Based in South-East London, Andrei is a DJ, producer, collector, musician and composer. He plays keys, flute and composes, produces and arranges for The Kanpai Quartet
Incoming soon.. Andrei is also currently in the process of setting up a record label, Palace Records, with a debut release due within the next couple of months, mixed and engineered by the mighty Malcolm Catto (The Heliocentrics, DJ Shadow, Madlib, et al).
You can find Andrei on @bmc.radio in Brixton every month on the Kanpai Radio show, where he plays a mixture of library music, soundtracks, jazz, funk, soul and Latin music.
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What is one of your favourite pieces of sleeve art and why?
“Very hard not to pick a Blue Note cover as they had a monopoly on the best designed sleeves throughout the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s… but for me, my favourite is probably ‘Johnny Moggi Quintet’s Hard Rhythms and Soft Melodys’. The artist name is an alias for Piero Umiliani, released on his Omicron Library Label in 1975. Musically, it’s not his greatest work, but the sleeve really is a striking work of art and I love the sentiment of the title, as it’s what I strive for with my band. Very sad to say that I have this sleeve as my WhatsApp picture profile.”
Who is the person that knows your collection almost as well as you?
“That would be three people; my bandmates:
Euan – guitar
Max – drums
Charlie – bass
I bombard them with musical tips from my collection on a daily basis.”
Name one institution that changed your life musically… and why?
“Church of Sound. Set up by Spencer Martin and Lex Blondin (who also founded another institution, Total Refreshment Centre). The Church of Sound is a monthly night held at St. James The Great Church in East London. It’s an amazing venue, has a real sense of community, great atmosphere and always has the best line ups for jazz in London.“
Who are your biggest musical influences?
“That depends in what context…
For DJ’s that would be Gilles Peterson and Jonny Trunk.
For composers that would be Piero Umiliani and Greg Foat.
For musicians that would be Horace Silver and Harold McNair.”
You’ve just been dumped… what’s on the turntable?
“Timi Yuro – It’ll Never Be Over For Me.”
