ell rodin
ell rodin
Ell rodin
Let’s start with a little intro to yourself …
I’m primarily a jungle and hardcore vinyl DJ, I also dabble in a bit of tech/deep house here and there. I co-run a night called Elysium with Luke and Ruben, our next event is on the 28th Feb at Exchange, we’ve got some wicked DJ’s coming down so I’m excited for that. I’ve also been getting into production recently, I’ve been making some darker tunes that are very much inspired by the sounds of ’93 and that’s been a great learning experience, I’m really enjoying having a creative outlet like that at the moment. Apart from that, I’m also in my third year of uni studying music.
If you had to describe your style as a DJ in three tracks, what would they be?
Dwarde and Tim Reaper - Globex Corp Vol.8 A1
How did you first get into DJing and what sparked your love for Jungle?
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I started mixing in lockdown on a tiny little tractor controller my Dad had, him and my mum were DJ’s and promoters in the early 2000’s, so I’ve always been aware of that kind of thing ever since I was younger. I started mixing house as I didn’t know a whole lot of dance music at that time. After that, I started going to squats in London with my mates from college and discovered DnB which eventually led to Jungle.
Jungle just scratches an itch in my brain, I don’t fully know what it is about it. I really connect with the whole nostalgia thing, I think that’s why I largely prefer tracks from back in the day. I think I’m quite a nostalgic and reflective person, I’m always thinking back to times in my life, good or bad, I think it makes me more appreciative of things.
"Jungle just scratches an itch in my brain ... I really connect with the whole nostalgia thing ..."
You’re also a huge vinyl lover, how long have you been collecting for?
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I’ve been collecting vinyl since I was in my early teens, not necessarily dance music, but I’ve got a decent load of 80’s and 90’s records at home. In terms of Jungle and hardcore, I’ve been mixing vinyl for about 2 years now so around that long. My collection isn’t massive to be honest, I have to absolutely love a record for me to buy it. I know I wanna buy something when I have a physical reaction to it, otherwise there’s no point for me.
What are some of your favourites in your collection?
This is a tricky one, the most recent record I bought was the Mixed Biscuit EP by Mole The Dipper, Immoral Depth is one of my top 5 tunes so I’m very excited to own that. I’ve also got Horizons by Bukem, I’m really into Good Looking Records and that whole atmospheric sound at the moment. Another recent one is the repress of Frequency by Fallen Angels on Creative Wax. I’m a massive fan of all the old tunes that are getting represses, it makes it so much more affordable.
Back in 2023, you joined Interlude - what’s the mission and how has the journey been, so far?
Honestly we didn’t really have one, Ruben and I started mixing together in 2022 and Luke joined us a little while after. Luke then came up with the name and that was it really, we played at every USB Monday at The Crown for months and months, I kinda miss those times actually.
As soon as we started mixing vinyl it kinda took off for us, we started applying for radios and we love doing that. There’s nothing better than a live radio set, Infrared.fm is wicked as well as Workshop Radio here in Bristol, proper family settings. We’ve played all around Bristol and in London too for Distant Planet, we’d love to play in more cities since we all love travelling too.
You’ve also joined the Infrared Radio family with your bi-weekly show, how has it been having that platform to share your music?
I love Infrared, it’s such a great community of people. I’m pretty sure we’ve been playing on there for a while longer than some of the other people we know, we definitely encouraged our mates to join the show. Our shows are always such a laugh, we always have a cooking section where we tell the listeners what our dinner plans are, we’ve talked about starting some sort of mixing/cooking show at some point haha.
"... it just felt like we were mixing in our own kitchen"
What’s been your favourite show, so far?
It’s gotta be Distant Planet at MOT for sure, that venue is insane and the sound was so good it just felt like we were mixing in our own kitchen. I’ve also enjoyed some of the house parties we’ve played at, there’s a place in Bristol we’ve played in the basement of a couple times and that’s always wild.
You also launched Elysium, how great has it been bringing together DJs from different genres?
It’s been great! I like to think we bring something a bit different to Bristol and we bring a lot of DJs together that may not get the chance to meet otherwise. Honestly I just love the music we put on at our events, it’s like creating our dream night out every time.
Who are some emerging local DJs/artists you would recommend?
MNXL aka Sophie Andrea is someone we’ve got opening for Elysium on the 28th Feb, she plays Detroit and Acid techno as well as some heavier stuff. I met her a while ago and taught her how to mix vinyl for a bit, she’s wicked so keep an eye on her. We’ve also got Gabba Ganoush coming down to close for us, proper stompy and high energy tunes. DJ Doubt is a close friend of mine and the rest of Interlude, they’ve been producing some craziness recently so look out for their releases!
What’s coming up this year?
As I’m writing this, it’s a couple days before we play at Ashton Court Mansion for the Community Sessions event, other than that Interlude are playing at our event Elysium on the 28th Feb at Exchange, I’m playing for Paprika at the Barrelhouse in Totnes on the 7th March, then at Boca’s International Women’s Day event (TBA) on the 8th March. Some more very exciting stuff coming up after that but I won’t spoil it…
