 'groucho' continues to throb, albeit with a more breakbeat bent, brighter swirling synths offer a lightness not afforded earlier, before EP closer 'groucho (dreaming)' brings yet more softness as it pulses in and out of focus, calling to mind artists like Kelly Lee Owens. While there’s still a dark undertone to be found here, it sounds altogether more hopeful than where we were at the record’s intense midpoint. Ultimately, being welcomed into Al Gu’s sonic world is a rare treat, and Goop is an accomplished debut from the Edinburgh-based producer. We catch up with Al Gu to find out more about the EP and their music practice, and their involvement in the local scene.

Can you start by telling us a bit about yourself, where you're from and how you got into making music?
Hi! I was born in Istanbul to a Turkish and Greek family, moved to New Jersey then Washington DC between the ages of 4-14, then Munich. Although my strong American accent shows otherwise, all my family live in Munich or Istanbul. I started making music on my bus rides home from school in Munich; I had GarageBand on my phone which had almost the same set up as my Ableton launchpad. I started playing around with the preset loops during the week and showing the songs I made in the park with friends over the weekend. I also played violin for seven years; one of my greatest accomplishments was making first violin in my old middle school.

Who/what would you say inspires your music practice?
Definitely my friends – for example Duncan and Jolon from Knockwood inspired me to push myself regardless of if I really believed I could create something worth listening to. Samwooddoowmas, my coworker and closest thing I have had to a brother, also really inspired me to create the music I make today. If you listen to his music you can really see the parallels quite clearly; he is also the reason I know Knockwood and Sett Studios which are my two favourite spaces in Leith, so thanks.

Drexciya are definitely my favourite musical composers, anyone that knows me can tell you that. When I first listened to Bubble Metropolis and learned about the lore coming with the music, I was astonished that not only was this music but also a movement, a journey and a story (which you could even read in their comic books). Living in Leith and being surrounded by such artistic and colourful people helps; walking down Leith Walk is a huge inspiration for me, without that I wouldn’t have met all the people that push me to be better.

You've just released your Goop EP, can you tell us more about that? What was the process like, and can you talk us through the songs in a bit more detail?
Goop was honestly a long time coming, I have been working on tracks for over a decade now although I have only released music in the past two years through soundtracks to short films or art exhibitions. I have always been interested in creating music through modular synthesisers and Knockwood Studios made that a reality for me.

We jammed out in the studio for a full day and birthed this EP with me flicking through manuals for their multitude of Moogs. 'mort' and 'groucho' reflect rhythmic ethereal analog sounds; 'groucho (dreaming edit)' appreciates tempo as a form of sound alteration, changing the atmosphere towards a deep melancholic experience for the listener; 'hark' presents a club-ready track incorporating heavy kicks which has already been test run at my favourite venue, Sneaky Pete’s, as well as Cab Vol.  A friend of mine was reading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and I think my mindset was kind of altered at that point to create this dark, kick-heavy, Blade Runner-esque sound. I can’t not mention that I have so much appreciation for the Moog DFAM (drummer from another mother), every sound that we created on it just felt right.

Can you tell us more about your involvement in the local Edinburgh community? And how you came to be involved?
I started running art exhibitions in Edinburgh and then as I got booked to DJ through word of mouth at The Bongo Club (Midnight Bass), I had a breakthrough event at PAS Berlin – Sláinte Mhath. The first Slàinte was about celebrating intercultural exchange between Berlin and Edinburgh, having local musicians and DJs collaborate through 12 hours of music. I brought it over to Edinburgh with the help of Glo Black from Maranta/Microsteria for a Hogmanay party in Leith and just loved adding spaces for art and music in our wee Leith/Edinburgh community. Seeing the smiles on everyone's faces once they got into the venue, dancing, cheering, all that, really feels like you made a good thing happen and got to give back to the venues/people/artists. 

I also co-founded Faerie Circle with malicedeejay (my partner in crime for our EHFM show ratarsed). It was created to amplify the voices of femme and queer performers, reclaiming fast and hard rhythms, and providing a safe place for all to dance to. We feel it’s important to give space to new DJs so we have open decks for the first hour specifically to have people that do not often DJ and we are always on standby to help or just be moral support.

Playing my music at Sett Studios for Flawd Foiks, Haptic at Sneaky Pete’s and Femmergy really made me think that I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without the foundation created by these events, including all the people that supported and just gave their tender love and caring for their cause. I have had the pleasure of getting involved in all of this because I just love community building and found out slowly that this was my means of doing that, especially when my community is what inspires me the most. 

And what does the rest of 2024 look like for Al Gu, do you have any exciting plans into the new year?
Honestly, I have just been hyper-fixated on staying in the country, this one goes out to you Arts Council England, who get to decide if I am talented enough to stay! I am not allowed to promote any events as they might not accept this as a form of review if I did, but someone may be playing and I am *not* promoting Wastelands Festival in the borders this year, running more Faerie Circle and Sláinte Mhath events, and working on new music (one of which may be shown through Works in Progress 2 on EHFM). I will also be mentoring new DJs at Sound Sound, in the big ideas barn as part of a CDJ, vinyl and production workshop. Hopefully, if I get to stay I can do all of these things as well as study sound design, digital composition and performance.

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Goop is out now

algu.bandcamp.com

soundcloud.com