Suiting up
with Saji Abude
Though he recently relocated to Los Angeles, Saji Abude sees his NYC upbringing as inspiration for his creative pursuits, including chain stitch embroidery, tech design and collecting vinyl (he’s also a DJ on the side). He took us to the Upper West Side to show us around his old neighborhood.
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This is how I used to spend weekends—going to Zabar’s for bagels, Westsider Records to shop, then linking up with friends in Riverside Park.
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“The Upper West Side has always been so special. I think Riverside Park and Central Park are some of the best things aside from the eclectic people and families. There are amazing museums and schools, and in the late ’90s when I was growing up, that attracted a great mix of people.”
“I grew up playing violin, so my first exposure to music was classical. I loved jazz and bluegrass, and got introduced to R&B and hip-hop in high school. All of this informs my DJ sets now—I like to have them be all over the place and really diverse.”
Q+A
with Saji
How did you get into records?
SA: In high school, I found my mom’s old records—some classical, jazz and funk—and began collecting my own. At that time, 72nd Street was the meeting point for everyone from different schools, and that’s when I came across Westsider Records.
Tell us about an album that’s influenced you.
SA: A life-changing record for me, and I’m not even sure where I found it, was Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. I would play that record over and over again as an angsty teenager—whenever I was feeling melancholy I’d put that on and lie in bed. It was a really important record for me.
You’re a real multi-hyphenate—what’s your background like?
SA: I went to a high school in the West Village that encouraged being hands-on, so I interned at a production facility in Brooklyn. They had a few chain-stitching machines which really drew me in and became the basis of my sewing and embroidery education. After that, I went to film school. When I left, I got back into embroidery and design through a course in patternmaking. Now, day to day I’m focused on tech and concept design in menswear and womenswear.
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House music has really grown on me as I’ve DJ’d more and learned about the roots of the Black techno movement in Detroit. I also still listen to classical, especially Rachmaninoff. His approach of having piano and strings in conversation with each other applies to everything I try to do creatively—seeing everything at the same level, in dialogue, rather than as a hierarchy.
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Saji’s Top 5
KeiyaA
FOREVER, YA GIRL
2020
“One of my favorites. A masterpiece. I learn and love new parts of this LP every time I’m blessed with hearing it. From the familiar yet unprecedented production to the lavish vocals, this is everything I look for in an album.”
“One of my favorites. A masterpiece. I learn and love new parts of this LP every time I’m blessed with hearing it. From the familiar yet unprecedented production to the lavish vocals, this is everything I look for in an album.”
Nas
ILLMATIC
1994
“I grew up on this one. Lyrical wunderkind. New York classic from a Queens legend.”
“I grew up on this one. Lyrical wunderkind. New York classic from a Queens legend.”
Dean Blunt
STONE ISLAND
2013
“Total sonic journey. This project is cinematic, climactic
and heartwarming.
It transcends genre and time.”
“Total sonic journey. This project is cinematic, climactic and heartwarming. It transcends genre and time.”
Laraaji
Vision Songs, Vol. 1
1984
“Uplifts and inspires. It’s one of those records that I will never get tired of and can always find hope in.”
“Uplifts and inspires. It’s one of those records that I will never get tired of and can always find hope in.”
Alice Coltrane & Carlos Santana
Illuminations
1974
“Fell in love with this one as soon as I heard it. As theatrical as it is spiritual, it paints vivid landscapes filled with redemption and solace.”
“Fell in love with this one as soon as I heard it. As theatrical as it is spiritual, it paints vivid landscapes filled with redemption and solace.”
Saji’s Top 5
1
KeiyaA
FOREVER, YA GIRL
2020
“One of my favorites. A masterpiece. I learn and love new parts of this LP every time I’m blessed with hearing it. From the familiar yet unprecedented production to the lavish vocals, this is everything I look for in an album.”
“One of my favorites. A masterpiece. I learn and love new parts of this LP every time I’m blessed with hearing it. From the familiar yet unprecedented production to the lavish vocals, this is everything I look for in an album.”
Nas
ILLMATIC
1994
“I grew up on this one. Lyrical wunderkind. New York classic from a Queens legend.”
2
“I grew up on this one. Lyrical wunderkind. New York classic from a Queens legend.”
3
Dean Blunt
STONE ISLAND
2013
“Total sonic journey. This project is cinematic, climactic and heartwarming. It transcends genre and time.”
Laraaji
Vision Songs, Vol. 1
1984
“Uplifts and inspires. It’s one of those records that I will never get tired of and can always find hope in.”
4
“Uplifts and inspires. It’s one of those records that I will never get tired of and can always find hope in.”
5
Alice Coltrane & Carlos Santana
Illuminations
1974
“Fell in love with this one as soon as I heard it. As theatrical as it is spiritual, it paints vivid landscapes filled with redemption and solace.”
“Fell in love with this one as soon as I heard it. As theatrical as it is spiritual, it paints vivid landscapes filled with redemption and solace.”
Follow @sajiabude
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