Shift K3Y talks ‘Work My Body’ & drops guestmix for We Rave You first Hot & Current: Exclusive

Shift K3Y sat down in the We Rave You hot seat to tell us about his future plans and upcoming releases.

Weekly on Thursdays, We Rave You will deliver a new Hot & Current featuring a prominent artist in electronic dance music. Aside from a special guest mix, you will be able to learn a little bit more about each of these players. Our first guest is Shift K3Y. Lewis Shay Jankel, aka Shift K3Y, is a talented and multifaceted producer and DJ. Hailing from London, his name resonated through the industry in 2014 with the single ‘Touch‘ which climbed to number three on the UK Singles Chart. Since then Shift K3Y has become a sought-after name for those who like to dance and a staple on the release charts. Infectious grooves and heavyweight collaborations reign supreme, something we delved into in the little chat we had with the English prodigy.

Congratulations are in order! Your single ‘Work My Body‘ has just been released on Confession. Tell us a bit about this track and the whole creative process behind it.

With ‘Work My Body’ it was an idea I started the day before a show at Webster Hall (NYC). I always like to have two or three random beats that I make either on the plane or at the hotel. Mainly for my own satisfaction of playing them out that next day. That one came together super quickly and then was signed one month later.

Your pace of releases this year is incredible. Where do you get the inspiration for your music? Do you think the fact that you play multiple instruments has an impact on your creative side?

To be honest, I go through waves of being super inspired to the point of making five or six songs a day and other days just trying to scrape together one decent one. I’ve always listened to many different genres and trained in jazz and classical music. This year has been the shortest time from creating songs to having them signed. Currently, I now need to make some more music as 90% of my own songs are signed. This is definitely a first in my life!

This year you’ve collaborated with Rita Ora, Keleena Zanders, J. Worra and Marten Hørger. What other collaborations do you have up your sleeve?

That would be telling, wouldn’t it? I may or may not have a song with Kelli-Leigh and AC Slater out soon. Stay tuned!

And behind the decks? Who would you want to go B2B with?

A few dream b2b’s would be Dom Dolla, Chris Lake, and Skrillex. They all are huge inspirations to me.

What does 2023 still have in store for you?

I’ve just played before Tchami at the Caverns, in Tennessee. I now have a show back in the UK on the 17th of June. Then I’m back in DC at Echo Stage shortly after that (date TBC) and then playing The Shrine in LA with Dr Fresch. My main musical focus for this year is finishing this album which will be out 100% in January.

Finally, for you, what’s Hot & Current in the scene right now?

Obviously, this 140 sound is very fresh and current and I am playing a lot of different tempos within my set, but to be honest there is always evidence for levels of progression within each genre. I hope and encourage everyone to keep pushing their sound as much as humanly possible. Without inspiration, the sound cannot grow further.

Check out Shift K3Y’s exclusive guestmix for Hot & Current below:

Image Credit: Shift K3Y (Press) / Provided by Red Light Mangement