Good moods: Dive into Shanti Celeste's endlessly uplifting house

Mixmag Gold profiles the most important artists in electronic music right now. Next up: UK house producer Shanti Celeste

Shanti Celeste only makes music in the morning, when she's in a good mood. Which goes most of the way to explaining why her tracks – cheeky liveners like 'Felix' or hits of pure warmth such as 'Days Like This' – are so uplifting. She'll enter her home studio at around 10am, before her brain becomes "too full of information", and get to work, drawing joy from a small but sweet collection of hardware.

The Chilean-born artist grew up in the Lake District before moving to Bristol to study illustration at university. It's there that she found her feet as a DJ/producer and is now inextricably linked with the city. She worked at the fiercely independent Idle Hands record shop and has released via its in-house labels; Julio Bashmore signed her breakout 12" (the 'Universal Glow' EP) to Broadwalk and has become one of her B2B sparring partners; and she's a resident at beloved underground party Housework.

But she's far from confined to the South West of England. Since her first single on cult imprint Brstl in 2013, she's gone on to release her quality house music via an inch-perfect list of labels: as well as the aforementioned, she's graced Funkineven's Apron, Secretsundaze and Future Times. And her record collection is jaw-droppingly good for someone in their mid twenties. When we talk via Skype, she's in Chile, in between an Australian tour and a slot at Dekmantel São Paulo. Her next European date will be an edition of Housework in Berlin, where she's lived for the best part of a year. These worldwide dates are testament to her ability in the booth, which is characterised by a deft touch and penchant for party-rousing records.

Shanti has started 2017 on the front foot, founding her own record label, Peach Discs, which will be an outlet for her own music and artwork as well as tracks made by friends. It's a move that will allow her to have "full control" and the label will no doubt become an avenue for the kind of life-affirming music she's quickly become renowned for.

Interview and exclusive stream of 'Loop One' from the first Peach Discs release below.

Why have you decided to start a label?

Because I feel like it’s the right time. I wanted to do something where I have full control and I wanted to do some painting and some drawing and I thought [a label] could be a way of doing that. Usually when I think I should paint, I don’t have time because I have to be in the studio. But if it’s for a label that’s linked to my job then it’s an excuse.

I also have so many friends who make really good music but haven’t released it yet. And I know when they get there, they’re going to be amazing and I really want to be a platform for them. Sometimes it’s quite hard to find a label to release on if you don’t know anybody and you’re sending loads of stuff to DJs and they don’t reply to you and no one knows who you are.

Also, I’d like to eventually stop releasing so much through other labels and mainly focus on Peach Discs, so it’s me, basically, in a label.

Is releasing less on other labels a bit counterproductive?

I’m not going to stop releasing on other labels but I’m going to be more selective. It's nice to not have to make something that someone else likes. I never tailor my music to a record label but there’s always a cloud sitting over your head in the studio, like “It needs to fit with this label", and even if you don’t let that bother you or distract your production process, it’s still always there.

It’s interesting that you say you know people who need an outlet for their music. There’s so many labels out there, but there’s room for more?

When you’re on Discogs, for example, trawling through pages of record labels, you get a sense that music is infinite and you’re never going to know enough – you always want to know more. That feeling exists because people start more labels and put more music out. If they were like, “Oh, the world has enough labels for now. We’re going to stop, because the world doesn’t need it,” in 20 years time maybe people won’t [find that feeling]. It wouldn’t exist.

How easy is it to start a label in 2017? The cost of vinyl production has gone up since Brexit right?

Well, everything’s the same, it’s just a bit more expensive. I luckily got the first release pressed just before the price went up, so for that it was normal and OK. I don’t know how much the second one is going to cost but I know it’s considerably more. But, you know, I’m going to do digital so I can pay artists and make the money back and hopefully people will like the records so there will be represses and I’ll break even, at least. But the amount of work isn’t the thing – you just have to put up more money.

The world feels like it’s falling apart – why is dance music necessary at times like this?

