EFFY Interview: Nostalgia, North West clubbing, and new EP The Syndicate

Calling from her recently settled corner of Oxfordshire, surrounded now by more trees than tower blocks, DJ and producer Effy is appreciating a new kind of rhythm. “I just moved out of London with my partner, and I'm really enjoying the countryside. It’s making me feel a bit more at one with the North again.” That sense of reconnection - not just to geography, but to memory and identity - is rippling through everything Effy touches right now, none more so than on her new EP, The Syndicate.

Out now via her and her partner Mall Grabs' imprint, Fragrance Recordings, the three-track release blends bouncy big-room EDM nostalgia with Effy's sleek, bassy production. Titled after the iconic Blackpool superclub of the same name, it pays tribute to both her hometown and the North West clubbing culture that shaped her.

Effy has rapidly risen from underground UK favourite to global groove architect. Yet, despite her jet-setting lifestyle - and the jetlag, which she jokes is eased by my Northerness - The Syndicate remains deeply rooted in the place where it all began.

You’d be forgiven for assuming a record named after a club comes with tales of youthful mistakes, crazy nights, and formative (revolving) dancefloor moments. But Effy’s inspiration for The Syndicate comes from a more unexpected - and poignant - place.

“I never actually went to The Syndicate,” Effy says through a guilty laugh. 

“My older siblings went a lot, and I was very excited to be going. Then, literally a week before I started clubbing, it shut down.”

“I remember always driving past with my mum and stuff when I went swimming, and there was this big spaceship-like building. I always used to be like, ‘What is that?’

But the EP’s connection to the venue doesn't just come from a place of mythology, but also one of memory. Memories of clubbing in Blackpool and a nostalgia for the North West scene that shaped her into the artist she is today. 

“Some people have commented being like, ‘You were underage then, so you're lying.’ And it's like, ‘No, I did go clubbing then, I just didn't go to The Syndicate.’”

“The place I actually went clubbing in Blackpool was Sanuk, which also had a revolving dance floor!”

“But it was such a prolific club, and I think the North West of England has been neglected when it comes to remembering such venues. So, I just think it's important to shout it out and also to remember important venues across the country, not just London.”

These ideas first started brewing while she was working on the EP’s opening track, ‘2011’. It channels the bouncy big-room EDM of the era and, during its creation, brought with it a flood of memories.

“I felt so happy making ‘2011’ because it gave me so much nostalgia,” she says. “It reminded me of growing up and clubbing. I used this girl’s ID - shout out Amanda McPheely - she was 18 at the time and I absolutely wasn’t.” 

“Those early clubbing days, listening to that type of music… it just made me feel a sense of warmth and happiness and comfort.”

It was then, she says, that the theme of the record began to crystallise. “I realised I must be in a nostalgic mood. So I wanted to make the track like nostalgia for a place I never actually was able to go to.”

“Those early clubbing days, listening to that type of music… it just made me feel a sense of warmth and happiness and comfort.”

That nostalgic sentiment runs through the EP like a sub-bass current, and when digging into why that sound is resonating now, she’s clear: “At the moment, I think I’m making that because I’m not finding much music out there that’s inspiring me. 

“It’s all a lot of edits, it’s quite oversaturated, and there’s not much organic, authentic music coming out as much as in the past. So I’ve been listening to a lot of old music that made me happy.”

Such tracks aren't filtered through coolness or irony either - it’s equally unexpected and endearing: “I love ‘Levels’ by Avicii. I think that's one of the best songs to have ever been made. 

“It's such a beautiful song, and honestly, sometimes I drop it in sets and it just unites everyone.”

There’s something disarmingly human about hearing a producer you assume exists on a diet of obscure club cuts call ‘Levels’ one of the greatest songs ever made. Like finding out your older cousin with the Technics was secretly into Busted. 

Yet, if ‘2011’ captures wide-eyed EDM nostalgia, then ‘So Sound’ and ‘Persuade’ are its darker, bass-driven siblings. Heavier and distinctly Effy, these club-focused tracks prioritise movement over memory. A contrast that gives the EP dynamic tension, though initially presented a challenge.

“My worries were that the other two didn't fit together that much. But in the same way, for me, an EP and a project should be versatile, and there should be a thread running through it. I was trying to see the thread.

“But then I was like… I listened to a lot of bass music as well, growing up clubbing in the North West, so there are other influences from when I was in my younger days in the EP too. It's just not as obvious as the big-room EDM sounds, I guess.”

Such experiences clubbing in the North West shaped more than just the sounds on The Syndicate too; they carved out the kind of DJ Effy wanted to be. “I think the North West, particularly, there’s a sense of community,” Effy reflects. 

“There’s obviously the social part, where anyone can just speak to you in the street. Everyone’s like, ‘hey, have a good day.’ Whereas I love London, it’s my second home, but that's not really the experience I had there.”

“So, it taught me a sense of community. Which I guess inspires my DJing in a way that I just try to bring people together.”

But there’s another Northern hallmark that lives in her sets: no-nonsense boldness. “I also feel like the North is quite bold. My northernness, I’m very proud of, and that empowers me a lot. So I’m just like, ‘Yeah, f*** it, I’m going to play this curveball.’ It’s completely random, but I’m just going to do it.”

“There’s not really much politeness within how I DJ,” she grins. I mix quite quickly, and I'm not as smooth. Some people turn up the faders really slowly. I'm like, I can't be arsed [motioning a truly charged up fader switch].”

