LUCA LOZANO AKA PLANETLUKE.COM PRESENTS A DOZEN GRAFITI TAPES

Lucas Hunter is the curator of Grafiti Tapes: the only record label in the world that specializes exclusively in music made by graffiti writers.
Ever since the early days of graffiti, musicians have looked to collaborate with aerosol artists for logos, record sleeves and videos. There is a select group of individuals who have made their name producing both art and audio: from pioneers like Rammellzee to contemporary names like Grems, characters who have been able to express their alter-egos in a multimedia manner.
Recognizing that there was a possibility to unite some writers on one imprint, Lucas Hunter – aka Luca Lozano aka Planet Luke – got the project off the ground in 2013 and has gone onto release 12 limited edition tapes which have included the talents of Nug VIM, Uzi WUFC, Mosa and Richard Sen aka Coma.
As part of the #mtnmusicmonth, we talked to Hunter about his graffiti education, his house design style and the philosophy of Grafiti Tapes.

Most people know you as a DJ and producer, but you’ve always included graffiti references in your output. What’s your background in the subculture? How did your experiences painting influence what you do today?
I was interested in graffiti as a kid in London, I can remember being about 8 years old and seeing tracksides and panels on the underground. I lived in South London and remember names like Sub and Shu and Regret being up around where I lived. I never really knew what or why these things were there but I knew I liked them, something to do with the stylised letters and boldness of the tags. When I was 10 my friend wrote my name in marker on a wooden door near my school. I didn’t sleep for weeks with fear of the police turning up and arresting me!
I started painting properly around 1993 when I moved up north to Sheffield. What started as the usual schoolbook doodles evolved into outlines, mission-planning and paint stealing. It stayed with me for years until I started slowing down around the mid 2000s. I had moved to Berlin and was getting more involved with music full time, we’d paint every now and then but that magic feeling was missing somehow. I remain an avid fan of the scene and collector of the ephemera.
I think graffiti was important as it allowed me to become a self-taught artist, graffiti teaches you self-discipline and determination. The relentless scribbling and tagging of things teaches you to keep pushing and never be content with something that could be better. I think I got a lot of good ideas concerning colours and composition, taking leads from what looks good on the streets to what looks good on paper or a screen. Theres a speed at which graffiti is consumed that translates well in other areas, its advertising with immediacy and I’ve obviously took that on board with my work with the record labels I run.

What’s the difference between traveling as a writer and as a DJ? Which aspects of both do you prefer?
The difference is huge! Everything is taken care of when you are a DJ, you meet someone at the airport and they take care of you, drive you around and take you to dinner. As my years advance I truly appreciate being taken care of in that way, its a little luxury and I remain aware that its special treatment. Travelling with graffiti probably has made me aware of the polar opposites better than most people as I’ve roughed it properly on night missions and stayed in some awful places around Europe.
Both ends of the extreme are important and enjoyable to experience, I loved the feeling of surviving with next to nothing on graffiti tours, you experience the city in a very different way and feel close to it in ways you can’t whilst sat in a taxi or looking at the world through a window. These days I prefer having a nice clean and quiet place to sleep, but I’m grateful for the memories that I have and the fact I’m able to compare, I think thats invaluable in life.

‘I think graffiti was important as it allowed me to become a self-taught artist, graffiti teaches you self-discipline and determination. The relentless scribbling and tagging of things teaches you to keep pushing and never be content with something that could be better. ‘

Which have been your most memorable trips?
To be honest I remember them all vividly, maybe its a combination of the age I was when I was travelling and the fact that you’re all hopped up on adrenaline most of the time. Sights and smells have been ingrained in my memory forever. I particularly enjoyed my time in Belgium with the ERS and TOY crew, it was an exciting time for graffiti with new ways of writing being explored and I was so in awe of those crews and the individual personalities in them. BBQs and painting with people like RECTO, HAVR, MERCURY, 2SHY, REV and others were some of the finest of times.
As a DJ i’ve lost count of the times I’ve been away but there has also been memorable times and encounters…ranging from unwanted meetings with nazis in St Petersburg to almost being destroyed by a bomb in Bogota. I’ve been nearly everywhere in the world bar a few countries and I’m so lucky to have met and remained friends with people from all over….I can’t wait to get back out there.

When did it occur to you to start a label focussing on the contributions of writers to music? Which writer made you think it was possible?
Grafiti Tapes started in 2013 I think, I dont remember clearly but I think the concept was realised after speaking to Luke Eargoggle AKA Dudes from Gothenburg. He provided the first tape and I remember being so excited about the possibilities of doing a label that combined two of my favourite things. I was aware of music’s history with graffiti, the various flirtations and random graffiti video soundtrack appearances but I felt there was nothing existing that encapsulated the type of graffiti and music I liked.
From the outset it was important to me to represent both things properly and give light to the style that I was interested in. Eargoggle’s classic Electro and equally as classic graf styles was a perfect example of both.

