DJ, vocalist, activist and Londoner, Josh Caffe‘s most recent release, ‘Do You Want To Take Me Home’ is a fucking jam. We could dance to that bassline for hours with his vocals moaning all over the top of it. His second release on Phastasy looks to Chicago House for influences and finds Josh on the prowl for debauchery.
Josh talks to Loverboy about his love for Chicago and his favourite Mariah song…
Hi Josh, so tell us, what’s the story behind ‘Do You Want To Take Me Home’?
It’s way too long to get into. To keep it short and sweet, it was an experience meeting a guy that didn’t go so well but gave me a lot to think about in a positive and funny way. The person knows about the song now too.
After the past two years, I’m praying for someone to whisk me away from my home and back to theirs. How has your relationship with your home changed since 2020?
I’m quite a homebody during the week. If anything I’ve become moreso since the pandemic. I work from home a lot if I’m not at the studio. There will always be something for me to do, If not I’ll find something. I did worry that I was enjoying this a bit too much but because I’m out djing/traveling most weekends, coming back home and being a bit reclusive gives me time to recharge. Also sleeping in my own bed is dangerously good for me, I’m a big fan of a siesta lol. I’m a typical cancerian too and we tend to go into our shells a lot of time so being at home is perfect for that!
With the previous single and your upcoming releases, how does this track fit in musically?
This track represents my sound and love for old skool Chicago house. The sound of Chicago is embedded in me. I’m releasing an album later this year which will tap into a mixture of electronic genres and I wanted to showcase this with all the singles before its release.
The track looks to Chicago House music for its vibe. As a Londoner, what’s your own personal experience with Chicago House?
It did in so many ways. I first visited Chicago in 2015. Me and Hannah Holland played at Twirl which is a queer party and label run by Alinka and Shaun J Wright. We’re like family. We got to check out iconic places like Gramophone and Smart Bar. Actually we even made it to a Cubs game. Also there was a great exhibition at the Chicago Cultural Center, Move Your Body: The Evolution of House Music. I’m so glad I got to see this, so much history and truly inspiring. I was literally like a kid in Disneyland.
Now peak pandemic is over, I want to go explore the Detroit Techno scene!
I totally fell in love with Detroit the first time I went. The love and appreciation they have for their music and city never dies. Seeing and experiencing not just the techno scene but also the skate/funk/soul community is magical. If you get the chance to go you should check out the Woodward, it’s one of the oldest gay bars in the city. One of my fave places in the world. I ended up voguing with a chair on my head the first time I went. I think there’s footage floating around somewhere too…
You started the club night, Love Child. Tell us about where that came from.
Initially we (Jacob Husley & I) wanted to bring back queer clubbing on a Sunday, something London had missed for a while. I wanted to do something that was bringing together all the amazing club nights and talent that we have in our community under one roof (fabric).We wanted to collaborate with other queer nights locally and internationally. For a while I felt like queer nightlife in London had become quite segregated .with nights competing with each other. Teaming up with fabric gave us a chance to reclaim the dance floor for the queer community through talks, podcasts and Sunday raves at the club. Something that had been missing at fabric since DTPM.
You expanded into talks too, right? What’s on the horizon?
Yes. These were crucial for us. We didn’t just want to do a club night, we wanted to give our community a platform to discuss the various issues we were experiencing in our nightlife and beyond. The talks are something I’m really proud of. We had such amazing feedback and support from everyone involved. I learnt a lot myself.
For now we’re just focusing on our label. We have a couple of new releases coming up so watch this space. We’ll be back raving at fabric later this year so don’t put away the dancing clogs just yet.
Why did you decide Phantasy was the right team for this release?
I’ve loosely known Erol for a while. I used to go to his Trash parties on a Monday at the End which were amazing. There’s always been an adoration for him as a DJ and producer. Phantasy are quite diverse with their releases which caught my attention and I really respect them. Also they’re super supportive of their artists no matter how big or small you are. That’s very important for me.
I read in another interview that you used to go to Notting Hill Carnival regularly and although the Carnival is a more UK thing, the 18-year-old me still remembers seeing Destiny’s Child down there promoting Writing’s On The Wall, with Beyoncé performing in flats no less. Haha…Were you there that year? Or what is your favourite memory?
Sadly no, but just to see Beyonce performing in flats is a good enough excuse to have gone. I have so many fun memories from carnival back in the day and I’ve been lucky to see some amazing people perform live. like Soul II Soul, Patra, Sounds of Blackness, Aswad and General Levy. Patra was probably my fave, I was obsessed with her.
Thinking of Notting Hill Carnival, I loved Steve McQueen’s Small Axe show and thought it was so great to see these stories being told on British TV – finally! Do you think that kind of storytelling is here to stay or will UK always be Downtown Abbey vibes?
I think it’s here to stay but it will be a struggle to keep in place. I think it’s a huge achievement to see more people of colour and queer people of colour at higher positions with power to say yes to programs like this being comissioned. The idea of ticking the diversity box is favorable now but it comes with challenges.
Lastly, we are named after the biggest selling single of 2001, so we always ask what is your favourite Mariah track?
I’m a fan of 90’s Mariah so I’m gonna go with Always Be My Baby.
‘Do You Want Me To Take You Home‘ is out now on Phantasy.
