In Conversation: Shy One

Music

Words by Ashe De Sousa
Artwork by Sam Douglas

Shy One has music in the blood. Her beats pulse with her huge armoury of influences, cutting thickset basslines with everything from UK funky to grime.

More recent collaborations with collectives BBZ and Pxssy Palace have made Shy an important force in London’s QTIPOC community, but first broadcasting on pirate radio aged 13, she’s been gifting the capital with her glitchy, amorphous sound for well over a decade. And as she’s currently sitting on a reserve of unreleased material with Victoria Sin, there’s a lot to be excited about.

We caught up in her South London studio, talking about London’s attack on music and creating and protecting spaces for expression.

You’re armed with a massive catalogue of genres and influences, so what does your process look like? How do you condense that into a four track EP?
I’ve yet to create by being like, I’m gonna open up my production software and start a four track EP and it’s gonna be this vibe. I kind of just kind of curate from what I have, that’s often how it goes. Or the person who’s interested in putting the music might be like, these tracks go really well together, or I’m getting a theme from these, it’s really long winded and annoying, but I get there in the end. It’s definitely something I’m improving.

Was your future always going to be in music?
No not at all, people assume that I was encouraged, but my dad actually discouraged me from following his footsteps. Obviously when he saw that I was into it and then he would give me records. My godfather never discouraged me - he bought me my first turntables. But I was gonna go into IT up until a few years ago. I went to uni, got a degree in IT. I always had a very pessimistic view of ever getting a career in music, it just didn’t seem like something that was attainable or achievable basically. I’m really really grateful even now, I’m not used to it and still quite fearful. Maybe I’m not enjoying the present as much because I’m so worried that it’s not forever…or even for long…it’s scary.

But something must override the pessimism?
The love does, and the passion. I actually love making beats, getting into something that I’m actually feeling, that’s the best, the happiest moment. I don’t know if you saw our recent boiler room set, it’s that, just partying and getting back to the essence of it.

And the really physical nature of those sets is crazy, being surrounded by the crowd on all sides.
I have a really bad habit of not really looking at the crowd, I don’t now if that’s me avoiding that energy or that intensity. I’m still feeding off of their energy and going off their vibe but yeh, it’s a lot. Not everyone’s all about attention.

Is that where Shy One comes from?
It was supposed to just be a temporary, secret name just to keep my tracks anonymous, I just wanted them to be listened, judgement free by people I knew. I didn’t want people to know it was me and I didn’t want people to know I was a woman.

Did pirate radio provide you with that anonymity as well, being heard but not seen?
I loved pirate for having a space to try things out and cut my teeth with radio.
I love that with pirate you know that you’re only communicating with people within a few miles radius of you and that pirate radio is mostly listened to by working class people. I remember growing up listening to pirate, so it’s cool, it feels that you’re tapping into your own little underground community. I was one of the few young DJs on the station. It was mostly reggae and older people playing. We call it ‘big people music’.

What was it like being immersed in such an adult scene at such a young age?
It didn’t feel too weird because I came up under adults. We were the kids of musicians and DJs so we literally just watched what they were doing. It just felt like that’s how it should be. It was like passing knowledge or getting hand-me-downs from the elders. Equipment and knowledge.

Was carnival and soundsystem culture quite an integral part of your growing up too?
I literally grew up going to carnival since I was one. And coming from that background, soundsystem culture has unconsciously influenced me. Because of my parent’s age, I didn’t grow up listening to dub and reggae and roots in my house which is proper soundsystem stuff. I grew up listening to garage, house and a bit of jungle and hip hop, but from family events and from going carnival you identify the roots and the connection. Listening to jungle and it having a lot of ragga samples and the basslines being very reggae sounding, you just kinda connect the dots, but not consciously.

Do you think that culture’s under threat? With a lot of underground clubs being shut down UK wide, what can we do to preserve it?
I feel like it’s gonna force us to be more creative, which means doing DIY and repurposing spaces, but that has a lot more risk for people’s safety and legally and that shit’s expensive. When the elders, like my dad and my godfather used to do parties like that, your equipment would get confiscated if your party was illegal and not everyone can afford to have that hanging over them, you know. But there’s definitely an attack on raving, not just that, an attack on music in London. It’s quite depressing, it seems very bleak. But there are loads of people who know it’s not the end. It’s gonna force everyone to get clever, link up and do some cool underground stuff, move out.

"I remember growing up listening to pirate, so it’s cool, it feels that you’re tapping into your own little underground community"

What’s the first thing you think of when I say home?
I just saw a palm tree that flashed up in my mind but it’s a weird one. I’ve come to realise that I’m yet to find my home. So for me home is honestly in sounds. Yeh music if anything gives me home, but I’m yet to find it. Home is a place I’m yet to find.

What are you excited about for the coming year?
Let’s say 2020, I’m always looking ahead. I’m looking forward to sharing the music that I’ve been making with Victoria Sin. I’m looking forward to releasing another solo project. I’m looking forward to demonstrating how I’ve improved. I’ve definitely stepped it up since my last release and all that. Yeah I’m looking forward to expressing myself in different ways.