Introducing LIL M

Where are you from?

I grew up in Denver, CO and have lived in Los Angeles,CA for half my life When did you start djing and why? My love of music began with hip hop. I got a pair of turntables when I was 14. I was into dancing, collecting records, and making mixtapes for friends. I started DJing out 6 years ago, I was inspired by the the club nights in LA and friends who were making music and DJing. What I love about DJing is it is more of a collective experience of sounds and people. Mixing is both an experience of the moment and transcending time, where records new and old mix together and you can lose yourself for hours and hours.

Who are your favorite music artists?

A few of them are: Aaliyah, Missy & Timbaland, Jam & Lewis, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Fatima Al Qadiri, Nguzunguzu, Mobilegirl What inspires you and drives you to create?

Im inspired by nature, my peers, dance and club culture around the world. When I'm creating my own work I feel most free. 

What do you think is lacking in nowadays music industry, and what positive progress have been made lately?

I would like to see more equality in representation and lineups in electronic music. There has been progress with awareness and some platforms have made efforts to give more equal opportunities, the community efforts on a grassroots level are really great such as Nüshu workshop in Shanghai. I like the idea of sharing skills and accessibility. I like to see events and community that music can serve effecting greater causes. Also now the way we listen to music has changed so much, looking at album artwork and liner notes used to be so important for reading into all the people involved with a record. I think it's still important and hopefully in the shift to digital and streaming there can retain that. I think it's good that artists can publish their own work and distribute more independently now, hopefully that can be more in favor for artists to survive.  Listen to LIL M Mixtape here