Interview conducted by our favourite four-to-the-floor expert, The Insider. 

Scott Hudson steps out with his debut release on Delusions of Grandeur, in collaboration with label founder Jamie Odell aka Jimpster. Taken under the wing of the master producer and DJ, as Hudson’s Choice Scott delivers a confident 4-tracker that would not have been out of place in an Andrew Weatherall ALFOS set. The E.P., Myatts Field, is released at the end of April, and here we talk about his growing up in Chelmsford, landing in South London, and working with one of the finest house producers on the planet.

Hello Scott. Where are you, and how are you spending the day?

I’m currently sat in my home studio in South London with a cup of tea after a busy weekend of DJing. Birds chirping in the garden getting me set for a day’s worth of sonics. 

Where are you from? 

I was born in Chelmsford, pretty much bang in the middle of Essex, and I grew up in a neighbouring town called Braintree. 

Paint us a picture of Braintree?

Lots of countryside, not a high-rise building in sight. It was a happy childhood for sure. All of my friends were within a 20-minute cycle ride, and there was a great sense of community, which my family were a big part of. I have some hilarious memories of characters down the local pub from a young age. My Dad ran the local football club, so I spent a fair bit of time down there with him, hustling anyone who’d be up for a game of darts. Lots of valuable life lessons ….there’s not much you don’t see down the local boozer! The Prodigy also grew up here.

Tell us about the Myatts Field reference. Is this the Myatts in Camberwell?

It is indeed… The first place I lived in London looked straight on to Myatts Field. It holds a special place, for me personally, for that reason, and also because it was where I was living when myself and Jamie first started working on this project. I would spend a lot of time walking round Myatts between studio sessions and ended up gaining lots of inspiration from the surroundings. I also like how it ties into Jamie’s earlier Franc Spangler track Camberwell Beauty.

What kind of artists, DJs, genres were you into growing up?

I’ve always been into a bit of everything to be honest. I drew so much of my early inspiration from my Dad’s record collection, which was forever on rotation in our family home – Maze & Frankie Beverly, The Whispers, Shalamar and The Specials, to name-check a few. Some standout tracks have to be Lonnie Liston Smith’s Expansions, D-Train’s Keep On, and New Jersey Connection’s Love Don’t Come Easy. Hearing these kinds of artists from such a young age is something I’m incredibly thankful for – Music for the soul. 

From there, I started to find my own way… DJs like Ron Trent, Antal, Jimpster, Midland, Move D, Marcellus Pittman, and Andrew Weatherall have all been hugely influential in shaping my taste as a DJ / Producer. I’ve always loved to hear DJs play things from completely different cultures / time-periods alongside each other and still be able to have them make sense in the dance. This is something that I hugely admire and try to replicate within my own DJ sets. I think this viewpoint has given me a different view in terms of ‘genres’ and where something sits… A tune is a tune no?

There have definitely been more than a few major influences for me, but the one name who I’ll always come back to is Palms Trax. As a scholar of the ‘Boiler Room generation’ I almost feel like I learnt to DJ from watching Jay’s legendary Boiler Room sessions – The Sao Paulo one in particular, a masterclass!

Where do you discover new music? 

I separate my digging habits into Vinyl and Digi. I love nothing more than a trip to a proper record store and spending hours going through the racks in the hope that you might find those 1 or 2 gems. Digitally, I’m mostly buying from Bandcamp these days. I really like the concept of Bandcamp Friday’s and making an effort to support the artists / labels that make this community what it is! Of course I regularly hear my favourite DJs play too… London is a great place to be for this!

How long have you been making music? 

I’ve been making music for around 4 years now. My first step was actually meeting Garage head Ray Hurley through a mutual friend. I’d been keen to get stuck into some production for a long-time but didn’t really know where to start… I then spent some days at Ray’s place working on some material and after some solid advice, it all seemed a little clearer to me.

Did you study music? 

I didn’t study music. Although I don’t have any regrets on this, it could have been an interesting avenue to explore! I like the fact that my musical education has been very ‘hands on’. I’m lucky to have had some incredible mentoring along the way. These days most questions can be answered via YouTube too, which is obviously very handy and saves a bit of time (smiles).

What started you on your journey of working in music? 

