Deja Blu

Name, where are you from?
Deja Blu (Jasmine and Benji) and we’re from Farnham, a little town in Surrey surrounded by lots of lovely nature. It's great for walking and cycling around but not much beyond that, so it’s good to escape every once in a while.

Describe your style in three words?
Ethereal, glistening, misty.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
Slowdive in Brighton. it was very surreal to hear their songs live, so good Jasmine fainted halfway through 'Golden Hair'.

If you could be on the line up with any two artists in history?
Julee Cruise - we first heard her music in 'Twin Peaks' and honestly we’d just love to feel like we’re performing in the Roadhouse. Her voice is so otherworldly and serene it would probably all feel like a dream. Chromatics - very recent history but we were so sad to hear they’d split up! They also played the Roadhouse a few times in 'Twin Peaks'. We are big fans of their sound and aesthetic. It would make up for the fact we never got to see them play live!

Which subcultures have influenced you?
A lot of the internet music genres that popped up during the early to mid-2010s and the virtual culture around them, such as vaporwave, cloud-rap and witch house. As these genres got big on the internet and weren’t formed around a place or a country they sound a lot more surreal and have a nostalgic other-worldly feel that's conveyed through the music and visuals equally. This has played a big part in our visual and musical aesthetic. Also, early '90s shoegaze and dream-pop and the overall alternative music culture of that time and beyond has been massively influential for us, increasing our love for dreamy, atmospheric sounds.

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
We’d both definitely say JRR Tolkien. The fact he created such a vast fictional landscape inspires us to push at barriers in our imagination. From what we’ve read about him, he is described as so humble and wasn’t always sure of himself. It is comforting to know that someone so brilliant, who constructed a world with so much depth that he knew down to the tiniest detail, also had doubts about his work and sought feedback from those around him.

Of all the venues you’ve been to or played, which is your favourite?
We recently played at Ramsgate Music Hall. It was the first time we had driven that far for a gig and we liked wandering around somewhere we’d never been whilst waiting to soundcheck. It was right by the sea too! The venue was also really cool, there was a projector in the bar so people could see when a band was about to play downstairs and a Nintendo 64 in the dressing room!

Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
Imogen Heap, even though she is quite a big artist, her influence has stretched further than a lot of people may realise, with her voice being sampled in countless hip-hop and electronic songs in recent years. The most notable one for us is 'I’m God' by Clams Casino, which has been a big pillar of inspiration for our sound. We also love the song it samples, which is 'Just For Now' and a lot of her other original music from the 2000s which listening back, sounds like an early form of a lot of the alternative pop you hear today. Seamlessly combining dance beats and experimental production techniques with catchy melodies. Reminiscent of current artists like Sophie, Oklou, Caroline Polachek etc!

For more on Deja Blu, including information on any new releases and upcoming shows, visit linktr.ee/dejablu.