A conversation with Monki.
Pines Party is an amazing platform which raises a tremendous amount of proceeds for the Fire Island Pines community and nonprofit partners. Plus, for those of us on the production, side it’s an opportunity to be truly creative.
If you’ve been following us, you know sound curation is at the core of what we do. We’re therefore very excited about having DJ Monki, who you house heads will recognize as one of the regular Defected radio hosts. As usual, DavidxDaisy is on hand to help us get to know her a bit better. Check it out!
A champion of the underground and mainstay for the likes of Defected as well as a taste-making producer, Monki is at the top of her game with only further to go. In 2021, she delivered official remixes for Calvin Harris, Mabel, Armand Van Helden, and Diana Ross. When not in the studio or behind the DJ booth, she is on the football pitch or using her creative talents to promote women in sports. From appearances on the main stage at festivals like Sonar, Defected Croatia, and Annie Mac’s LostAnd Found to holding down dance floors at clubs like Fabric London, SubClub Glasgow, The Warehouse, ProjectManchester, Halcyon San Francisco, and Spybar Chicago, Monki is a UK star to be sure you’re watching on the global stage. UltraMaroon is proud to welcome Monki to her Fire Island Pines debut this Saturday, July 22, for the Pines Party Pool Party.
DXD: What was your initial start in UK nightlife, before it became work?
MONKI: I’ve been working in the nightlife industry since I was 17, so I wasn’t doing too much beforehand. I was in highschool, worked for my dad fixing paintball guns, and played a lot of sports. That was kind of my life before clubs.
DXD: You started on this path early, working up the ladder at radio stations and studying at Point Blank Music School. Was there a significant moment during that time that you proved to yourself that this was your calling
MONKI: To be honest, I’m not sure it ever was my calling. I think I was maybe meant to play some kind of sport, but I didn’t necessarily have the right infrastructure around me to nurture that. Music was something I found, once I realized that playing football wasn’t a career I could chase, because it didn’t exist at the time. So I carved it out for myself. I’m not the most musically gifted or find broadcasting necessarily natural. I had to work really hard at it, whereas sport I found was something I was just naturally good at.
DXD: How long did you host your notable BBC Radio 1 show, and what did you love most about it?
MONKI: I stopped hosting my Radio1 show in 2019, but my time there was a dream to be honest. It was my main goal when I left school to get a show on that network. It happened a lot quicker than I thought it would. I joined when I was 21 and held my show for six years. I have some amazing memories and played with some heroes of mine. I was pretty scared when I left! It felt like a huge part of my identity, but it was a massive learning curve and I’m really thankful I got pushed in another direction.
DXD: You’ve also got moves on the football pitch (soccer for the US folx). With a career so entrenched in music, do you consider football your disconnect/release or an equal passion?
MONKI: I would say, an equal passion. Football came before music, then music took over and football came back into my life. And while there are a lot of similarities, they also give me very different experiences. Coming back to football really helped me revisit my health as well and how I treat my body. I use football to disconnect from music, but I also use music to disconnect from football.
DXD: Tell us a bit about INMOTION Collective, and what it means to you as a founder to blend your love of music and sport to empower other women?
MONKI: So INMOTION is a creative collective founded by myself and two friends – Ceylon Hickman, who I play football with at Dulwich Hamlet, and Alex Greenwood, fellow music head and drummer in band Sports Team. We all have very different journeys within sport, but we all have the same common goal, which is to make women's sport and movement more accessible. We do that by partnering with brands and clubs to tell the stories that bring the inherent joy of movement to more women. Some of our clients include: Adidas, Arsenal Football Club, Chelsea Football Club, EA Sports, Pum, etc. This was actually a lockdown project that blossomed into a business.
DXD: What has been your experience of being part of the Defected Records radio station, which has exemplified elevating womxn’s talents in an industry, which we know does not always make that a priority?
MONKI: Yeah, Defected is a great place to be. It’s great music and great people not only on the dance floor, but also in the London office where it really feels like a family. I feel very happy to be there with such a lovely and down-to-earth team who’s morals all align.
DXD: You’ve remained consistently in tune with underground dance music, while also staying at the forefront of brands that have become more mainstream over the years. What feels underground to you today and how do you strike that balance for your career?
MONKI: Good question! Dance music has become more mainstream over the years – we just saw Beyonce do a house album! And I’m really not against it. I love underground music, I also love commercial music. So I think I’ve managed to strike a balance just by staying true to what I enjoy.
DXD: Of all your own productions, is there one that holds a special significance to you that you could share with us?
MONKI: I think my new one for me, “Feels Darker (Feel it),” feat. Lau:ra at the moment has probably been my most well-received record, which I’m really happy about. I’ve got another in the works as well called, “Last Minute Dreamer.” I’m not sure if that track title will stay, but I named it that for the women who won the Euros here in England in the 94th minute of extra time.
DXD: Monki &Friends has been a residency at fabric club in London, a tour with Red Bull Studios, and a record label all in one over the years. How did &Friends start and where is it currently?
MONKI: Yeah it’s definitely developed as a brand over the years. It started as a collaborative EP at RedBull Studios, which we used to put out for free and then all do a tour off the back of it together. Now it’s a label.
DXD: With all the gigs you have played in the world, what are you looking forward to most about playing an event produced by the queer-centric UltraMaroon team for the Pool Party of Pines Party, the biggest weekend of the gayest place on Earth – Fire Island Pines?
MONKI: I think I’m just looking forward to the vibe of the party and the venue. Seems like quite a unique place to have a festival, so I’m looking forward to getting on the island!
DXD: Top three things you love seeing at parties?
MONKI: People smiling, people dancing, and people being free to be themselves.
DXD: What is a track/set/artist that has been inspiring you lately?
MONKI: I’ve been listening to a lot of old UK garage recently.
DXD: It’s Saturday night and you’re not working. Where are you at?
MONKI: I’m with my partner, probably chilling or at a football match.
DXD: What might our guests expect to hear from you at the Pines Party Pool Party by UltraMaroon?
MONKI: FUN!
Thank you Monki! We look forward to welcoming you to Fire Island Pines for the Pines Party Pool Party this Saturday, July 22, along with Someone From Berlin and James Anthony.
Keep up with Monki on Instagram and SoundCloud. And snag those last remaining tickets for the wackiest pool party of the year before they are gone!
Xx,
DavidXDaisy