In Session: Supa D

Supa D continues to push the sound of UK house music forward.

The London DJ, producer and broadcaster has been active for well over a decade, first making a name for himself as one of the early protagonists of UK funky and now he works tirelessly to promote the afrohouse and amapiano sounds that are bubbling up in the capital, helping foster links with artists in South Africa and that scene which is having such an impact on UK house.

'King & Queen', his new single with Mr Taffa and LushKells, channels that energy and it's a pearl of an afrohouse track that has been snapped up by Columbia/Sony and sees Supa D start the decade with the same momentum that defined his breakout UK funky days.

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Having cut his teeth on pirate radio and as a long-serving record store clerk, Supa D has become a pillar of the Rinse FM schedule and helms his own Housupa label. He's also adapted to life under lockdown by playing seated, socially-distanced raves, further displaying the quick feet and resilience that it takes to have a career in dance music.

His In Session is a typically smooth blend of the afrohouse, amapiano and underground house music that is bubbling on the London scene right now.

Tell us about your In Session mix.

This mix is a blend of afrohouse, amapiano and productions from the UK underground scene featured on my Housupa label. Hope you enjoy.

You've been playing responsible, socially-distanced events with groups of six seated at tables etc. How have the parties been and how have you been adapting as an artist living and working through the pandemic?

This pandemic has made it difficult for us to function, but you can’t let it break you. Every week DJing at brunch has been good, but it's just not the same, there's no real vibes as you can’t have the music up to raving level. But it has given me more time to concentrate on other projects and to plan ahead in 2021.

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'King & Queen' is a banger – tell us about the track.

A good friend of mine DJ DTEE hit me up at the end of last year about a track he'd done and wanted me to do a remix. Once taking it in I always knew this vocal could work. I was very busy at the time and didn’t get round to actually doing it until the first lockdown when I called up my mate Taffa and said 'I've got a project for us to work on'. We knew the vibe we wanted, just made it work and the rest is history. Massive thanks to everyone supporting the track, and grateful as it's now signed to Columbia/Sony records.

Your DJ and production style have evolved over the years. How would you describe your sound right now?

My sound right now is Afrohouse and amapiano, which I love, but with a UK twist on it.

There's a heavy South African influence on UK house music at the moment, with gqom, amapiano and afro-house. What's the future of this relationship between SA and the UK?

The future for this link up is very promising with collaborations amongst fellow producers and DJs pushing the sound forward. We're creating a bigger scene to showcase the talent we have and are merging events from the UK over to SA, and vice versa.

How has the UK house scene evolved over the last 10 years and where's it going to be in the next 10?

Over the last 10 years the scene has evolved with better quality productions and events. The ravers are more educated and open to new music, which paves a way for the future for us to continue to do what we do best on a higher professional level. But after the year we just had I can’t predict the future, and always have a back up plan.

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When we're out of lockdown, which parties should we be hitting up?

Can’t wait to be out of this lockdown, but best believe a lot of parties are going to be happening! These will be starting with my Housupa birthday celebration at Timeless weekender Ayia Napa reunion end of April 2021... Also the Originals festival, Afrotized, Pioneer Plays, Yellow, Respek My House... Just to name a few events with banging vibes.

You've been involved with music for most of your life as a DJ, broadcaster, promoter and record store staff. You famously bought a pair of decks for a £fiver in the East End but that probably wouldn't happen now - what's your advice for young people wanting to break into the industry in 2020?

My advice for anyone wanting to break in the industry is to try and be original, come up with something different and do your research so you know where you are coming from. And feel free to hit me up on my socials for any advice @djsupad.

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