Artist Interview: DJ Ammi

By Resonate | November 18, 2021

Words by Lewis Haywood

Photos by Suncatx

Speaking over Zoom, 21 year-old University of Bristol student Amaia Emmerson, known as DJ Ammi, kindly managed to fit me into her increasingly busy schedule for a wholesome conversation on life, vinyl and good people. 

DJ Ammi is a part of a handful of Bristol DJs who are spearheading a revival of old skool mixing, equipped with a pair of Technics and her distinct red vinyl briefcase. Those who have had the pleasure of watching Ammi twirl an LP between her fingers before laying down a serious set knows that her sound cannot be categorised into one particular genre. She explains, “Reggae and dub are at the centre of my sound – any dance music that has originated from this, basically. Anything from garage and dubstep to grime and 140.” She provides an eclectic mix of music that everyone in the room can dance and relate to; a musical taster menu, if you will.

Like many DJs, she began with the trusty digital setup, saying: “My aunt’s a DJ and taught me how to mix with CDJs around three years ago, but I knew right from the beginning that I wanted to be a vinyl DJ.” Funnily enough, I found myself speaking to two digital DJs(Niall Shaw and Morgan Smith) who had been on the same lineup as Ammi the other day about their thoughts on vinyl mixing. The concept alone seemed to put the two young digital selectors on edge – the younger of the two exclaimed: “It’s just the unknown, isn’t it. You can’t store your cue points and there’s no sync button on many of the old Technics. It’s just a logistical nightmare, really.” Ammi, on the other hand, sees this way of mixing as an entirely different artistic opportunity in which to explore the music she’s playing. 

“There is this whole additional part of the process before you start mixing…you actually have to go out into the world and find your records. Record shops are this amazing place where you meet like-minded people.”

Knowing that Ammi constantly has her ear to the  ground when finding new music, we spoke about what she had been listening to recently which really excited her. “ There is this Russian producer called Kercha. The best word for his music is dubstep, but honestly it’s unlike anything you have ever heard – it’s just bassy madness!”

I then posed a difficult question: if she could choose the best piece of wax she ever bought? Without hesitation, Ammi said, “I bought my favourite record in Bristol from a shop called Collector Cave, it cost £2.50 and just said left field dub on the label. It was by this artist called Dog!” She laughed at this. “The track was called Neverland Dub and it is just the most beautiful thing.” 

In the three years that Ammi has been mixing, she has seen a meteoric rise through the humble ranks of DJing at house parties to playing alongside some of the biggest names in the industry, such as Riz La Teef and Kahn. When I asked who her favourite person to play with on the same bill was, she replied, “I love playing nights with A for Alpha. It’s pure gas. Just one of the friendliest people I’ve met on the scene.” Ammi’s talents don’t only just reside with her ability behind the decks, she’s also tried her hand at promoting, starting her own night, It’s a Bristol Thing at Dare 2 Club, which couldn’t have been spoken about more highly by those who attended. “It took place on Fresher’s Friday and the idea was to give somewhere freshers could go to get to know all the aspects of the Bristol scene in one place. The city can often be overwhelming because there is so much good shit happening all the time, so we tried to get them to somewhere good”

For those who are familiar with the Bristol scene, you will also be aware of Ammi’s other venture, Miscoteque which took place at Lost Horizon, run by herself and friend Georgia D-M. It champions creating a safe night space for women and non-binary persons to come and enjoy themselves, something we could do with seeing more of considering the recent increase in spiking within night venues. “Georgia did her dissertation on uncovering lost lesbian spaces in Bristol. She came across all these bars and discos in the 70s and 80s that only women were allowed into. We thought that sounded cool so we did it ourselves!” 

It seems like the sky’s the limit for this young 21-year old. I asked where she could see herself in a year’s time? Ammi paused and pondered for a second before stating: “I leave uni in the summer and want my life to be based around DJing as much as possible. If I can be working part-time in a record shop as well as supporting myself DJing I’ll be happy.” She also expressed an interest in the possibility of enrolling in a production course – so who knows, we may be hearing an EP in the next few years. If so, I know that I will be first in line to grab a copy from one of the vinyl shops that began this young person’s incredible journey.

Tickets for MISSCOTEQUE are on sale now.

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