We talked to infamous British trap duo Stooki Sound (or Stööki Sound if you fancy) before their April 25th show at Club IHC about their expansive creative collective, the state of UK Trap, setting Gucci free and the absolute f*cking worst part of America.
Stööki is all over the place – you guys do installation art, you’re designing jewelry, and you’re doing tours on both sides of the Atlantic. How can you guys focus on any one aspect of that for long enough to make great products – physical or musical – when you have two other wings of business to think about?
We have a team that is expanding as the Stööki movement grows. I think communication is key and we are all on the same page which allows us to work on multiple projects and produce various creative outputs at one time. Stööki began in 2011 with its founders having different skills sets within fashion, art and music so we have been working on multidisciplinary projects from day one. Sound, vision and play are the core three elements of Stööki.
Does Nadia play a role in Stööki Sound, or is she more in the Stööki Craft/House of Stööki branches of the family business?
We are all a family and Nadia is kept in the loop on all things Stööki Sound. Her main focus within Stööki is on the practical side of things and developing our jewelery products. It’s great to have her input on Stööki Sound merchandise.
You guys have talked in interviews about lately you’ve been feeling like UK Trap is starting to mimic some of the upbeat elements of US Trap – are you still feeling that way? Do you think UK Trap might be losing some of it’s identity, or is this just how tastes change over time?
We think it’s more the EDM Trap scene in general is gearing more towards more upbeat festival Trap elements at the moment. Tastes change over time we’ve noticed people are becoming tired of seeing the same names on festival bills and are ready for different artists to come through.
Is there an overarching “Stooki” aesthetic that extends through all three parts of your group, or is it just what feels natural to you guys in each arena? Do you make trap jewelry? Do you think about it in those terms?
We do what feels natural to us. If I had to describe our aesthetic in three word I would use impactful, minimal, refined. The Stööki eyes (ÖÖs) are a visual thread that runs throughout Stööki. Our inspiration for jewelry comes from architecture, artifacts and a theme we decide to explore.
What was the worst part of America that you guys have had to deal with on tour?
Remembering how HUGE America is, so probably all the time spent on flights and at airports.
You’re coming to play ClubIHC in April with TroyBoi and a few others – you and TroyBoi are both London-based. You guys have played together, are you guys tight back in the UK?
Yeah I first met TroyBoi through mutual friends at a Do-Over street/block party in London in 2012. It’s cool we’ve know each other for a while and it’s great to see his journey from early. Really looking forward to playing with each other in LA!
What should we be expecting for the ClubIHC show? It’s your last show on your U.S. tour, how do you want it go out?
The fat ladie’s (sic) gonna sing, we’re going out with a bang.
Have you guys been through the Trap Capital of America – Atlanta? Did you go to Magic City? Did you sip lean? Is that not how it’s done in the UK?
We were only in ATL for a few hours unfortunately. We did play Ying Yang twins ‘Get Low’ during our set in Atlanta which has been a life time goal for a minute.
Do you want to see Gucci free? Burrr?
Gucci’s doing his thing whether he’s in or out of jail, his latest Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner releases are tight.
Touring gets dirty. What’s some truly foul shit you guys do on tour?
Living out of a suitcase gets pretty grimy if the schedules pretty crazy and there’s not time to hit a laundrette for a couple days there’s no choice but to power through.
What are you going to do with your first day home from touring? How do you unwind after that?
Have a full English Fry Up for breakfast and hang out with some friends.
What’s coming up next? What do we have to look forward to?
We have been working mad hard on some new songs so we are excited for people to hear them. Excited for our collaboration track with Troy Boi called ‘W2L’ to be released soon. Look out for some new Stööki Sound merchandise dropping soon, keep an eye on www.stooki.co.uk/store for the drop.
Go see Stooki on April 25 at Club IHC along with Troyboi, Lil’ Texas, and Neo Fresco.
TICKETS RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW OH YEAH
