Cover photo by @ifucktokyo

In our never-ending and frankly slightly unhealthy quest for new music, Surusinghe has been on our radar for a while now. One of those artists whose sets, mixes and releases kept finding their way back into our orbit, whether through late-night listening spirals, lineups we got irrationally excited about, or that very specific feeling of hearing something and immediately needing to know who made it.

So when the Lentekabinet lineup dropped and we spotted her name on it, we genuinely had to do a double take. Surusinghe back at Lentekabinet? Luck was clearly on our side.
And as the odds would have it, we managed to catch up with the London-based DJ and producer ahead of her set this weekend. At the time of speaking she was somewhere between glow tea, knitting, and trying to mentally map out what she described as “three festivals in three countries in under 35 hours”, a sentence that probably tells you everything you need to know about her life right now.

Somewhere between discussing imposter syndrome, party guilt and the pressure of releasing new music, we also spoke about her upcoming EP Cutting Thread, out June 12th on dh2. Built around the idea that dancing, going out and losing yourself in music should not be something to apologise for, the record sees her moving into wider, more playful territory, including Party Criminal with legendary Jamaican MC Warrior Queen and her latest single, Rubbing that dropped on Wednesday, which sounds exactly like the first properly warm day of the year feels.

Below, we spoke to Surusinghe about working behind the scenes in music before becoming an artist herself, learning to stop caring about being tokenised, community, club culture, and why you should absolutely come to her set and be your sexiest self. 

Awa: What has been taking up most of your brain space lately?

Surusinghe: Hmm, the anxiety around my new EP is always lingering somewhere in my brain. Also the new Jump Source LP. Also, I’ve been learning to knit and it’s become weirdly addictive. Now it almost feels like when I’m just sitting on the couch watching TV and not knitting, I’m wasting precious scarf-making time. Why can’t we ever just be satisfied, eh?

You started out on the other side of the industry, working in touring, promotion, management, and door work at gigs. How did being that deeply embedded in the machinery of the music world shape the kind of artist you eventually became?

I always wonder if it’s made me easier or harder to deal with as an artist (laughs) . Because on one hand, I don’t think as many things need to be explained to me and I have a deeper understanding on how the industry works. But on the other hand, because of this, I’m always asking about what more can be done and find it very hard to settle (probably making it super annoying for my management lol). I guess ultimately the biggest struggle is imposter syndrome. I worked with so many incredible artists that I admire so much and find it really hard to ever see myself as a peer to any of them. But the biggest positive is I now get to spend all of my time guilt free working on music – and I wouldn’t change that for the world! 

Your production practice started quite privately, you were making music from your bedroom with no real intention of releasing it until your partner convinced you otherwise. Does that privacy still exist somewhere in how you work, or has it changed as your career has grown?

It’s definitely changed a lot. I collaborate with people on most of my music now and love it that way. I’m a firm believer that no idea is truly great until it has been shared and grown upon. I have so many incredible people around me and to not use them would be a huge disservice. And then in terms of privacy with the actual music, I don’t think it could ever be the same again. As much as I hate (!!!!) it, the expectations of others do frustratingly matter to me and always creep into my brain when making music. Maybe with age I’ll be able to move past that and create freely, but if I’m being completely real with you as of now, I don’t think I’ve created since then without this.

Your sound is described as bass-driven and percussive, but it also carries traces of your Sri Lankan heritage, sounds from your father’s house growing up, traditional instrumentation, chanting. Your father has since passed away. How do you carry him in the music, and how has that relationship with his sound shifted over time?

My dad was the one who really pushed music in my life and taught me the importance of it, but he also passed away before I got my first job in the bizz. I feel like I carry him in music in that I want to feel close to something he loved? But also, my dad was a typical Southeast Asian dad who wanted me to be a doctor or lawyer (lol) so who knows if he’d actually be happy about where I’m at. I’m always bouncing back and forth with these two thoughts.

You have spoken about not wanting to be boxed in as a Southeast Asian DJ specifically, wanting to be a great DJ who happens to be Southeast Asian. How do you navigate that tension between representation and being reduced to it?

I think in the past I struggled with this a lot more but not as much recently. This isn’t to say that I don’t get booked for tokenistic reasons but… honestly?? Who cares lol. Every chance I get to be behind CDJs, I’m going to take it. End of the day, that’s where I want to be so I’ve stopped caring about why I’m there and just enjoying the fact that I am.

You co-founded Drifting with your best friend, a party series, blog, and listening club built around the idea of appreciating music completely outside of industry logic. Where did that impulse come from and what has surprised you most about how people have responded to it?

I guess it came from that same impulse I was talking about of “how can I do more”. At the time Substack was just beginning and it led to a lot of conversations with my pal about blogs we read when we were younger that got us addicted to music lore and we just wanted to feel a part of that again. In terms of what surprises me – I’m always surprised when someone buys a ticket or reads the blog. Like I know it sounds dumb but sometimes I’ll just wonder around my events and side-eye people like “… who are you and how did you hear about this?” lol. It’s the biggest compliment in the world and I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it.
 
You have said that the more DJs are seen as party starters and hype people, the less it is about the actual connection with music. Where do you think that balance sits right now in club culture, and do you feel like it is getting better or worse?

Ahhh I don’t know. Sometimes I say these things when I’m PMSing and angry at the culture but then other days (like today) I’m like, who am I to judge? I guess as much as it can infuriate me, at the end of the day, club culture (to me) is about community and creating a safe space for people to come and connect with each other through music. Even though I might hate the tunes that someone is playing or I find them performative, if the crowd is enjoying it, that is most important. And besides, most of the time, the DJs I think about sell waaaaaaaaay more tickets than me lol so maybe I’m the problem. 

Lentekabinet is a festival with a very particular energy. Daytime, outdoor, Het Twiske, a crowd that is genuinely there for the music. How do you approach a set like that differently from a late night club set?

I’m so excited!! I admittedly have been doing so much prep for this as I really respect the festival and the audience so much – I want to do the opportunity justice. I’ll be approaching the set with a very summer day, tech house and light hearted vibe. I’m really hyped to showcase that side of me as people often think of me as a ‘bass’/140 DJ and I want to demonstrate that I can do more.

You have played Lentekabinet before. What do you remember about it and what are you bringing differently this time?

I’ve been so many times! I used to go loads as a punter and then yes, played once before. It was magic. I remember seeing I was closing a stage and thought it was going to be one of those tiny half stages at a bar or something haha. And then I got these and it was masssssssive. And like so many people. My heart jumped out of my body. Honestly I was not prepared at all haha. But in the best way! I went of adrenaline and played pretty hard and fast. Yeh, definitely excited to do a much different set to what I played last time.

What does a good festival day look like for you when you are not the one playing?

Comfy shoes, cold beers, pretty strict schedule of who I’m seeing play and all my pals together. Tbh, that’s what I want when I’m performing as well. It’s pretty rare for me to leave a festival after I play unless I have to for travel reasons.

What do you want people to feel when they walk away from your set?

Like a warm hug. 

Last message for anyone coming to Lentekabinet?

Come to my set and dance sexy lol xoxo