Hello, Annie. You’re running some “all-day raves” at the moment. That sounds quite tiring. Is there anywhere to sit down?
I did have a conversation with my manager about this. I said: “We need to make sure there’s somewhere to sit.” The words “all” and “day” are crucial: there’s not a lot of night, and that suits me for my current state (1) because it means I won’t be up until four in the morning. Club shows are pretty brutal when you’ve got kids.
The good news is that all the clubs are shutting down!
That’s good and bad, let’s be honest.
Well quite. Of those that remain, which is best?
XOYO in London in terms of good nights and having resident DJs, which has been pretty unheard of in London for a while. I really love Motion in Bristol, too, which is quite warehousey.
Was Fabric’s closure really about drugs, or secretly about property development?
Drugs, I think. Radio 1 did a documentary on it and interviewed Cameron Leslie, who’s the co-founder of Fabric, and for once, he said, this was not to do with property. Which is fair enough – I mean if you’re a policeman and you have dead bodies, you can’t let these things go. But I think there’s a much bigger conversation to be had about how drug use is not going to wane, and how drug strength is also increasing. There’s a big argument for what they do in some European countries: they try their best at prevention, but they also look at harm reduction. So they’ll let you test your drugs to see if they’re lethal, or even drugs at all. They did it at two festivals this year in England, and a quarter of the people handed their drugs back once they knew what was in them.
You’ve also got a new compilation out (2). Did you set yourself a brief, or just think of some songs you liked and chuck them on an album?
It’s always just that really. Obviously there’s a label involved so they always have their say and want you to put on the biggest tracks of the year, and I don’t always like the biggest tracks of the year.
There’s no Chainsmokers on the album is there?
Er, no [chortles]. A couple of DJ Snake tracks haven’t made it on either.
Here’s a recent quote for you from Spotify’s head of dance and electronic music: “Radio is a thing of the past, it’s not relevant.” Any thoughts?
Well of course he’s going to say that. Radio definitely isn’t a thing of the past but it’s in a state of flux and the concept is changing. The traditional medium of having it there in the background as an old friend? That’s still there. The one thing we have, not that it’s a competition, is the human element. You can have the best playlists and algorithms in the world, but there’s nothing better than a person you like talking to you about music.
You say it’s not a competition, but: Zane Lowe’s World Record vs Annie Mac’s Hottest Record. Who’s getting offered the best songs? (3)
[Extended guffawing]. I do genuinely think Radio 1 gets the biggest, best exclusives because people know how many people listen to it (4). If you’re a manager or label you want your song to make the biggest impact, so you go to Radio 1, still. Equally I’d rather make a two-week-old song Hottest Record than give something that’s “just alright”. Hottest Record simply because it’s been handed our way.
Let’s move on to the Annie Mac macaroni cheese that’s been touring the country’s festivals. (5) Did they ask you for permission? Do you get money? What’s happening?
Do you know what, there’s no money. All I get is people Instagramming me from festivals going: “Oooooh you’re on a macaroni cheese stall.” The people who do it sent me a book.
A book about macaroni cheese?
Yes. Actually, macaroni cheese is my favourite food of all time. I’m really into the new one from Pret. Have you had that one? It’s got butternut squash and goat’s cheese. It’s quite middle class.
You ask your Friday night listeners to tell you whether they’re raving or behaving. Isn’t raving or behaving a false dichotomy?
Explain.
Well, you can go out raving, but not get carried away. Equally, you can stay at home but get up to all sorts. It’s not black and white.
I agree. If you want to make a nice spaghetti bolognese on a Friday while also raving, that’s fine. I don’t want people to think they have to be on a dancefloor or on the way to a nightclub. It is a false dichotomy. You’re right. You’re pedantic, but you’re right.
It’s just journalism Annie.
And I appreciate it. Bye!
- Annie Mac’s AMP 2016 compilation is out now. Listen to Annie Mac on Radio 1 Monday–Friday from 7pm
Footnotes
(1) Annie’s quite literally pregnant!
(2) Annie Mac Presents 2016 contains 39 tracks. The best ones are KDA and Tinashe’s Just Say and the DJ Koze mix of Låpsley’s Operator.
(3) Annie took over Zane Lowe’s Radio 1 show when he went to Beats 1. Each day they get very excited about one new song: Zane calls his World Record, and Annie’s is Hottest Record.
(4) Beats 1 has been on air for 14 months. Curiously, Apple – often so keen to trumpet impressive statistics – are yet to release any listening figures.
(5) Established in 2010, Anna Mac’s Mac & Cheese van offers dishes such as The Kanye Western (it’s got BBQ sauce in it) and The Annie Mac, which boasts three different cheeses.
