Moxie: “If I feel like I’m challenging myself in a creative process, that’s a good thing”

Everybody has their own creative process. Some people find they’re most creative at the rise of dawn, some people’s creativity levels are through the roof once the clock strikes midnight. It doesn’t matter when you’re most creative, all that matters is that the creative process ends in something to shout about. That could be a track, a whole album’s worth of material, an incredible DJ set or radio show.

We’ve teamed up with vape brand Vype for Women In Creativity, a series in which we speak to three women DJs and producers - Syreeta, Moxie and Naina - to find out all about their creative processes. The pandemic over the last year has meant no gigs and no travelling, so these artists have had time to get creative away from DJing in nightclubs or at festivals. This has meant more time making tunes, recording at-home DJ sets, playing on the radio, running a label or seeking inspiration from nature, fresh talent or art.

Women In Creativity is also a competition in which there is a Macbook Pro and Ableton Live 11 up for grabs. For information on how to enter, head here.

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First up, we interviewed Moxie. Born and bred in London, Moxie’s a pivotal figure on the DJ circuit. A champion of house, techno, garage and more, she’s shared her tastes as a long-standing resident on London tastemaker station NTS Radio. As well as that, she runs her label and party On Loop. The likes of Violet, Lady Blacktronica, DJ Python, Fold and Louise Chen have all released on the label, while On Loop the party has welcomed guests such as Shanti Celeste, Peach, Saoirse, Josey Rebelle, CC:Disco, Ben UFO, Eclair Fifi, OK Williams and more.

A keen record digger, Moxie reveals how she finds new music for her DJ sets. “My creative process for finding music is quite broad because I can find music from so many different places. I always have notes on the go or I can just do a really big deep dive on Discogs. I use Discogs for so much older music and that can be quite time consuming so you’ve got to be in the right headspace to do that.”

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As someone with a radio residency, she explains how prepping for a set in a club contrasts with gearing up for a radio show. “When you’re in a club, you’re feeding off the crowd. It’s all about the chemistry you’re creating within that room. You’re trying to create a moment. I’ll have all this music prepared, so depending on the vibe of the club and whatever’s going on in that room, I can take it in different directions. Whereas, with a radio show, it’s a bit more considered. It could be something that’s reflective of what’s happening in that week or it could be a deep dive into an artist or a genre or label.”

For any creatives looking to break into music, her advice is “it’s really important to figure out what your sound is, whether you’re a producer or a DJ, take time to hone your skills and think about what music you really love and really connect with."

She also talks about being inspired by nature in the last year and her love of art and painting.

Watch Women In Creativity with Moxie below.

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Competition open to 18+ adult nicotine users only. Closing date 22.03.21 23:59 CET. 1 entrant will win a MacBook Pro with Ableton Live 11. Full details, terms and conditions and privacy policy available here

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