Tunde Caspa Q&A
First of all: hi Tunde! How you doing?
Hi Giuseppe and Ludovico, I'm doing great thanks, biggest fan of this label so lovely to be giving you some insight.
Take us through the beginnings. How did your passion for music and DJing started?
My passion for music and djing started from my mums kitchen, as there would always be some amazing music playing which gave me that connection to the groove. Following that I had my first mix in my teens at my local youth centre where I was called Caspa by a few mates, so that name stuck with me. Proceeded to buy my first set of technics BD22s off my old friend Harry, and never looked back. I feel very blessed to have been through so many eras of dance while still remaining current.
We know that the web is such an important place for you to spread your philosophy of quality music, amazing podcasts, your mix series and ultimately your radio station/community. Back in the days of the proto internet, did you understand right away that this was such a relevant platform to promote your ideas?
The web these days is an essential tool to spread your identity. I’ve always tried my hardest to maintain a level of quality in the music I present, that’s always been my philosophy. So back in the days when we didn’t have internet, the pirate radio stations were the best way to really promote your music, as they were on 24/7 and it was vinyl only. So the only way you could get this music was by a trip to your record shop. Having that experience and focusing on keeping up to date in the music world, has given me more than I need to stay relevant. When it felt like the right time to make the switch to a focus on digital, I felt it was the next step, and was ready to take change in stride as I've always done.
We are big fans of your project ‘UGS Radio’ (The Underground Sessions) and we know for a fact that the people you chose to work on it with you are absolutely amazing, the best ones! Walk us through the choice of your staff, the birth of this idea and why it developed so quickly.
UGS radio is our little baby that I’ve been playing on for 10 years in October, and I feel very proud of that long commitment. I'm excited with the direction we are moving in. There's an amazing crew of Djs we’ve curated and stuck to a policy of having true diggers that bring a wealth of variety through out the week. Got Luke Bestrom on the management nearly 3 years back and he has done an amazing job helping shape us into what we are today. We also had the pleasure of welcoming Ashley, who is our newest member to the team. And she's doing a fantastic job putting her focus towards community growth. We all come from different backgrounds, but really gel in our vision for what we see with the radio. We just hope to keep the same universal vibe going with our multi cultural chatroom. It’s always work in progress with our station but the passion is there as if I just started so we've got plenty more ideas and goals for our lovely station.
What do you think about the future of DJing, do you see a silver lining even during these hard times?
I think the future of djing will be bright. I believe it’s time for some new talent to come through, as there's plenty of talented people not getting their time to shine. Those are the kind of people I like to take under my wings and help grow and flourish as an artist. I also think that it’s a great time to start pushing for your goals with the restrictions being eased.
-How do you miss playing and how are you preparing yourself for the great (and hopefully near) comeback?
I really miss that connection with the crowds, but I’ve enjoyed growing as a dj even more in this period. I've become more of a digger on my radio show to take a hiatus from being the club Dj, but I’m getting super pumped to get back into being a club dj with plenty of gigs already confirmed. I plan to set out on a mission to deliver some killer sets with the music I’ve been collecting, so the focus is on the future ahead...
DJ CASPA
The term "underground legend" is thrown around all too loosely these days, but in the case of DJ Caspa an exception needs to be made.As a youngster growing up in the East End of London in the early 90's Caspa received a first class musical education through the various record shops that he frequented and worked in, as well as participating in the early rave culture at the time.
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