Venna

Name, where are you from?
My name is Venna and I’m from Forest Hill in South London.

Describe your style in three words?
Jiggy, comfortable and selective.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
Solange at Lovebox 2019. Solange and her band were incredible, the set design was out of this world and the arrangement of the music and movement/choreography was so tight and well-rehearsed.

If you could be on the line up with any two artists in history?
I’d want to be on the same line up as Terrace Martin and D’Angelo. Both artists are legends and the best at what they do, and to see either of them perform would be an experience for me to enjoy and learn from. Also, they’re two of my favourite musicians/artists ever.

Which subcultures have influenced you?
The UK jazz, contemporary jazz and hip-hop subcultures have had the biggest influence on me. I used to listen to Yussef Kamaal, Braxton Cook and a bunch of other jazz musicians from the age of sixteen and I’ve been consuming all of those kinds of records for years and it comes out in various ways through my production and the way I play the saxophone. Producers like J Dilla, Terrace Martin and Flying Lotus have taught me many ways to stretch the music further than just a "genre", which makes music limitless with what you can create.

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
I’d want to spend an hour with Miles Davis. I’m reading his autobiography at the moment and he just has so many stories about some of the greatest musicians who have ever lived, like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane and many more. He’s also someone I’d want to pick at their brain and learn some things from him.

Of all the venues you’ve been to or played, which is your favourite?
I’d probably say O2 Shepherds Bush. It’s one of those venues that feel homely and you feel comfortable from the jump as a performer or as a member of the audience. For performing, playing in a venue that has a good feel already helps a lot.

Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
J Dilla shifted and merged the hip-hop scene into jazz. Even some of the greatest jazz musicians like Robert Glasper would say J Dilla shifted the whole sound and movement. The samples he’d choose and the way he’d chop them was an art within itself and the way he incorporated everything together was just one of a kind.

Venna recently released his new single 'Avenue B'. Listen, purchase or stream it via bfan.link/avenueB.ibi.