It’s nice to feel united. You know when you’re in a club, and the lights are a little bit red, and you look around and you see all of your mates and everyone’s dancing and they look really happy – I think it’s so important to have those moments. The way that you feel after a night out dancing – even if you feel like shit from drinking too much or whatever – you still feel like you had a great night, you feel inspired, you’re mind has been opened a little bit.

You developed a signature sound super quickly. Did you have that honed before you started releasing as Shanti Celeste or did it happen from record to record?

It just happened. I don’t really think about it that much. If I think, “Right, today I’m going to make something that sounds like this,” then I’m always disappointed and I get really sad.

I can only start poking things [in the studio] and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Obviously then you develop habits and that’s what’s created the sound you’re talking about. Even just the way that I’ll do a melody over the top of something, if you listen to the rhythm, it’s always really similar, the way the keys are pressed.

What kind of mood are you in when you make tracks?

I have to be in a good mood. And it has to be in the morning. I’m not someone who’s like, “Oh I’m really sad, I’m going to make a tune.” If I’m really sad, I don’t go anywhere near my studio. I probably should, but when I’m really sad or worried or anxious or angry, I can’t think of anything else but that. I find it hard to snap out of that and be creative.

I can hear elements of classic house artists like Boo Williams, Underground Resistance and Masters At Work in your music – would you agree?

Thanks! Those are massive influences, so they’re obviously going to have an affect.

After so many years, how does house music still manage to feel new?

House music isn’t very gimmicky – it’s honest. That’s why it lasts; it doesn’t get old.

You sing on your tracks. When did you learn and will you be making your singing even more prominent going forward?

I used to sing at school and I had a vocal coach who taught me loads of stuff, but I didn’t exercise that enough, and I didn’t become the singer I could have been. But I don’t really sing songs; I like doing little bits here and there.

I’m really crap at writing lyrics – that’s an issue I have. So sometimes I really want to sing and I’ll be like, “Oh my god a vocal would sound amazing on this” and I’ve got the melody but then I’m like, “What am I going to say?!” And that’s when everything crashes down. The times I have sung on my tracks, I haven’t thought about that, I’ve just come out with stuff.

You’ve got an insane record collection for someone in their mid 20s. When did you start collecting records?

I started when I bought my first set of decks – I was nearly 18. The thing is, loads of the records I bought over the first 4 years, I ended up selling. A lot of it was minimal and tech-house, before it got really bad, and I don’t play that stuff so much any more. So I got rid of it and began building my record collection back up when I was, like, 20. So it’s been coming along for about 7 years.

How influential have record shops been on you as a collector and artist?

I have such a love/hate relationship with record shops. When I’m in a record shop, I put so much pressure on myself to find music that when I buy stuff, I get home and think, “Urgh, why did I get that?!” I get so wound up when that happens – I have so many records like that, that I like but don’t love.

The more I buy records, the more I try to not buy them unless I love them. But I don’t like going into a record shop, listening to loads of stuff and not buying anything – I’ve worked in a record shop, I know how annoying that is. I always feel bad doing that.

You’ve released on a series of excellent independent labels, play great parties, live in the dance music capital of Europe and now have your own imprint – what advice would you give to artists looking to do the same?

Move to a city that has a really good music scene, definitely. I say this in every interview, but I think Bristol is the best place to live if you’re doing music and just starting out and you don’t have a lot of money. The music community is so tight knit that you get to know everyone and that opens up lots of opportunities, and it happens naturally without you having to be network-y. You will just meet these people naturally, because everyone goes to all the parties. It’s such a good place to be, to get yourself started, it’s inspirational. You need to be in a place like that.

Also, all the really corny things, like believing in yourself. Because if you don’t, it’s really hard. You need to believe in what you do. And don’t look at what other people are doing and don’t compare yourself to other people because that is poison – and social media is really shit for that. You have to be strong and get on with your shit.

'Selector'/'Loop One' is out on February 3 via Peach Discs

Seb Wheeler is Mixmag's Head of Digital. Follow him on Twitter