Native Music’s Ethan Odle on Black British Music, Baile Funk, and the BBC
Ethan Odle recently walked through the doors of Soho’s Native Music as its newest recruit, crossing the threshold between radio production and commercial music supervision as he did so.
He joined from the BBC, where he worked in a producer role across most of Radio 1 and 1Xtra’s specialist shows. On shows like Clara Amfo’s Future Sounds and DJ Target’s new music show, Ethan rubbed shoulders with everyone from the likes of Alicia Keys, Peggy Gou, and FLO, to Nia Archives, Master Peace, and Pa Salieu. What he enjoyed most, however, was the opportunity to support Black British music and the artists he’d followed for years on their path to stardom.
That motivation to champion promising creatives is what also guides his online publication, Fourth Floor, which platforms young writers and DJs via the website and events.
LBB’s Zara Naseer caught up with Ethan as he embarked upon a new journey as associate music supervisor at Native Music, hearing about his wild first gig (Radiohead in a Berlin forest), his favourite BBC anecdote, and his tip-offs for the best artists to watch.
LBB> Tell us about your musical background and how you ended up on this path.
Ethan> As a young kid I was heavily influenced by my dad who would be playing everything from Radiohead to Yellowman, LTJ Bukem, N.E.R.D and Wu Tang. I remember being about five or six and begging him to bring home some more blank discs from work so that I could make my own little mixtapes. These would consist of artists like Radiohead, J Dilla, Beastie Boys, Campag Velocet, Dizzee Rascal, and Boogie Down Productions. I was fortunate enough to be exposed to a wide variety of genres either through my immediate family or my cousins and this led to me learning the guitar and bass.
As I got older and started to find my own lane musically, the Odd Future craze took over – the first time I ever skipped school was to go to their pop-up shop where I met Tyler, the Creator and the rest of the crew in about year eight or nine. As soon as I came across the Yonkers video, I was locked in! That youthful energy of not giving a fuck and being unapologetically yourself has played a huge part in my life to this day. Seeing the individual progression of Tyler, Frank, Syd, Earl and all of the others never fails to inspire me.
This sounds ridiculous, but my first ever gig was with my dad to see Radiohead in a forest called Wuhlheide in Berlin (talk about setting the bar high) and I am so grateful. I remember getting goosebumps and trying to hide my tears! I’ve always had quite intense visceral reactions to music, it’s honestly become a running joke amongst my friends, so I knew deep down that I would end up in the industry one way or another.
After having my own show on our university radio station, I was inspired to work at a couple of community radio stations as a graduate, alongside juggling temp agency work and doing the seven-day-week slog that I’m sure most people in our industry have had to do at some point.
Long story short, after the pandemic I ended up working at the BBC mainly across Radio 1 and 1Xtra. I absolutely loved it! I was in a position where I could positively affect people’s careers, and I was able to work on the main slots for new music across both stations.
Outside of the much more well-known artists, I had the opportunity of producing one of Nia Archives’ first radio interviews which meant the world to me. We had everyone from Porij to Masterpeace and The Mysterines pass through the show, and playing a small part in these journeys was so self-rewarding.
At 1Xtra, I had the pleasure of producing Nines’ last ever interview before retirement, Will Smith’s return (we were the only interview where he openly talked about the Oscars), the legend Dizzee Rascal and so many more! I’m so honoured to have worked with so many amazing people and I will forever be indebted to Roz and Simone (who ran the outreach team at the time) for giving me an opportunity!
Outside of work I do a little DJ’ing here and there and I host our Fourth Floor events alongside my two friends Jai and Soheil. I’m constantly inspired by music that I hear on my travels and going to Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro always opens my ears up to new sounds. Since I first went, baile funk instantly became one of my favourite genres! I love the energy and (sometimes) amateurish mixing. It’s a political statement and it never fails to get me moving.
LBB> Your stretch at the BBC sounds like a lot of fun – can you share your favourite anecdote from your time there?
