Meet Le Junk - a multi -instrumentalist from London blending all manner of electronic indie rock, disco pop, and tongue-in-cheek balearic glitz. I had the pleasure seeing him at The Victoria in Dalston, which seems now like a lifetime ago.
Please give us a little intro about you.
I’m an artist from London and make electronic indie rock music under the name LE JUNK.
'Le Junk' is an unusual name – can you please elaborate on that one?
The name suggests a kind of ’fancy rubbish’ and the idea that it’s easy to be fooled by glamour but you’ll always find shite beneath the surface!
Give us one fact each that no one knows about you.
I’ve still not seen The Lion King which I’ve been meaning to watch for years.
What draws you to your preferred genre?
I like a whole heap of genres.. but I mostly love any kind of music that makes you move.
What is your favourite thing about London / the London music scene?
Like any big enough city, it means there’s usually a healthy concentration of art all around you. Therefore more diversity, more variation, more clubs, and more talent. In London it’s super easy to discover incredible new bands and artists as they’re right on your doorstep.
You are described as multi-instrumentalist – which ones do you play and which ones do you prefer using for your live shows?
I mainly play guitar, bass, keys, synths and drums. Guitar is my go to live instrument, but I’ve played whole shows on just bass and drum machine which also seems to vibe nicely. It depends on the room.
The dreaded subject 'Covid' – I knew you were supposed to play at The Alt Escape in Brighton...how much of a set back was that pandemic for you and what have you been up to since the lockdown?
I was due to play a bunch of shows this year to coincide with my releases, but the panny-d put that on hold big time so instead I’ve been using the time to write and record as much as possible which has also been good. (I’ve secretly been begging for this kind of spare time for such a long time before lockdown happened.. but now I’m itching to get back on the road!!)
Tell me a little bit about the latest release “Level 3” - what's the story behind it?
‘Level 3’ is about obsession to the point of destruction. It tells a love story between two people who move too quickly through the stages of a relationship that their love eventually dissipates. The video shows this idea through the angle of fighting to death for money. Aka don’t treat your life like a ‘level-up’ activity.
Do you have any hobbies that you turn to to rejuvenate your creativity?
Films seem to be a good source of inspiration. To me, music is super visual and song ideas, or even just sounds, can easily be triggered by watching something great. A lot of my creativity can also be resolved by going for a long walk.
What are your plans for 2021?
To play more live shows with a full band. Watch this space!
Catch Le Junk’s latest single 'Level 3' here: