We caught up with Mha Iri to discuss her debut release on Patrick Topping’s Trick label, her creative process and much more.
Scotland-based DJ and producer Mha Iri is undoubtedly a rising force within the techno circuit, having been heralded as the top-selling female artist in Hard Techno on Beatport in 2023, consistently dominating the Top 10 charts with her releases on labels like Drumcode and Filth On Acid, and appearances scheduled at Awakenings, Junction 2, and many more.
Read about what Mha Iri says about her debut release on Patrick Topping’s Trick label, ‘Take My Love’, her creative process, and much more.
Hi Mha Iri! Thanks for joining us today. How has your 2024 been so far?
Thanks for having me. It’s been a great year so far. This is going to be my biggest year to date event wise with some amazing festivals and club shows already ticked off and upcoming.
Tell us about your journey; what got you to where you are today?
I started presenting an underground radio show in Australia and learned to DJ so if the guest DJs didn’t make it for the show I could take their place. From there my love of djing and production grew into a career when I started getting booked and then inevitably learned to produce music.
You were born and raised in Scotland; what was the dance music scene like growing up there?
It was really good growing up, I attended a lot of illegal raves as a teenager and that’s where my love of techno came from. I also attended some awesome nightclubs in Edinburgh such as Cabaret Voltaire, The Caves and Studio 24 which were all pushing that sound.
Talk us through your latest EP ‘Take My Love’ on Patrick Topping’s Trick imprint – how did this one come together?
I wrote ‘Take My Love’ about 6 years ago and I wasn’t happy with how it turned out but I loved the vocals that I did so I decided to rework it last year and ended up loving it. Although it’s quite different to my usual sound so I decided to do a hard version that I could play at gigs as well.
What was your creative process in the studio? Were there any key plugins or gear used?
My creative process varies from track to track, sometimes I might have a melody or vocal in my head that I want to get into the project and base a track around. Other time when I don’t have a specific idea in mind I’ll just play around and see what happens usually listening to other melody samples on splice and converting audio to midi then manipulating and reordering that until something comes up that has potential. I always use serum nowadays and diva-uhe is still a go to for me and has been for years.
You’ve played for some huge audiences in the past. Do you prefer performing in large spaces with big crowds or small, intimate venues? Does your approach differ between the two?
Both can be equally special and I don’t have a preference. It really depends on the vibe of the audience, the atmosphere and how I’m feeling at the time. My approach is the same, it’s always about giving the crowd the best experience that I can and having fun.
Last year you were heralded as the top-selling female artist in Hard Techno on Beatport, congratulations! What are your goals for 2024?
I don’t have any specific goal in mind, I just want to keep growing as an artist and staying true to myself whilst exploring my creativity.
Lastly, what plans have you got coming up for the Summer and beyond?
I have a number of amazing festivals such as Awakenings and Tommorowland so I’m really excited for that and beyond that I also have an exciting project that I’m working on which should launch at the end of the year but I can’t say more than that for now.
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