Ethan> Oooo I wonder what I can say publicly! There are so many. A more recent one would have to be 1Xtra’s presenter Remi Burgz finally getting the opportunity to interview Burna Boy! Remi is an absolute superstar; she is amazing at what she does and she’s genuinely one of Burna Boy’s biggest fans. Being able to produce that moment and see such an unfiltered, authentic connection between the two was just wicked. I hadn’t seen Burna this relaxed and open in an interview before. You can watch it back on 1Xtra’s Youtube channel and if you don’t know who Remi is yet – you will very soon!
LBB> How did your online publication, Fourth Floor, come about?
Ethan> It’s funny because we actually started as a podcast in lockdown. We were bored and we wanted to do something productive with our time, so similar to my uni radio show, we would discuss all the latest topics and music that was *slowly* coming out at the time. Anyway, after a few episodes we scrapped that and decided to launch a website instead, with the main goal being to provide a place for young creatives to have their work published. We enjoy covering the underreported and although the articles have slowed down in recent months, we’re now leaning more towards the events space. Our next one is on Halloween at Avalon Café and the line up is sick! We have Tsunamy headlining alongside Nancy June, Jayemkayem, STRAE and myself going back to back with ALBH. It will be a night full of bass, fun edits and enjoyment.
LBB> What prompted the switch from producing to supervising?
Ethan> I remember my good friend Keana telling me about her music supervision journey and it was just so inspiring. We are both very passionate about music and as soon as we had that conversation, I knew that supervision was the right jump for me to take. The next day I was firing off emails trying to get someone’s attention to join me for a coffee! At the time I had worked at the BBC for a few years, and I had produced my favourite shows, so I just thought that it was the perfect moment to take the risk and explore a different side of the industry. I’ve always had an eye for ads, and I am so excited to learn about the ins and outs of supervising, and to utilise my musical knowledge for the briefs that come in.
LBB> Why is Native Music the right place to pursue that interest?
Ethan> I met the crew earlier this year when I was doing an internship and from the very first day, they have been so welcoming and supportive. I am honestly so grateful to have met them! Everyone I speak to only has amazing things to say about the team and I second all of those sentiments. They have been part of some amazing projects, won so many awards and I can’t wait to see what the future brings.
LBB> What are your immediate and long-term goals for your time there?
Ethan> In the short term, I look forward to getting stuck into some briefs and bringing adverts to life with unique song selections while learning and absorbing knowledge from the rest of the team. In the long term, I hope to handle projects from the start through to the end independently – maintaining the high standard that Native is associated with and creating some very distinctive work. I’m also so pleased that I can continue to provide a space where Black British music can be platformed and promoted as there is so much potential and talent across the board!
LBB> You’ve got an ear for up-and-coming music talent – where do you look for promising artists, and what qualities do you look out for?
Ethan> A lot of it comes through deep dives on Spotify, Soundcloud or Bandcamp and going to loads of raves/festivals. I’m constantly looking for new artists that are either paving their own lane or having fun with what they create. I guess the main quality that I look out for is artists that genuinely love what they make, that don’t sway from their truth and someone that can evoke emotion in some sort of way – whether that be elation, sadness or just something that makes you want to skank.
Festival season is my favourite time of the year and it’s a great excuse to discover new talent, whether that be during a DJ set or a live band. I LOVE discovering someone really early on in their journey and following them to superstardom. I was at Little Simz’s first solo show at the O2 Islington and seeing where she is now, it feels like watching a long lost family member absolutely smash it. The same goes for the Queen of Jungle, Nia and of course Tyler, the Creator and Frank Ocean.
LBB> Finally, help us out – what artists are you currently excited about that should be on our radar?
Ethan> Where do I start? There’s so much amazing up-and-coming talent, especially here in the UK. Jim Legxacy is someone that everyone should be across for sure! He’s so versatile, and he released his first album earlier this year. There are so many amazing singers coming up at the moment too, from Elmiene, to Sasha Keable and Nia Smith. Venna is a UK jazz musician, he’s wicked. In terms of producers/DJs, currently I’m heavily into T.NO, Sherelle, Bronka and HiTech. Aside from jungle, I love bouncy, fun, baile-influenced dance music.
