DEBONAIR
DJ | NTS Radio
‘Charm, polish, and worldliness often combined with a carefree attitude.’ This is one of many definitions of ‘Debonair’ [adj.] and in the case of London-based DJ and NTS Radio resident Debi aka DEBONAIR, this is the most fitting description of what she is all about. Interpreting the word in her own way, DEBONAIR is an all-encompassing DJ with a worldly taste in music shared with a carefree, zero-flutes given attitude.
You don’t know what you’re gonna get once DEBONAIR steps into the NTS booth or what she’s going to broadcast from her home in west London. From vintage EBM, post-punk, italo-disco, bouncy house and bleepy electro right through to industrial techno, DEBONAIR plays the full spectrum of electronic anomalies. Panorama Bar, Printworks, Smartbar, DC-10, Griessmuehle and many more made up her diary pre-Covid but if you missed out, her Mixmag Lab set is a particularly wild hour of genre-hopping tunes; you almost taste the after-work-beers-in-the-office-energy fizzing from the screen.
Having been part of NTS since it launched in 2011 (initially as Programme Director in tandem with her residency), DEBONAIR’S connection to the station runs deep. She invites a range of celebrated and emerging talent for guest slots on her show, from Actress to Ireland’s Gash Collective, always keeping an ear out for artists who can contribute their own sonic outsiderness to the show.
While touring has significantly halted for artists worldwide, DEBONAIR continues her fortnightly show on NTS. Tomorrow night’s edition at 17:00 GMT showcases the San Francisco-based artist Mozhgan, who happens to feature in DEBONAIR’s memory below. She also shares how moving from Hackney to west London has opened her eyes to a whole other side of London life, her thought process behind curating each NTS show and more…
San Fran 💚 Photo: DEBONAIR
Where was this photo taken and why did you choose it?
This photo was taken in Dolores Park in San Francisco during my first US tour.
I was there to play the Folsom Street Festival Afterparty that Honey Soundsystem had put on, and had met Mozhgan at Dekmantel Selectors a couple months before; we instantly hit it off and Mo super kindly offered to host me whilst I was in SF. I was basically her twin for those few days whilst I stayed with her and she showed me ‘round and we had the cutest time! That afternoon we had brought a picnic to the park on a glorious day, then messed around acting like children — it was total bliss and sticks out as a real touring highlight.
How have you been over the last while and what is life currently like in London?
I was in a poor state last year, both for reasons relating to and completely separate to Covid, but in the last few weeks I’ve been more level, so really I’m just trying hard to preserve that and work out where best to channel my energy and support others.
The city has been in lockdown again since the beginning of the year so most of us that aren’t going into work have been pretty housebound, apart from regular walks and trips to the market. I had to move to West London last year so it’s been really strange living in an unknown place during an already disorientating time. The weather is cold, and almost everything is shut (and rightly so) so I feel like everyone is turning inwards and becoming a bit more insular — I guess time will tell whether that is a long or short-term change.
What’s your thought process behind every NTS show? As in, do you spend a lot of time searching for new tracks online or considering different guests to invite? Or is it a matter of curating each show according to the mood you’re in?
Radio is second nature to me now so it feels weird to articulate my process but I’ll give it a shot!
I’ve always said that my show is my sketchbook for ideas; I’m sharing the sounds and energies that I’m currently experiencing with my listeners, with plenty of space for experimentation and play within that too. To find the music for the show, I set aside a few days for focussed listening, both to listener dubs and other music I’ve been sent, as well as my own explorations. It very rarely comes together until an hour or two before I’m about to go on air, and changes of mood can really switch things up last minute which used to really frustrate me! But now I’ve just accepted this as part of my process, and what it takes to broadcast an honest transmission.
With guests, it’s very considered but also fairly easy to figure out whether someone is right for the show or not. Really I’m thinking of the essence of the show, and if that guest seems to be a rad person with a singular voice and broad passions, it may well work. I’ve always tried to celebrate people that are super talented but maybe not well known and put them in that primetime slot, alongside people with bigger profiles, or people that I admire from other disciplines as it’s super interesting to hear what they’ll come up with. My show is and has always been for the marginalised because these are the people that I identify with, who create the most beautiful art and really have something to say. It’s not conceited though, essentially if I would like to hear a mix or interview from said guest, I figure my listeners would too.
Mozhgan is a guest on DEBONAIR’s show tomorrow 📡 Photo: DEBONAIR
Radio has proven to be a robust outlet for sharing music throughout this pandemic. Do you think radio is a good place to start for DJs who are beginning their journey but have no gigs to avail of as venues remain closed? Any advice on how they could go about it?
Radio is how I started so it’s certainly an option and one of the key ones that we have at the moment. The landscape is plentiful now with so many radio stations, streaming platforms and livestream capabilities, incorporated into socials, that you really don’t need to be courted by a station to form a presence — you can find a format that you'll thrive in. From there you can have fun, develop and build.
I would certainly encourage anyone who wants to DJ to find their voice, hone their skills and garner their community and, in time, work out why you’re doing it — maybe your goal is just to really enjoy yourself with your crew and that’s wonderful too.
How are you feeling about the future right now?
Big question..! It’s a strange one where I’m trying not to think about the future too hard whilst also trying to build the foundations both within myself and my circumstance so that I’m best prepared for it; my feelings are very mixed.
I really hope that the music industry and wider society has learned from the painful realities that have always been present, but have come to the fore in mainstream consciousness in recent years. Many individuals have personally severely suffered for doing the work required to dismantle white-supremacist patriarchy, and it continues to keep me up at night thinking that there’s a strong possibility that nowhere near enough progress will be made, and this labour won’t be duly valued and used to catalyse ongoing change — this certainly encapsulates a lot of my fears about the future.
My relationship with everything has changed — even with myself — so I think it will take some years to re-establish what my life is and what belongs in my immediate environment. I deeply miss playing gigs though, and the calm fulfilment I feel whilst being truly myself and connecting with others through the medium of playing incredible music, so I really hope that this continues in a way that I feel comfortable with.
Back to the present moment. Tell us how the photo below is something that brings you happiness in your day-to-day life right now?
This picture is of my mate, Eve.
I was acutely aware of how important it is to me to be part of a local community, so having to move to a totally unknown area of West London due to the pandemic was a fortunate yet difficult change. I was still dealing with long-COVID and knew this move would remove most of my support system as I’m used to being in Hackney, feeling like part of the furniture and living within a mile of loads of my friends. But getting to hang out frequently with my one West London mate(!), Eve, has felt quite special. We peruse the parks with her English Bull Terrier, Lacey, whilst she tells me tales about Notting Hill and the local history having lived here her entire life (which gasses me up no end), and I chat breeze about my diva-ish houseplants, sporadic epiphanies and DIY endeavours. Having worked freelance, travelling very frequently, and having a hectic social life even when I was at home, it has felt very different, physically hanging out with the one person all the time — almost reminiscent of that sense of sisterhood I had in school though there were always multiple crews. It’s been special though, and one of the few lockdown occurrences I’ll cherish.
Eve ✨ Photo: DEBONAIR