Your design work as Planet Luke is clear to appreciate in the photocopied fanzine aesthetics of the Grafiti Tapes series. Which designers or publications do you consider as the fathers to your style?
I started making flyers around 2001, I was doing bad copies of Buddy Esq Jr and using that early hip hop block party style in my designs. I also had an interest in US Hardcore punk posters and flyers, the extremes of photocopying and the reduction of images to black and white. I was never interested in the grey area and its remained true to the present day.
I mainly only use two colours in my work and thats a direct influence of photocopied flyers where the artist could only afford B+W copies on a light coloured paper. I was never consciously taking leads from established artists or designers and would look to the street for influence, I love shop signs and hand-drawn stuff…accidental art made by people that would never claim to be artists.

Back in the day the links between music and graffiti were perhaps more clear: Futura 2000 and The Clash, Doze Green and The Rock Steady Crew and so on. These day, the artists tend to stay off the mics, and maybe just contribute the odd sleeve design. Am I wrong?
Yeah I dunno, something did happen somewhere down the line. There was a lot of stuff in the mid and late 90’s that didn’t really age well, things started taking themselves too seriously and maybe the macho element of graf got too involved. Its fine with me tho’ and kind of makes sense, somehow the clash of mediums is a bit of an overload. For example, I can’t imagine conceptual artists getting on the mic and rapping about their painting techniques and colour schemes working out so well.
The music on Grafiti Tapes is rarely a direct representation of graffiti itself and I think its best when it doesn’t have any obvious relevance at all….music is music and graf is graf. I am merely interested in ‘decorating’ the music with graffiti, providing a backdrop of information that sets a place in time and space.

The Grafiti Tapes series has included EPs from the likes of Nug and Mosa, mixtapes from 10 Foot and Snatch PFB and a special 12” co production with the Sex Tags camp. What’s the philosophy of the series? Can you imagine more digital content coming out in the future?
Theres no philosophy per se, but a natural direction of the series is dictated by my personal taste as mentioned before. I will only release artists that I see fitting to the project, the music has to be something I would listen to and the graf has to be something I’m into. I wont be releasing dubstep artists that dabble in photorealistic street art for example (sorry). I like real vandalism, I like throw ups and quick graffiti and the same could be said for the music side of things also, I like classic sounds and veer away from anything too high brow and overly thought out.

A lot of the artists featured come from Scandinavia, why do you think that is? What’s special about the scene up there?
Thats a good question and one i’ve thought about before!! To be honest I have no idea, maybe you can trace the style of graffiti down to a few pioneers or tours in the 80’s where people picked up on the NYC style of painting or link it to the shitty cold weather that ensures everyone stays indoors and plays with their drum machines.
Theres definitely a ‘scene’ of writers and musicians in Sweden, Norway and Finland that are doing stuff I like. Scandinavian people are good at promoting themselves and where they’re from, I’ve seen it in my Swedish and Norwegian friends and they probably don’t like to admit it but its a tightly knit scene where people seem to help each other out.

Mosa was behind the eighth tape, and also happens to be the cover artist of the latest Tramontana Magazine. How did you find out about his production skills?
It was simply being on social media, I had seen a record he had made with another French producer and reached out to him to explain the project. I am such a fan of Mosa’s work, the way he notated the human movement whilst tagging was similar to the turntablist notation of scratching. I went to a few of his shows in Berlin and we became friends, I was so happy he wanted to be part of the label and the subsequent poster we did with him is one of my all time favourites.

The latest tape from Richard Sen aka Coma was maybe the most ambitious release, featuring a tape and vinyl drop plus a long-format podcast interview to provide context to the EP. What was it like working with a veteran like Richard?
I was in awe of Richard for a long time, I’d reached out to him years ago but things never materialised. The fact he was one of the first writers in London is a legend that will never die, his bottleneck panel on the met line is part of UK graffiti folklore and I don’t think you can ever fully appreciate the impact that’s had on people. Richard was keen to do vinyl as well as a tape and I’m happy we did as it did service to his legacy. I spoke to him in length in the podcast and it was a pleasure to find out he is a kind and honest person and still has the burning urge to create new things and explore new avenues.

‘ I like real vandalism, I like throw ups and quick graffiti and the same could be said for the music side of things also, I like classic sounds and veer away from anything too high brow and overly thought out.’

Which is the track that you’ve put out that you think best represents Grafiti Tapes?
Uff, I don’t think I can provide an answer to that question. Each tape is a piece of art on its own and representative of the writer and the scene that writer is in. The tape with 10 Foot and Tapes is vastly different to the tape with Nug for example and thats the beauty of the whole thing – each release is a capsule of information and influence for one person in time and space.

Check out the full Grafiti Tapes catalog here.