№ 107 - DJ Fati

Starting life in 2012, her music project RAMZi, whose name reportedly been chosen “for the musical sound of it”, led to the Canadian gaining global fame by releasing a string of cassette tapes, vinyl LPs and EPs on labels like Rvng Intl, 12th Isle, Total Stasis, Mood Hut and her very own imprint FATi records, that she launched in 2018.

Her sound aesthetics cater for a vast array of styles and atmospheres, featuring hybrid morphing conversations between ambient, healing music, new age, jazz, jungle, house, dub, Balearic, field recordings, Fourth World Music, and other experimental electronic and organic music zones. She also likes to immerse herself in collaboration work, releasing music with artists like L.A.’s Suzanne Kraft and creating the joint persona Jumanjí with Montreal based DJ and producer Francis Latreille aka Priori, while constantly hiding behind enigmatic digital appearances that make her aura opaque and mystical.

When she is playing music for dancefloors or producing mixes, she goes by the name DJ Fati and plays whatever she feels like. Her live shows are psychoactive tropical trips crossing house, breaks, and jungle in a bouncing unpredictable way. She has performed them all around the world, at festivals like CTM in Berlin, Primavera Sound in Barcelona, and Dekmantel in Amsterdam, as well as in renowned clubs like Robert Johnson and De School. She recently finished working on her new album for the Dutch label 'Music From Memory' and wrote the soundtrack for a documentary about mushrooms.

In her colourful mix for The EDWIN Music Channel, Fati unites music by artists such as Tones on Tail, Barış Manço, Synchro Rhythmic Eclectic Language, Kiefer, Ron Trent and Hiroshi Suzuki in a tripping story arc that traverses jazz, soul, funk, house and downbeat zones.

As ever we had a chat with our host, talking with RAMZi aka DJ Fati about her origins, education, her many pseudonyms, and future plans.

Q. How did you end up doing what you do and not something else?

A. I always wanted to invent other worlds and find a way to immerse myself in them. When I was a teen I was really into acting and directing plays. I even did college in theatre. I realised there wasn’t much in it for me, except that I learned about experimental theatre from all over the world and it really stayed with me. When I discovered Ableton Live I felt the potential I could invent my own world with it.

Q. What is your musical background?

A. I went to this art school growing up and we had to play in an orchestra and big bands. I played the trumpet. We also had choir classes almost every day. I learned to read music at that time but since I discovered electronic music it's quite intuitive. Lately, I started to take piano lessons just on YouTube.

Q. What is the driving force of your creativity?

A. Being in the present, spontaneity, animals, nature, books I read, live concerts, friendships. I do need to feel good to be inspired and for that, I need self-care, stability and keep the faith.

Q. You operate under many pseudonyms like Ramzi, BigBird, Phubu, as well as DJ Fati. What is the difference between the pseudonyms in terms of content?

A. Yeah and the newborn is Ramzilla. Those alter egos reflect the multitude in myself and different collabs, they inspired me to approach life and creation differently. Social media is always pushing to define yourself with a strong identity based on your look if you’re a producer/DJ and to conform to a specific format. It can be sometimes a distraction from the music itself. As I said, I see the music I make much bigger than who I think I am, and I’d rather prefer to promote the music solely.

Q. On what future projects are you working on now?

A. I am working on this LP for 'Music from Memory' to be released next September. I also made the score for this documentary about mushrooms, named 'Fun Fungi', coming out this year. The kind of doc people should take mushrooms before watching! I have different music collabs, but they always take a lot of time before seeing some tangible results.

Q. How did you select the tracks for your EDWIN Music Channel mix?

A. I tried to make a mix that is down to earth, that evokes the spring and a renewed sense of hope. I can’t help myself seeking music that envelops us warmly.

Q. What superpower would you like to have?

A. Bring peace in this world, eradicate poverty, and get rid of our corrupted leaders. All interconnected, can’t pick one.

TRACKLIST

Tones on Tail - Rain
Barış Manço - Dere Boyu Kavaklar
The Pro-Teens - Peachfuzz
The Weirz - He's a gambler (edit)
Spinnaker - The Spirit of America
Synchro Rythmic Eclectic Language - Foukie
Nas - One Love 
Kiefer - Friends
DJ Shadow - What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 1)
The Necks - Hanging Gardens
Ron Trent - World Travels
Hiroshi Suzuki - Romance
Ian Wyatt - Peace Out