The more time I spend in the music industry, the more I realise that people who are a part of it wear multiple hats. One such person who we crossed paths with recently in Mumbai is Joshua Wiley. Joshua is the Art Director at Boiler Room, a DJ and runs his own night in the UK that goes by the name of Body Motion. Having a reputation for ‘pushing the envelope’ with their bookings, he has been getting the opportunity to play some really good shows in the London and European circuit. Hosting the ‘Body Motion’ show on NTS Radio, Joshua also recently played for Meakusma Festival for Dublab.de in Belgium. The festival takes place annually celebrating the unclassifiable through music, installations and more. We caught up with him and his girlfriend during their holiday in India a few weeks ago, the outcome of which is a really special one on one coupled with a mix recorded for us at NTS Radio studios.
Hey Joshua! So before we dig deeper, could you let us know a little bit about your initial involvement with music?
I’ve always loved dance music but knew practically nothing about it for years, the more I find the more I find I like. My first DJ sets were at a bar I worked at, in all honesty, I applied for the job because I knew the bar manager would let me practice on the set up there and I was too broke to get my own.
What was your vision behind ‘Body Motion’?
Honestly, we started Body Motion because nobody was booking us when we wanted to start DJing. Ultimately it has become a place where we can book the people we want to see play and play a kind of music we want to hear with a group of people we care about.
How would you describe your ‘Body Motion’ nights to be different from any other?
A lot of the parties local to us draw on a pool of really talented local DJs, when we started the night we decided to use it as a way to see the DJs we weren’t seeing play in London, whether that was because they were small, international or, in some cases, no longer playing. The area we were based in also had its own really unique music and dancers scene and these all fed into making Body Motion what it is today, It’s got it own sound and it’s own crowd. Like a few other parties in London Body Motion also has to date been 100 capacity since it started and I feel this makes for a pretty special time.
In your opinion, what is the key to running a consistent and successful night in the city?
If you’re not doing it for yourself and your friends I reckon you’re failing straight away. Don’t second guess trends just book who feels right and see what happens. Ultimately, getting the night to a place where people want to be there and be a part of it is the best goal.
Which other nights in the city are currently doing a great job? What makes them stand out from the rest?
Plenty, there’s a great warehouse party scene at the moment and a lot of really interesting avant-garde electronic music too. I recently saw Senyawa play in a church for 33 33 then the following weekend went to a 600 person rave in a derelict primary school, the party scene is alive and well.
You recently played at Meakusma Festival – can you share a few lines about experience?
I attended the first Meakusma Festival in 2016 and was blown away by the variety and quality of the programming, I met some really interesting and talented people there and was so happy to be asked back to play this year. If you can get to it, I’d strongly recommend attending.
Favourite record stores to go diggin’?
For anyone visiting London I’d suggest getting out to the suburbs, any record store you find at the very end of a tube line is bound to have something weird. Have to also give a shout out to Rye Wax where I worked for 2 years, they’re doing something really special. Honourable mention for Low Company Records too.
Can you list 5 of your current favourite tracks that would make it in your set?
Pitch-Hiker – Pilldriverx (old heat)
Marraskuu – Gen Ludd (new heat)
Visible Cloaks – the whole new album (new heat)
Still Sound Boy Test {Interlude} – Still (new heat)
Rex Me Fecu – Mark Gage (old heat)
You are the Art Director at Boiler Room. Can you maybe highlight the importance of art/graphic design when it comes to music projects?
Showing a DJ set is only a fraction of the world these scenes musicians come from and connecting with the other creatives and the community around the music is a really important way of getting the fuller picture. In the work my team do at Boiler Room, we always try to connect with visual artists that have a direct connection to the scenes and musicians we’re working with.
Which promoters / Nights / Festival / Clubs do you think are doing a great job and would be your recommendation to a lay man?
This year I really enjoyed Terraforma, Meakusma and wish I could have gone to Norberg Festival.
Can you share with us a few lines about the mix you have made for us?
The mix is a good representation of what you might hear at a Body Motion party, rude and floaty. I lost my memory sticks just before recording this mix so It’s a lot of my favourite rave and progressive records, scratches and all VG+.
Any interesting plans coming up in the near future?
On the 17th of November Body Motion will be playing at ‘The shape of London to come’ for Lorenzo Seni. We’ll be playing with a really interesting lineup including Gabber Eleganza and Lanark Artefax. Very excited to be on the same bill as these guys.
