“You’d imagine a DJ listens to music 24/7 – whereas I often sit in complete silence for hours”
Landing back in London after a tour down under, Saint Ludo is bringing fresh energy—and maybe a bit of jetlag—as the headliner for this Friday’s Glamcult Selects x NO-GA party at Tilla Tec. Born in California, with a stop in Italy, she’s now based in London, where she crafts her sets with a seamless blend of rap-fueled UK bass, grime, and high-energy tracks that keep the crowd guessing. Between her love for silence (yes, silence!) and off-duty obsessions with hip-hop and movie scores, Saint Ludo’s sets are as unexpected as they are exhilarating. Dive in below as we chat about creative sparks, dream collabs, and what keeps her dancefloor alive.
Hi! How are you?
I’m great but a little delirious. I’ve just landed back in London from my Australia and New Zealand tour but the flight back was over 30 hours….
Damn, didn’t even know flights could actually be that long. You’re from California, via Italy, but UK genres have played a huge role in your sets. Now you’re living in London! Where did your love for UK sounds start? I got a scholarship to study in London for a year when I was in university, that time in London changed my life – I discovered all the sounds that hadn’t really reached Italy yet, from bassline to grime, and became obsessed with these genres that I had never heard before.
What lights up your creative spark these days?
Learning is my main driver of creativity. All my friends know I love a course, I love a guided tour, a workshop or a panel. And it doesn’t have to be about music or more loosely the arts – diving into pockets of culture I find interesting from history to food is usually what ignites that creative spark. Curiosity!
You pull from a range of sounds that can be tied by hard-hitting vocals and UK sounds. Do you like any genres or artists that might surprise others?
The thing people might find ‘surprising’ is the amount of silence I submerge myself into. You’d imagine a DJ listens to music 24/7 – whereas I often sit in complete silence for hours haha!
What do you listen to when you’re off-duty? Does it impact what you bring to the decks?
I’m big on American hip hop, old school Italian rap, a lot of movie scores and instrumentals, grime and drill – but love my pop bits too, I’m just a girl!
In the end, no one can escape being one of the girls. Were there any moments or mentors who really helped you find your path?
Toni Puglisi from Unzip Project, Italian DJ, artist, music entrepreneur and my professor at university. he showed me a career in music was possible and gave me my first job in music working at ROBOT festival in my hometown Bologna.
Go-to track to save a dying dancefloor?
Jamrock Dub by Toasted, from that infamous viral Boiler Room clip.
Wildest rumour you’ve heard about yourself?
There seems to be a widespread misconception that I’m Irish, with a lot of people referring to me as being an Irish DJ, which continues to amaze me and flatter me.
Lol! What’s your guilty pleasure track?
Rain on Me by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande
Dream b2b if you could pick absolutely anyone, dead or alive?
Zack Fox, dead or alive
Where do you see Saint Ludo in a few years? Any dream projects or goals you’re hoping to hit?
My plan is to consolidate Saint Ludo as more than a DJ, I want to put official music out, and I want to tour globally through both music but also my podcast series @theridebackcab, I love interviewing people and don’t want to be one-dimensional, there are too many side quests to complete!!!
So real! Are you manifesting anything for the end of 2024?
Maybe a single out by the end of the year?? Depends on how much sleep I get in the next few days with this damn jet lag… actually lemme go to sleep.
Sleep well Ludo, and see you Friday <3