That same boldness helped spark Fragrance Recordings, the label Effy co-runs with partner Mall Grab. The Syndicate marks the fifth release on the imprint.

Born out of frustration with an industry increasingly geared towards streams and short-term metrics, Fragrance was created to champion something more lasting. “I think with a lot of record labels heavily focused on streams, and festivals struggling, they're booking and helping the bigger artists, which I totally understand,” Effy says.

“But at the same time, the future is the younger artists. Younger artists need space, support, love, energy, a chance - and I think without that, we will have no future in dance music or authentic dance music.”

Just as important to her is putting creative control back into the hands of the artist. “You own your music - and you just have complete creative control,” she says. “That’s important when you’re starting out, instead of a label telling you ‘do this, do that.’ You need the space to find out who you are and to build confidence.” 

At Fragrance, that means everything from full say on cover art to shaping the sound without compromise. “We’re aware we’re signing smaller artists. And I think that support makes them feel good about the music they made - because it’s about them at the end of the day, isn’t it really?”

"The future is the younger artists. Younger artists need space, support, love, energy, a chance - and I think without that, we will have no future in dance music or authentic dance music.”

Every release on Fragrance also comes out on vinyl - a material gesture in an immaterial age. “With social media, you can become an overnight sensation or whatever, and that’s fine,” she explains, “but to me it doesn’t cultivate organic fans. I think having a physical copy of someone’s music and giving that to a fan is so special.” Effy still remembers hanging records on her wall before owning a turntable. “I was really proud of them. We don’t want to lose that.”

So far, Fragrance has backed its talk with every release. Take Mees Javois: “He’s 17, turning 18 this weekend, and he’s playing with us at Nuits Sonores in Lyon the night he turns 18. It’s crazy,” Effy beams. “I had him for my Badaboum residency in Paris, and he brought his dad with him, who’s also the biggest legend and sweetheart.” 

Then there’s False Persona - “so versatile” and “really underrated” - a producer who’s been quietly honing his sound and is now finally getting his due. And with a forthcoming release from David Jackson that leans into swung, trance-inflected house, Fragrance continues to sidestep genre boundaries in favour of raw authenticity.

“Whether they’re big or small, if the music’s good, we want to sign it,” she says. “It’s all about giving them the space to feel confident and proud of their music.” That, and the prospect of working with two legends and masters of their craft, can’t be too shabby either.

It makes sense then that the first Fragrance release came from the pair themselves, though neither expected it to become a defining moment in their story.

A collaborative cut, “iluv” arrived with no big plan, just emotion, timing, and a shared instinct. “Jordan (Mall Grab) was about to head off on a six-week US tour,” Effy explains. “It was a few days before he left, and he started playing these chords, not in the way that ‘iluv’ ended up, but I could hear him getting to it… I had it in my head as well, and it was just like I was waiting for him to do the chord progression, and then he did it, and I was like, ‘Stop, send me that and just walk away.’”

She finished it alone. “He sent me the stems… and then a few weeks passed, and I was really missing him. My granddad had just passed too, so I was a bit lovesick and then obviously mourning my grandfather, so I was a bit emotional,” she says. 

“That’s when I started playing the chords again, and that’s how ‘iluv’ was written. You can hear that I'm in love, but I'm sad and there are butterflies.”

The title was a file name. ‘iluv,’ typed out quickly and never changed. But the reaction it’s had has been anything but throwaway. “Honestly, we had no idea it would land like it did,” she says. “To make people feel something - whether they’re with friends, partners, or strangers in a crowd - that’s something we’ll always be grateful for.”

The Syndicate might have seen Effy’s tapping deep into her roots, but for the rest of 2025, her gaze is firmly set forward. 

With a series of global club sets in Lyon, Ireland, and Australia coming up fast, there's one in particular that stands out - an upcoming Boiler Room in Belfast where Effy plays B2B with Special Request, with Chris Stussy going B2B with Kettama on the headline slot. 

Whilst admitting feeling “a bit nervous” about the set, there have also been some jokes about it with her and her B2B compatriot. 

“When I first met Woolly (Special Request), it was in Ibiza, and he was chatting to me, behind me, while I was DJing. It was an Amnesia, and I accidentally hit the queue button… 

“It was a full room, and I just completely restarted the song! So there's a running joke. Every time I see him, he's like, 'Don't do that in Belfast.' I'm just like, 'Yeah, trying not to do that again.'” 

“But he's such an incredible producer, artist, and DJ. So, I'm excited because he’s so versatile. I have no idea where it's going to go, but that's the fun of it!

Beyond Belfast, Effy looks forward to summer festival highlights like Tomorrowland, Pukkelpop, and Glitch. But meanwhile, she's quietly working on something bigger. “I'm just working on my next EP, and I’m also working on an album. For which the idea will reveal itself at some point, I'm sure, just like The Syndicate.” 

It’s clear Effy’s best work, like her best stories, unfold naturally, authentically, and often with a touch of spontaneity. We just can't wait until it all clicks again. 

Want to catch Effy live this summer? Check out her artist page on Skiddle to see, and grab a ticket for, her upcoming shows - HERE 

Check out our What's On Guide to discover even more rowdy raves and sweaty gigs taking place over the coming weeks and months. For festivals, lifestyle events and more, head on over to our Things To Do page or be inspired by the event selections on our Inspire Me page.