Last time we spoke to Josh Caffé, he sold us his sound as “sleazy house music straight from the groin,” and we’ve been hooked on the bassline ever since. Having garnered a reputation for bringing old-school sounds of New York and Chicago to London’s underground, the release of his debut album Poppa Zesque marked an octave shift. Donning a sexed-up alter ego, Caffé builds a soundscape infused with electro-funk, pleasure-fuelled lyrics and queer party scene hedonism. Next up for the musician is a line-up spot at London’s newest venue Drumsheds, on a new night titled False Idols, celebrating the eclectic electronic music community alongside the likes of Shygirl, Job Jobse, Eliza Rose and everyone’s favourite 00s girl band Sugababes. Below, we asked Josh to walk us through five sources of inspiration which underpin his evolving sound and vision.

Notorious K.I.M. by Lil Kim
“When I was making Poppa Zesque, I was listening to everything from Little Richard to Prince. Lil Kim’s album Notorious K.I.M. has also been on rotation for me for years. It was a bold second album that embraced R ‘n’ B, House and Funk with perfection. Her lyrics have always championed sexual liberation, power and independence as an artist, which really resonated with me while making my album.”

Boomerang by Reginald Hudlin, 1992
“I’ve watched this film a million times, and it never gets boring. The amazing cast, Grace Jones, the killer wardrobe. There are enough one-liners to fill a book and I know all of them inside out. “Are you telling me you’re gonna turn down a p***y like this? Staring you smack in the face!” Genius.”

New York City
New York holds a special place in my mind. I first went in the mid-90s to visit my aunt who still lives there. She lived near Harlem and exposed me to so much music and Black culture when I was a kid. Musically, the Black queer scene in the 80s has always captured me. Also, the wild, dangerous and alluring areas of Manhattan were visual references while working on Poppa Zesque. I always stay around the East Village whenever I go back.  The area has cleaned up a bit but still has the essence of 80s New York. I love walking around these areas and imagining how they would have been back then.

Ajamu
“I had the pleasure of meeting Ajamu while on a shoot next to his studio. Previous to that, I saw his exhibition The Patron Saint of Darkrooms at Rivington Place and fell in love with his photography and how he celebrates black queer bodies and pleasure as activism.”

Afropean: Notes from Black Europe by Johny Pitts
“A great book exploring the Afro-black communities of Europe and Europe’s relationship with blackness, told through the lens of an incredible writer.”

Josh Caffé will play at Drumsheds on December 2nd, more info and tickets available here.