Enfnts Terribles

It’s the most asked question ever, but how are you?

I’m doing great because it’s the first busy month since Covid. I feel that my body has to get used to being busy again. I’m playing every weekend, do my own management, planned my first release, have a show on Studio Brussels (editor’s note: a radio station in Belgium), shooting, etc. It’s a lot, but I can’t complain about it. I often say that it’s super busy, but I love that.

Have these months of lockdown influenced your perspective on music? How have you experienced online interactions compared to real-life connections?

I noticed that the music that came out at the beginning of Covid still feels new to people. For me, these songs already feel old, but that’s not the case for the majority of the crowd. I really have to get used to that and need to remind myself that the crowd probably hasn’t danced to that track before. I also listened to different music during the lockdown and really started to look for music that makes me happy. I’m happy and busy now.

You can now add “artist” to your CV. Was that something you wanted to do for a long time? What made you drop your own music now?

I wasn’t afraid to release music even though I felt that there was some kind of expectation of people. I had to let that go. Many other DJs told me that they had the same feeling when they started out. People also expect something great when you’re already around for some time, but I managed to let go of these feelings during Covid.

I didn’t have bookings, and I didn’t stumble across the people that told me these things. I was in my own bubble and realized that I can have fun. During that time, I found love and passion for making music, so I tried to forget what other people think to focus on what I liked. That’s maybe why it was released now. I had that time of reflection. I’m actually not a very secure person, but you need to have a certain type of courage to share your music with the world. That grew during Covid so that’s a good thing.

Do you approach putting together your DJ set in a similar way compared to starting a song?

It’s very different. Many people think it makes sense that DJs start making music after a couple of years, but it’s something completely different. You’re not specifically a good producer when you’re a DJ. I had to realize that I should try it but didn’t need to continue if it turned out not to be my thing. Music is very intuitive.

I’m a very organized person because it calms me, so I always said I need to work a nine-to-five job instead of being independent. But look, here we are. I had to let that go to make music. It’s almost impossible to be super structured in music. I could start my day with the idea of making a drill song but already ended up with something that’s the exact opposite three minutes later. You really need to go with the flow.

Your first singles “Baby Got Juice” and “What U Gonna Do” are very club-oriented. Is there a genre you want to dive into that people wouldn’t necessarily associate with Black Mamba?

I already have it with these two songs a little bit. I started out as a hip-hop DJ and started to incorporate more genres into my DJ sets. There are so many things I still want to create. All the songs I play in my sets are the kind of songs I want to make myself in the future. It may work, but it can’t work out as well. There are so many genres in my sets that I wouldn’t describe myself as a drill DJ, so I’m not only going to make a drill. To be honest, I try not to think too much about genres and just bring different elements together that are a cohesion of some influences. That’s what makes it fun.

Do you think you’ve already achieved everything you can in Belgium, or do you still have some goals here?

That’s something personal. There are DJs that play at the same festivals every summer, but I think it’s in my nature that I’m quickly over something and start to look for something new instead. I couldn’t repeat everything in the same five years. The thing I love about being a DJ is that it gets me to so many new places with new people. I haven’t done a lot in Brussels so far and believe that there are many cool places I haven’t played at yet. I love to be surprised, and I’m always curious to discover new concepts.

Blck Mamba’s first two singles are available on all platforms.

Photography by Treize Studios
Creative direction and styling by Selene Alexa
Makeup and hair by Lora Van Pee
Interview and production by Maxim Meyer-Horn
Special thanks to Beursschouwburg