Interview
Lu is a multi-genre DJ that has current residencies at numerous clubs and venues in Portland. Focused on Darkwave, Witchhouse, dubstep/140, downtempo and more, Lu's emphasis is on dark & heavy sounds. Their influences have led them to revel in blending between these genres, as demonstrated on this mix.
Originally from NY, Lu has established themselves firmly in Portland with their deft approach to selecting bass heavyweight, despite sticking to the fringes.
How are you?
I'm alright. With things in the world going on, just keeping my head inspired while having fully expression through mixing and other outlets.
What has music been offering you lately?
The music that I've been exposed to lately have been inspiring that is outliers from the club vibes. I would say that it has giving me more avenues to approach things in wyas I never thought possible.
Can you tell us about the journey that led you to Portland from New York?
Coming out in 2014 and looking at my surroundings that I needed to grow more as a human being. Love/Hate relationship with NY, but it made me who I am today...and I cannot take that win from being from NY.
With such a wide-ranging spectrum of music in your repertoire, I'm curious what connects these sounds in your ear?
Mostly it ties in with my myself growing up and kinda being teased or misunderstood with what I liked compared to what I was exposed to. Dark energies and alluring sounds grab me, no matter the genre: Witchhouse, Dubstep. Techno, Memphis/Phonk, OSTs and some left field stuff from Bristol ignites my creativity.
Considering your involvement in multiple events and clubs in Portland, what have you observed of the scene at large in your time here?
There's a flow of things that came too early that are now at the top. House/Techno will never go away but one of the joys and pride is that there's more avenues like Global Based, that gives opportunities to the upcoming DJs to express themselves.
Bass music is still heavy here, but fractured in many ways, which is a good thing but also coordinating with others still needs a lot of work. More representation in the BIPOC LGBTQ COMMUNITY of DJs is a must. No matter the event.
If you were to describe your mix in 3 words, what would they be?
What. The. Hell?!
If this mix were an object you could hold in your hand, what would it be?
A beautiful obsidian swirl Vinyl i would revisit every 6 months. To see how much I grew as a DJ artists.
Is there anything else on your mind you'd like to share?
Yeah, things are looking bleak these days with what the world is going through.....but, this is also the time to get whatever community and get active. Art, music, writing, working outreach programs. They cannot kill the way we help each other. So let's focus on helping each other out and create and protect each other.
For more from Lu, follow them here: