Mogan – Cardiff, Wales
Describe your music to the uninitiated
Brash, lo-fi, DIY electronica
Tell me a little more about your journey, how you formed Mogan and some of your notable achievements so far.
I’d always written lyrics and poetry when I was younger but had never really considered making my own beats until I bought a loop pedal and started to record bits of feedback and noise from around the house – I was recording creaky floorboards, the kettle boiling, eating crisps… anything. Over the last year or so I’ve acquired more kit and I’ve been able to refine my sound a bit more, but I’ve got tons of these creepy minimalist recordings on my phone that I’ll still try and incorporate into my music. It’s been fun relaying this in a live environment and unleashing the freak that Mogan has become.
What new projects do you have on the go and when can we expect to see them? Can we see you live any time soon?
I have recently finished working on my first EP ‘Gutter’ which will be released through Sinc-x records in April and we’ll be putting out the first single and video very soon. There are also some pretty tasty remixes and collabs in the mix. It’s all busy but all very good.
How has being a part of the LGBTQ+ community formed your identity as an artist (if at all)?
I came out quite late in life, so I guess I always felt a bit late to the party. When you’re so used to being an outsider in the Hetero-normative world it can be difficult to shake that off and find where you fit within the queer community. Thankfully over time you realise that the wonderful thing about the LGBTQ+ community is that you don’t have to fit into a narrative – and I try to reflect that in my music. Celebrating what brings us queers together, but relishing in what sets us apart.
What do you think of the barriers that LGBTQ+ artists face in the current music industry? Have you come up against any of those barriers yourself?
Barriers that have felt big to me in the past have definitely diminished with age and self-acceptance. But it’s strikingly clear that there is not enough representation for young, queer and trans people of colour. They’re out there, but Voices aren’t being heard on a wider scale and that needs to change.
Do you think the local music scene does enough to support LGBTQ+ artists? What do you think they could do better?
There are diamonds on the local scene that are trying to do more but sometimes there’s a lot of representation for the G and not enough LBTQ+ particularly on the electronic scene. The queer punk and indie scene seem to have built a big platform for trans and non-binary people, so it’s about time the electronic scene in Cardiff did the same.
Who’s your LGBTQ+ hero and why?
Peaches. She blurs the lines of gender and sexuality in such a fun, clever and cheeky way. There’s such deep-rooted wit in her analogies and her live performances are off the scale. I’ve witnessed her climb inside an inflatable penis telling the audience to get their dicks in the air (as a response to hip hop records forever telling women to shake their tits) …and I was once lucky enough to get drenched by a bottle of booze she was shaking round like a dick at the Berghain. She doesn’t bow down to the macho, she sees it and raises it like a fucking boss. And that’s why she’s my hero.
Where can people find you & support you?
My EP will be out on in April but you can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook for updates on upcoming gigs.
Instagram: @Mogan_ism
Facebook: MOGAN
