LUNAKAI is the moniker of South London native Kyle Ross, a multidisciplinary artist who has previously worked with Yussef Dayes and Ashnikko, Litany, Pauli The PSM to name a few, and has produced records for Diplo and Robyn collaborator, Maluca. He has also remixed tracks for Drones Club (PMR) and Chela (Kitsuné), pitched compositions for TV spots for Nike and Adidas. LUNAKAI’s upcoming EP is an expressive display of his craftsmanship, not only as a natural gifted electronic producer but as a visual artist too. DMCWORLD invites him to the world of Back To Mine as he releases his new single ‘All In’ via his Masters of Nowhere label…
Tribe Called Quest – Scenario
No party is complete without this tune. I don’t know what to say about this track besides the fact that it’s one of the best tracks ever and has arguably the best Busta Rhymes verse of all time.
Generation X – Eyes without a Face
I love Billy Idol. Anyone who thinks Billy Idol is a joke needs to listen to this track haha. He’s also from Bromley which is where I grew up.
Hitomi Yaida -- Yaiko – Darling Darling
My dad had a remix of this track on vinyl by ILS which was this mad breakbeat version, recently-ish I wanted to find out what the original was and the track has become a bit of an obsession of mine.
Grauzone – Eisbär
My friend showed me this track when I was a teenager and it blew my mind, mad angular post punk about a polar bear from 1982. It’s surprisingly uplifting and emotive. A few years ago I went to see ‘My Life As A Courgette’ and they used this song in a poignant scene. Having totally forgotten about the song I couldn’t believe it!
El Debarge – Rhythm of the night
Pop perfection. When I was younger my dad was drunk on holiday and singing this with gusto, that was the first time I’d heard (a bad rendition) of it and something that clearly stuck with me. Now its a go-to track for me and one of my best mates James after a few too many.
Diplo – Diplo Rhythm
I used to have this track on my old Nokia-something-or-another and listen to it whilst running down my road late to get the bus to school. This was right at the beginning of me getting into electronic music, this and all of the first M.I.A stuff was a whole new world to me and I couldn’t believe my ears at the time. All the Baile Funk in the mix, fucking great. It’s funny to see Baile coming back around outside of Brazil so heavily in the last few years. I don’t think people quite realise the scale of Diplo’s influence since he’s been doing more commercial stuff for the last while.
Red Hot Chill Peppers – Magic Johnson
The first band I TRULY got into when I was young. This track from Mothers Milk will make you wanna flip a sofa, a table, a car, point being it will make you wanna flip something haha.
Fishbone – Ma & Pa
This list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Fishbone, the best live band in the world. Period. They heavily influenced Red Hot Chilis Peppers and No Doubt and were not given anywhere close to the credit they deserved.
London Posse – Money Mad
Pioneers of London hip hop. Amazing track from an amazing album and its HYPE. With Lyricism that makes you question most of todays hip hop.
Prince – 17 days (Piano & A Microphone 1983 Version)
Another one of my best friends Alex who I also make tunes with showed me this. We had it on repeat for the best part of a year, of course Prince is amazing, but hearing this raw stripped back genius is something else.
LUNAKAI ‘All In’ (Masters of Nowhere)
The ‘All In’ video is LUNAKAI’s first ever music video he’s made. A multidisciplinary artist and photographer in his own right, LUNAKAI filmed the visual for his upcoming single during his trip to Tokyo, Japan. He used a second hand Blackmagic pocket and the cheapest, widest lens he could find the week before he flew out. Massively influenced and inspired by Japanese culture throughout his music, the South London creative’s video brings ‘All In’ to life, while paying homage to one of his favourite cities in the world.
Already gaining support from Diplo via his ‘Diplo & Friends’ show on BBC Radio 1, ’All In’ is the second track from LUNAKAI’s self-titled EP, due 26th February. He previously released his debut single, ‘YOU’ from the upcoming project.
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