Last summer, London DJ and producer Casnova curated one of the most explosive club nights of the year at Phonox, inviting the likes of Yung Singh, P-rallel and Rishy Malik to grace the decks for his sold-out headline show. Continuing to compile some of the most exciting nights to date, now under his new event series called ‘ARTA’, Casnova is now widely recognised by many as one of the hottest names emanating from the capital’s electronic scene.

When not in the booth, Casnova is busy producing his own output, epitomised by last year’s esteemed five-track “Alignment EP”, featuring the likes of Bawo, Finn Foxell, KAM-BU and Kalila. The project incorporates a slew of genres throughout, from the up-beat house tones of “Drums Are Calling” to the garage influences on “Ricky Hatton”, the latter rounded off with slick versus from fellow Londoners Bawo and KAM-BU, showcasing Casnova’s innate ability in crafting some of the best music, whilst simultaneously calling upon some of London’s hottest talent.

Kickstarting 2024 in style, Casnova has just dropped off an official video for “Ricky Hatton”, directed by close friend and collaborator DIFTY, and to find out more we had the chance to catch up with the west Londoner…

Watch the “Ricky Hatton” visuals…

Read the full interview…

Big ups on the new video for “Ricky Hatton”! Firstly tell us about the single, where did the inspiration for the track and track name come from?
Thanks so much! So, I wanted to make a UKG track that felt nostalgic but could also suit a rapper and I was in the studio with Bawo at the time and he was loving the sound of the beat. He just started free styling the Ricky Hatton hook and I thought it was perfect, so we got it down.

It’s from last year’s “Alignment” EP, which also features tracks such as “Won’t Let You Down” alongside Finn Foxell. How did you find the release compared to your others and how has your artistry evolved?
I feel what I want to show the world is the clearest it’s ever been. I want to show exactly what I love and what I’m into and hope that it resonates with others which it seems to be. How I approach songs is still the same, idea-based with the artist in mind from the moment I start making the music.

For “Ricky Hatton”, you chose to feature two of the best London artists in their own right, Bawo and KAM-BU. Why did you feel they were they the right fit for this track in particular?
Luckily Bawo was in the studio with me when I was making the track and with his energy present it was easy to make a beat tailored to him. The idea of shouting KAM-BU for a feature came after a few days, we thought having a different tone of vocals rapping would complement the song really well. Having a good relationship with KAM-BU made it easy to link up and chill in the studio and he was able to get down his crazy verse in no time at all. I always find music that’s smooth to create my favourite.

Tell us more about the influences behind the new visuals, directed by DIFTY, and how it all came together?
Me and DIFTY spent a lot of time discussing how the visuals can represent what the track is about and there were certain elements that I think really came out in the video that we were happy about. A couple of key elements were making sure the London UKG sound was reflected in the visuals, and the idea of “Ricky Hatton” and hard work creating ‘hits’ being present.

Did you learn anything new from the video process, or come across any challenges?
The main thing was making sure to portray the idea of the track through visuals, as usually I’m making sure the idea is represented through music. Collaborating with DIFTY made that a smooth process, so collaboration was key to this video.

You’ve just officially kickstarted your ‘ARTA’ night. What’s the story behind the name? And what can fans expect?
The name comes from my Iranian roots which has the meaning of ’the cosmic order of stars and planets’. It’s a word which originates in Iranian mythology, but I thought it fit perfectly for what I wanted my nights to represent. The coming together of people and DJ’s in one place to create something beautiful: a night of dancing and good times with like-minded people.

Last summer you packed out Phonox for an unbelievable headline show with the likes of Yung Singh, P-rallel and Rishy Malik. Are there any particular highlights you can remember from the evening?

That was one of my favourite nights last year and it ended perfectly with a B2B with Yung Singh. Knowing him for a while now meant we naturally just thought to be on the decks at the same time. Also watching everyone kill their sets and the crowd loving it will always live in my head rent-free. 

Can you give us a couple of tracks that you have in your catalogue that you just know will get the crowd going no matter what setting?
Casnova – “Drums Are Calling”
Silva Bumpa – “Migraine Skank Remix”
Buckley – “Bonkers Dub”

All get the crowd moving.

Looking ahead, what are your aspirations and goals as a DJ and producer?
I wanted to make more complete projects that reflect me and my identity as a person. I want to infuse my UK dance roots with my Iranian heritage and create a beautiful medium which can be performed on a bigger scale, more of a performance piece showcasing my new music. I will always love DJ’ing but I feel my new music can be performed with more live/digital instruments which I’m really excited about.

2024 is going to be another big year for you, what’s on the horizon over the coming months?
Over the next few months it’s about getting out music that I’ve been working out, a Ricky Hatton Club Dub that I made for the clubs I’m excited to put out end of the month. Along with some other original pieces of music and edits, ready to showcase them all with upcoming DJ sets and ARTA nights!