CREATORS CONNECT – DJ HANNAH LYNCH
Hello everyone, it’s KOJ again with the latest episode of Creators Connect!
I’m super excited to bring you this month’s interview with Liverpool’s very own DJ Hannah Lynch. Many of you will be familiar with the female DJ collective ‘Girls Don’t Sync’, who are embarking on a journey of worldwide success at the moment. But, I wanted to take a deep dive into Hannah’s story in particular. I know how inspiring her journey will be for other young creatives and in particular, Black female creatives far and wide.
From growing up in Toxteth as the daughter of renowned legend DJ 2Kind, to Hannah’s aspirations for the future, this is an inspiring interview – let’s get into it!
Tell us about how you found your love for music and got into DJing?
Music was always a massive part of my household growing up. My Dad (DJ 2Kind) inspired me so much by his love for music and DJing; he taught me everything I needed to know and provided me with the skills that have got me to where I am today. I’m very grateful to have such a supportive Dad who has always inspired me within the creative world of music.
I’d also say being a scouser and growing up in Liverpool has had a massive impact on my musical journey, especially growing up in Toxteth L8. I remember my first times experiencing raves when I was a teenager, hearing UKG, funky house and bassline… I associate these genres with where I’m from and what I was brought with, so I really interpret this into my sets today.
As a powerful woman in such a male dominated industry, how important is it for you to empower other female creatives in the music space?
Within my own city I’ve always felt a lot of love and support, but going back to when I first started out, there were no other R&B female DJs in Liverpool. That’s why now, it’s really important for me to be a part of building a female DJ community here. Seeing girls who started off with lessons from me at my studio, to now out there being residents in the biggest clubs in Liverpool, means the world to me. I will continue to push for creating safe spaces for women to be creative and celebrated for their talents.
Are there many differences between your style of DJing and the genres you play when performing alone, compared to when you’re playing with Girls Don’t Sync?
I have always had so much love for uptempo, bass, garage and house (Scouse house especially), so I LOVE putting these into my sets, especially within Girls Don’t Sync spaces. However, I’m a huge R&B lover and was taught how to mix with mostly R&B and Hip-Hop, along with Afrobeats, Dancehall and Grime. This has always stuck with me and these genres will forever be a huge part of my music library. Since the start of my DJ journey I’ve been extremely lucky to have been given opportunities to play at the most popular R&B clubs in Liverpool, including INK bar, which holds a very important place in my career. It’s one of the most established R&B clubs in the city and I’m grateful I still get to do my thing there as a solo DJ.
What do you love most about playing live music to crowds?
The feeling of freedom and sense of community within a large capacity rave is unmatched. When we perform b2b2b2b as a 4, we’re a very visual act – while one of us is mixing the other members of the group are keeping up the energy, which is always reciprocated within our crowds. We are there to perform and provide an energetic, uplifting stage presence, but at the same time we like to feel as one with everyone who is sharing the room with us.
Do you have aspirations to produce your own music? If so, what genre of music would you like to create and what would that process look like for you?
Collectively producing music and creating our own original sounds is one of the main goals for Girls Don’t Sync in 2024. We’re prioritising studio time where we are able to turn our musical ideas into the creation of our own tracks. To share them with our crowds would be an amazing achievement for us as a group. We believe that having our own original sounds and putting them into our sets will create such big moments for us, especially as we go into festival season!
The chemistry you ladies share when performing as GDS is like no other. How does each individual member’s music taste affect the making of the DJ group?
It’s amazing that we’re all able to share knowledge between us, from working as individual DJs as well as being part of a group. We all come from different backgrounds, taking musical influences from our families or the cultural environments we’ve grown up in. That contributes to making our DJ sets so powerful.
Which 3 tracks would be included in the soundtrack of your career?
A dance classic I’ve chosen for the soundtrack of my career has to be ‘Ms Dynamite-Boo’. This track reminds me of first being introduced to UK garage music in my teens, when I’d started to go to garage and bassline nights. Ms. Dynamite has been a pioneer within the UK dance scene and has paved the way for female vocalists and rappers.
‘Show Me Love’ by Robin S is such a staple anthem within the dance scene and will forever be one of my favourite house classics. When I think of my first memories of being introduced to house music, this track definitely springs to mind – it’s a dance floor filler that’s known worldwide.
‘Talking the Hardest’ by Giggs – Giggs is one of my favourite grime artists of all time and I fully get why this track is known for being a national anthem. It’s crazy how a track that was released 14 years ago still gets the same reaction today when played out in the club or in live sets. Having played out this anthem since the start of my DJ career, I still get the same buzz from playing it out now.
Words by KOJ / @bigdaddykoj
