Who The F**k Is Bastet?
- Connor Fuller
- Feb 4, 2024
- 5 min read
Article by Connor Fuller (@connorfuller__)
We sat down with with Bastet for a few words in anticipation of his latest release, Local. The Edinburgh born artist ran us through all things new including his upcoming project, new collaborations, moving to Manchester, and the albums he can't live without.
"You've recently released your new single, local. The track takes a bit of a different sound to your previous stuff. Tell us a bit more about the inspiration behind it"
"I guess a big part of when I properly started to MC alongside hip hop was when me and Will started Off Licence Sessions. And then from there, I've just been MCing with different DJ's. Whether it be grime, 140, or a bit of jungle. And like, since I moved to Manchester it's dawned on me that I haven't actually released anything on dance music. Like, I've been MCing at raves and I've played at a ton of venues with it and done some festivals, but I haven't actually recorded any vocals and put them on a dance record. So yeah, that's the direction I'm going now."
"Switching up your sound has seen you collaborating with new producers. How did you end up finding the right producer to help with the shift?"
"Yeah, I mean, I'll start off with how the track came about. I kind of wanted to make some new music. I'd just moved to Manchester to study a Masters in music and had just got my studio set up. I got a new microphone and put something on my story saying for any producers to send beats they're working on. And BNMO, who's a producer who runs Bump in Leeds, messaged me and like I knew of him because he studied at Leeds, but we'd never met. He brought me a bunch of different like, sort of grimy and garage tracks, and then that one (Local). The instrumental for local just stood out for me. And yeah, like It's the first track that I made where I've not made it [together] with a producer. Like obviously, we've made it together and there's been a lot of communication, but I've still never met this guy. So it was quite interesting because normally I'm working with a producer in the same room and we're making a beat together and writing together. But I just wrote all of this in my room."
"Nice. More about the track itself, it gives the feeling of home and belonging. Is this something you were going for or is there another meaning behind the bars?"
"Yeah, so like to get into the context of what locals about. I come from Edinburgh. But my parents are English, my whole family's English and then coming down to Leeds. I sort of like. I don't know. I've felt like I've not exactly been from the place that I've been living in. If you get what I mean? Well, I guess the song this sort of hints at like, especially in Leeds, a sort of reminiscent feeling like you're local in that area because all the students are doing the same things. You sort of know everyone by the end, especially by the end of third year like. And I've really become to feel like the local in that area. So yeah, I kind of wanted to look at that and then some of the lyrics is just talking about stuff you'd just normally do as a student, and I wanted to have it as a reflection on what I do because. I guess so it has to be that a little bit."
"Sound. It's sick to see more electronic and underground influences in your releases. Have you got any more projects like 'Local' lined up?"
"Yeah man. I'm I'm working on a ton of hip hop as well, but I've been listening to a lot of KiLLOWEN. His stuff really stands out to me because he really pays attention to his lyricism and it's like... The lyrics are proper. Like if you if you listen to it, you can actually hear he paints a story. Like, he goes and talks about substance abuse and stuff like that and I'd never really understood that you could do that sort of stuff on a dance track. It's not just about how it flows and if it's catchy. It's really about what are you actually saying. That's definitely something that I want to continue with. And yeah, I've to got be honest, I've really enjoyed making this track."
"You can really tell. Congrats on the BBC Introducing play too. Earlier last year you put out your first EP. How'd you find that process of releasing a longer length project for the first time?"
"Yeah, man. I mean, yeah, I would never release an EP in that way again. Cause I pretty much just dropped it. I'm glad that I got it out there because there's a lot of people who just sit on tunes and wait for the perfect time. The perfect for each day and I don't criticise that at all, but like I'm glad to have that stuff out there cause it represents what I was making then. But. Yeah, I've got an EP on the way that I've just started on. It's a big project which is going to be looking at storytelling in hip hop and I want it to be a bit more cross genre. I'm definitely like, when it comes to projects, trying to make them all very contingent rather than just having like 8 tracks that I chucked together, which is what I did for my last one."
"I was looking through how many tracks I've got ready to release and it's in the 20s, but I'm not sure they'll see the light of day. But yeah, this year I'm just gonna try release as much as I can."
"What advice have you got for other artists looking to make their first release?"
"It's tough, I've been looking at funding grants and applications and stuff . There's a lot of ways that you can get grants which will help you release music because it's it's a f*****g expensive process man like just even doing photography shoots and videography stuff it all adds up. So definitely to any other artists who are looking at releasing independently definitely look at funding grants."
"Who have you had on repeat in your playlist at the moment?"
"These guys are f*****g sick. Avantdale Bowling Club. I'll send you the link to them. It's this Kiwi rapper. He plays with a full live jazz band which is something that I'm starting to do now. But yeah, he reminds me a bit of Lausse the Cat a bit. And the the Kiwi accent in it as well. It just sounds f*****g sick.
Catch Bastet supporting Master Peace in Manchester on the 14th March 2024.
Comments