LondonBridge Brings More Songwriting and Vocals to His New ‘Animal’ EP on IN / ROTATION

In a Reddit post in 2017, Space Yacht cofounder Henry Lu posted: “Space Yacht was born out of us being tired of L.A.’s VIP scene. We kind of just took that stale VIP experience, turned it upside-down, and soundtracked it with all our favorite music.” One indicator of the ways they’ve turned the scene on its ear is their flyers, which are often full of question marks where marquee names usually go. It’s one of the surest signs of the trust Space Yacht has built up with its community. When you have that, you have the foundation to make special things happen.

On November 21, Space Yacht is hosting two shows in two cities: Los Angeles and San Francisco. Then, on November 23, they touch down in Detroit with Chris Lorenzo, Sacha Robotti, and Worthy. On board for both San Francisco and Detroit stops is LondonBridge, who originally moved to L.A. to be a singer/songwriter, before getting caught up in the city’s vibrant DJ scene and connecting with the Space Yacht crew.

We caught up with LondonBridge on the eve of the release of his Animal EP for Insomniac’s IN / ROTATION imprint to find out what else makes Space Yacht special and what inspires him musically.

LondonBridge’s Animal EP is available here.

The Space Yacht parties have taken off pretty quickly. What has been the craziest part of this rapid success?
I think the craziest part is the fact that we have people from all over the world coming to our parties. Every week, I meet someone who had seen the party on their social media feed and chose to seek us out when they visited L.A. I think it’s a product of how much we focus on our livestreams and Insta stories and try to really give you a sense of the party, even if you are watching it from your couch at home. Hopefully, it makes you want to come out and experience it IRL.

You’re playing Space Yacht parties in San Francisco and Detroit soon. What are you looking forward to at each gig? Do you have any special connections to either city?
San Francisco is always a great time for us. This will be our fourth Space Yacht up there this year. It’s really become its own thing, separate from L.A. That’s what I love most about Space Yacht: People take the Space Yacht vibe and make it their own. I also go to this coed Russian spa every time I go to SF. It’s one of my pre-show traditions. Detroit is exciting, because it’s our first time in the Midwest. It’s also one of the main hubs for dance music in the US, so we are eager to throw down for the D!

You’ve made Tuesday the new Saturday, according to an article by LA Weekly. What were some of the challenges of making a night like Tuesday so popular?
Tuesday in L.A. has actually been a thing since the early 2000s. I remember going to Aoki’s nights, which were on Tuesdays, and they were legendary. This was back before DJs were the headliners. I remember seeing Franz Ferdinand and Block Party, and Aoki would DJ in the back. It was a different time. I’d say the biggest challenge is not the night of the week, but keeping the lineups fresh. We always want to expose people to new talent, but you have to do more than just put a lineup together to make it interesting. That’s why we like to do collaborations with artists, labels, and EDM brands as a way to showcase not just one artist, but an entire scene. It’s been a winning formula thus far.

Your Space Yacht motto is “Ruin Your Wednesday.” Can you share the roughest Wednesday you’ve had after an exceptionally popping Tuesday night?
Believe it or not, for the first two and a half years of Space Yacht, I had to be in the office for my day job at 9am every Wednesday. I remember being on two hours of sleep and being on calls with clients in Dubai, feeling like I wanted to curl up and go to bed. It’s why I quickly stopped drinking after the first couple of Space Yachts. I feel way better.

On a recent episode of Space Yacht Radio, you mention you are a fan of the people you interview and are always learning from them. Can you give us an example of some knowledge you picked up from someone you hosted recently?
I think the main thing that keeps being brought up by every artist that I interview is to remember to be yourself and don’t chase after trends. It’s simple advice, but advice I personally need to hear on a daily basis. It’s so easy to get caught up in chasing someone else’s style or vision. It’s important to remember that a great artist is someone who creates their own vision! It’s a scary thing to do, but being an artist is about taking risks and just going for it. No great artist is truly comfortable. We gotta keep pushing.

You recently did a guest mix for Space Yacht Radio where you included some of your favorite up-and-comers. Who were some of the names you shouted out, and what are you digging about them?
I feel so lucky, because a lot of the people I included in that mix are people I’ve been lucky enough to become frineds with through Space Yacht. I’d say some of my favorites right now are Vouit, Zendlo, Black Girl White Girl, Lowdown, and pretty much anyone on Night Bass, lol. Also, shout out to Nitti Gritti. That kid is about to take over.

“Animal” is a bouncy number with wicked bass and acid touches. Can you give us some insight on putting that track together?
This is where I give a huge shout out to Vouti. He is my favorite up-and-coming artist at the moment. He sent me the original track right before I performed at Crush this year. I opened with it, and it went off crazy. The track originally had a different vocal on it, so I reached out to Vouti, asking if I could try to add some of my own vocal and a couple production touches here and there. The song has been a staple in my set ever since then, and I’m so stoked that it’s finally coming out. Definitely be on the lookout for Vouti; he’s going to be the next Chris Lake.

“Summer Breeze” is a manic, catchy tune; the vocal especially sticks in your head. What’s the story behind it?
That was a tune that just came to me in the moment. With most of my vocals and melodies, I just start the track and freestyle ideas. “Summer Breeze” was one of those instant hooks that I just started singing, and it was perfect. The lyrics were inspired by the first Space Yacht Boat Party. It was such a vibe, and I was feeling that summer breeze, lol. I’m focusing on bringing a lot more songwriting and vocals to my future work. “Summer Breeze” is the first step in that direction.

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