In this interview feature, we get to know the most radicalist up and coming stars on the planet.

This time we spoke with South London's lofi jazz-pop producer Mom Tudie.   

Regular readers of The Most Radicalist will be readily acquainted with newcomer Mom Tudie through his jazz-laced productions ‘Everything You Said’ and ‘Isn’t Right’. Both of these List Picks now feature on Mom Tudie’s brand new EP, titled High Ceilings, which is out now. The EP is ready for those stretched-out summer evenings, where you can lounge around in the lingering heat of the day soundtracked by a dreamy left-pop amalgamation of jazz, hip-hop and soul.

To celebrate the release of Mom Tudie’s High Ceilings EP we exchanged a few words about his musical influences, learning curves, South London creativity, his personal favourite track to date and what’s next for this promising young artist.

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TMR: Let’s start at the beginning, what was the music that you grew up with?

I grew up listening to all sorts of music. My dad used to make cassette tape playlists for when we were in the car for long journeys. He is always open to any type of music, so the playlist varied from Bob Marley to J-lo to Paul Simon and beyond. I also grew up playing music in church from about ten or eleven years old, playing drums and trumpet with my dad on keys and brother rotating around on just about any instrument in band.

TMR: How did you get into music production?

I did music Tech at AS level. So I learnt the basics there and just continued on after that.

TMR: Looking back, what were your greatest learning curves when it came to music creation and production?

I learnt loads from doing sessions with loads of different singers over 2018. Every session, even if it didn’t go so well was a little learning curve. There was always something to be learnt from every person, their journey and musical stories.

TMR: ‘Isn’t Right’ recalls life back in Nottingham. Did that place your music in any way?

I’m from London, and then went to Nottingham for 3 years to study. The experiences I had with those around me in Nottingham certainly influenced me. I had my first relationship there, and lived away from home for the first time. That song itself was about a frequent journey I used to cycle, and the thoughts going through my head at the time. It’s kind of mad, there was a ‘red light’ district that I would pass on the way. So I saw some funny stuff in the early hours.

TMR: That track featured Kwaku Asante, how did that collaboration come about?

Kwaku was a friend of a friend. We started off collaborating and working on some stuff for his project. I think the first ever session he did as a singer was up the ladder in my loft, which is defiantly going to be my claim to fame when he is inevitably smashing it. I told him I had written a song and thought he would sound great on it. I was really lucky that he agreed to sing it and really bought the song to life, along with my brother on trumpet.



TMR: Your most recent collaboration on ‘Heavey’ is with Caisey who you found on SoundCloud. Do you think that particular platform is still integral to the online music community?

To be honest I don’t really use SoundCloud anymore. I’m more of a Spotify guy. I’m sure it definitely still has its place though.

TMR: Speaking of community, is that something you’ve found with fellow musicians and creatives in South London?

Yeah, there seems to be an abundance of talent in this area. I feel lucky to be in the place I am!

TMR: Who are you inspired by at the moment?

At the moment I’m enjoying Octavian, an Australian guy called Lithe, and my friends around me are my biggest inspirations really. I often meet with Eriksson Kaner (a best friend/collaborative partner/pianist) for coffee in the mornings before I do music. We always bounce ideas/problems off each other which is such a good sounding board to have. He is creating some beautifully fresh and creative jazz stuff at the moment.

TMR: Of all the tracks you’ve released so far, is there a particular favourite? And why?

There is a track on my EP called ‘Connex’. It includes some vocals from my dad, and my mates piano playing. There are also some samples that I recorded of a busker in Italy, a samba band during carnival in Brazil, and some birds in a forest in New Zealand. It felt good getting all of that crazy stuff into one song, and still make it just about listenable aha.

TMR: Last but not least, what’s next for Mom Tudie?

I have my first headline show on the 17th July. I also have a ‘front room edit’ of ‘Heavey’ that I made with a load of talented mates which is dropping soon too.

High Ceilings is out now.

-Hannah Thacker