#6 Elkka
On frozen margarita pie, her local Brazilian butcher, and the joy of eating on tour
I call up Elkka early in the new year, and she’s preparing for a flying stop in Lisbon that night, playing a 4am closing slot at Lux. “I’m emerging back into my DJ life – it’s like a baptism of fire,” she says. “It could be like, I can’t remember how to DJ?!”
As well as her re-entry into clubland, the Cardiff-born, London-based DJ and producer is gearing up to release her debut album this year. “I'm at the weird, nervous stage of… it's done, I’m waiting,” she says. First taste ‘Passionfruit’ came out recently via Ninja Tune – a hypnotic, nine-minute improvisation, it’s a collaboration with jazz piano luminary John Carroll Kirby. And a marked difference from previous EP DJ Friendly, a set of peak-time floor obliterators that tore up festival sets in 2023. It was “my last exhalation of club music for a minute,” she says.
“I was getting it out of my system,” she continues. “I’m touring a lot, and this is what I'm immersed in right now. But then the album takes a slightly different path to that. Because, you know, I love both sides of those worlds: intense club stuff and also the more song-based, softer stuff, too.” Those varying sides were evident in her DJ-Kicks mix from last year, which demonstrated her confident touch on the decks, broaching Chicago house, dub techno, UK bass, disco, electro-punk and more.
I interviewed Elkka back in 2021 when the UK was still semi locked down, and loved talking to her about EP Euphoric Melodies, which touched on missing things we’d previously taken for granted. As our conversation moves onto food, she emphasises that eating is “something to take seriously” – pausing briefly to rescue her cat from a savage-sounding fight outside.
“I'm a huge foodie,” she says. “I joke that I tour to eat rather than to play music. Food says so much about a person, and I think if you’re not passionate about food, art, music, good wine, good… tequila, then I can’t connect with you. And it’s an art in itself, right?! Like, someone putting themselves on a plate, you can feel that.” Below, we chatted about casual NY dining, her love of Mexico City, and why it’s great to have friends that care about eating.
You’re landing in Lisbon too late to eat tonight, I’m guessing, but have you discovered any great food spots while touring?
My wife has a spreadsheet of places – we take it seriously! My most memorable is a dumpling place called Shu Jiao Fu Zhou in New York. New York’s so expensive, but this place was like $8 - $10 for everything. Incredible, incredible dumplings. I live for dumplings. It’s very fast, in and out, you get served within minutes. There’s one peanut butter noodle dish, which... you know when some things just stick with you?
Also, Mexico City has been the most exciting place for me to eat. Like, obviously Mexican food’s incredible. Taqueria Orinoco was amazing. Then there’s a Japanese restaurant called Fideo Gordo, which was the best Japanese I’ve ever had in my life, great decor too. In Mexico City we just couldn’t go wrong, I’ve never had every meal being so good and affordable. I fell in love with that city in general, it’s the coolest place. I went there recently and played Sunday Sunday, the best party I’ve played in forever. It was on a rooftop and the crowd was just so incredibly receptive and warm, ready for you to play anything. That play-anything feeling is quite rare, I think. I’m trying to go towards that more with the gigs I play – it’s the most fun for me as a DJ. But I also went to a Mexican-Chinese fusion place that was incredible, Cantón Mexicali.
Sometimes fusion you wouldn’t expect to work together is the best – there’s a place in London I love which is Italian and Japanese, called Angelina.
As you were talking, I knew you were going to say that! I’ve only been once but I had the best pasta dish of my life there – the waiter said it was going to be the best pasta dish of my life, and it was! I’m almost scared to go back, because I had such a great time. Phenomenal.
Where else do you like to eat in London?
There’s a restaurant down the road from us which we have to have some level of self-control to not go there all the time. It’s a Brazilian butcher – called Goianão Brazilian UK – but they also serve food. Their menu is what the menu is – you turn up, there’s one or two options and that’s it. It’s typically a mixed grill of some kind, farofa, rice, vegetables, chilli sauce, pastel and some beer, and it’s just banging every time. And £10 a plate. Amazing. It’s run by a couple, they’re really lovely, and it’s a nice local business, it just feels very authentic.
Do you cook much at home?
My wife Alex really dominates the kitchen. It’s her therapy and it’s like, if I do it, I’m taking it away from her. She’s an incredible cook and loves to try anything and everything, there’s no predictability to what we eat. When I do cook, my area of expertise is meat and fish, sauces, things like that. There’s this whipped feta with hot honey dip that people love, I’m obsessed with it. I make homemade flatbreads as well. My go-to used to be carbonara but I think I’ve lost my touch with it, which I’m frustrated by. I like doing sweet stuff sometimes as well, like a tequila and lime pie. I have so many foodie friends, so you have to kind of bring it. If you don't you’ll be chastised! But I like that – if they didn't care, that’d be a problem!
Is there anything specific you ask for on your rider?
I ask for healthy snacks and ginger shots – people can be really good about it, if they give a shit. Sometimes you get hummus and some fruit. That can really help, I think. Because, you know, [touring] is just not good for you. It’s in the same way that I try not to drink much when I tour, I try to put good stuff into my body. I’m still learning about this stuff, though – I speak to other DJs about it. I remember Madam X telling me she takes porridge sachets everywhere, just so you have something that isn’t going to make you feel bad. It’s such a physical thing, touring and performing, that it does take a toll on you.◼︎
And finally, here are some of Salt Fat Acid House’s track recommendations to pull you out of the January blues…