My first step in actually having a paid job in the music industry was DJing with my best mate Olly Franklin. We played our first gig together at a bar named Boca In Vasteras, in Sweden, 8 years ago, as Olly was studying in the City.  We later had a weekly residency at a bar named Fete in Chelmsford, where we’d play for 6 hours every Friday and had pretty much free reign to play what we liked. I`ve very fond memories of this time! 

Were you aware of Delusions of Grandeur before working with them?

Absolutely. I’ve been a fan of Delusions for as long as I can remember… Session Victim, Medlar, Franc Spangler, Mark E, Andy Ash, 6th Borough Project.., always consistent… always great music!

How did you first hook up with Jimpster and the Delusions crew?

I love this story… Myself, Olly, and our good mate, Beatty, renovated the upstairs of The Bocking Arts Theatre in Braintree, to try to get some proper parties happening locally. We named it ‘The Loft’ in true house fashion. I then spotted that Jamie posted an old flyer from a gig he played at the same spot 30 years before, under the name ‘O.D’ – Jamie is also from Braintree originally. It was then a no-brainer to ask him to join us for the opening night… To our astonishment, he accepted the gig, came down and rocked the place in true Jimpster style! This is a testament to his character and the kind of guy I’ve learned that he is. It’s something I’ll never forget! Since then, he’s been an incredible mentor to me, and I honestly can’t thank him enough for all that he’s done, and continues to do, for myself and many others.

Talk to us about the new E.P.

It started from a really open place last January. Jamie reached out to me with the idea, so I knew it was going to be released on Delusions, but that was pretty much it. I think as it’s my debut release, I’ve had so much freedom throughout the creative process, and I don’t feel confined to any specific sound… which has been ideal! The intention, from my perspective, has been to get as many of my influences into the record as possible. I’ve always enjoyed E.P.s where each track gives you a little taste of something different. I feel like we managed to do that here (smiles). Having Jamie as a collaborator / guiding light throughout the whole process has been incredible and something that I definitely don’t take for granted. The man is a genius!

It’s a quite a new direction for the label. How responsive were they to the demos? Did you need to persuade them or were they instantly into the more leftfield vibe?

Yeah I guess it is. Delusions felt like a great place for this release as they’re not afraid to put something out that’s a little leftfield or odd. The first track that we finished was actually Myatts Field,  so everything else came as a bi-product of Jamie feeling that one I suppose.

It is very Weatherall. You mentioned he was one of your icons. What are your memories of him?

That`s a huge compliment – thank you! I think everything that Weatherall encapsulated is iconic to me. I’ve watched pretty much every recorded interview he gave – all the ones I could find online anyway – and have always been fascinated about how he spoke about the process of creation and the need to make mistakes… that’s something that has always stuck with me. I believe this rings true in every sense. Especially in the overly perfect Ai world we live in today!

I never actually got to see Andrew DJ in real life, which is a crying shame, but one particular memory that will stick with me forever is Midland closing an all-night-long session at Phonox with Andrew’s mix of Primal Scream`s Come Together. This was the following week of Andrew`s passing and you could tell by the energy in the room how universally loved he and his music is. Sitting here now I’ve got goosebumps remembering this moment.

What did you most want to convey through these tracks? 

The freedom to make whatever you like (smiles).

Do you feel that you achieved this? 

Yes, I think so. People seem to be digging it which is really cool! 

What are you most proud of with this release?

Aside from releasing music alongside one of my idols – this will never get old – the ability to have an idea of how you want something to sound and make that an actuality.

What was the most challenging part of the release?

Finishing tracks!

What was it like working with Jimpster?  

An absolute dream come true. He’s a gent in every sense of the word and someone who I’ll always look to as a source of inspiration. 

I guess you learnt a lot in the process. Is there something in particular that you feel has elevated your knowledge and skill?

I’ve learnt so much in the process of making this record with Jamie. I think most notably, for me, was how to get tracks to a point where they are ready for release. There is a fair bit of back and forth with a collaborative release like this, and I was always super excited to hear what he did at his end.

What have been your favourite moments from the past year?

Gaining a second niece… then starting a job at Freerange towards the end of last year has been a life-changer for me on a personal level. It’s a proper family and I feel incredibly fortunate to be a part of something that’s deep-rooted in the culture of deep-house and beyond.

What can we hope to see next from Hudson’s choice?

More music, more community, more love.

Hudson’s Choice Myatts Field is coming soon, on Delusions Of Grandeur.