LESKY - 10 Questions
LESKY: Leipzig born, Tbilisi based, and a big fan of getting lost—whether it's in the streets of a foreign city or in the groove of a bassline that’s a little off. He’s got a soft spot for vinyl crackle, Fender Rhodes, and drums that smack hard enough to wake the neighbors. His music is as timeless as his obsession with luxury watches (even if lofi hasn't quite paid for a Rolex yet).
When he’s not pretending to understand Georgian, he's trying to beat AI music at its own game (spoiler: it’s harder than it sounds). A self-taught keyboard warrior who once rocked the John Travolta finger move in front of 4000 people, LESKY has 120 million streams to his name, but still feels like he’s just warming up.
He’s a Hemingway and Camus fan, but mostly for the angst, and while he can’t drink more than one cup of coffee a day without losing his mind, he can definitely finish a bottle of Georgian wine without blinking.
LESKY sat down with Wordplay Magazine to answer our infamous 10 Questions:
1. So tell me, how did it all begin? What sparked your love for music?
Rap! Like most producers, I completely fell in love with hip-hop in my early teens. Kind of a weird story: I was a gamer kid, and German-Turkish rapper Kool Savas did an interview in a gaming mag. I liked his persona, checked out his music, and was hooked. I became a (rather average) MC myself, then discovered the production side through Ryan Leslie’s old YouTube videos and behind-the-scenes sessions. That got me into casual piano lessons just to fuel my own ideas.
Over time, my sound shifted toward jazz and boom bap - sample-heavy loops inspired by Dilla and The Low End Theory. The YouTube and early SoundCloud communities picked it up.
I worked at German OG beat label Melting Pot Music for two years and released a ton of projects with them ever since (and a ton of other dope labels with a ton of great instrumentalists, producers and vocalists) and here I am.
2. Who are some artists that influence you and that you want to work with in the future?
Kiefer, Kofi Stone, Loyle Carner, Kaytranada, Enny, Anderson .Paak, Isaiah Rashad. It’d be an honour to build something with any of them.
3. What projects do you have coming up and can you give us any info on them?
I linked up with fellow producer and multi-instrumentalist Hans Hu$tle in autumn 2024 for a bunch of sessions - and a lot of culinary adventures - during his trip through the Caucasus. Between dusty samples and my favourite Georgian restaurants, we cooked up an eclectic EP for Melting Pot Music, dropping this summer. One of the tracks is even built around a piano improv he played on an ancient Petrof upright - I recorded it on my iPhone and it became the backbone. Expect delicious beats and treats.
I’ve also been branching out genre-wise under a new alias: Moedani. It’s a more club-oriented project that blends deep house and a bit of jazz with a fashion-informed visual identity. Think Dilla ghost-producing garage for a Jacquemus runway. I just wrapped an EP and I’m currently shopping it to a few labels I’ve long admired - most of them based in the UK. You guys have some of the best taste in the game, honestly.
4. How would you describe your sound?
Smacking drums that wake the neighbours, Fender Rhodes, dusty vinyl crackle, a bassline that’s just a little off, and blooming low-end for your car stereo. Thedevil’s in the detail.
5. What's your proudest moment to date so far as an artist?
Holding my first vinyl LP Meraki on MPM back in 2021. I made it with so many friends - Phlocalyst, FloFilz, Turt from Summers Sons. I mixed it myself and passed it to OG Roe Beardie for mastering. The artwork was done by my longtime friend Whitegauna from Berlin. Seeing my face on the back cover made it feel real.
It dropped right after I moved to Tbilisi, Georgia - when I could finally live off music and had just gotten engaged. I even had “LESKY” tattooed in the Georgian alphabet above my ribs to mark that moment.
6. Do you have any advice for our readers who may be trying to play the mad game of music?
Use the tools at your disposal. The goal is the goal - just make great music, no matter how. Oil the gears: build a workflow that makes you efficient and unstoppable. Reference tracks, but don’t overthink. Finish, release, and log off.
It’s not up to you to decide what’s great - let the people who find your music do that.
7. Are there any artists on your radar right now that we should check out?
Definitely. Check out Michi - feminine SoCal R&B with a Stones Throw and Knxwledge co-sign. Glimlip is bridging jazztronica and lo-fi beats beautifully.
Pale Jay combines Motown soul with Dilla drums and a trademark falsetto.
Enny is my favourite voice and perspective in UK rap right now, and Amaria feels like the spiritual successor to Erykah.
Two wildcards from Georgia where I live: Tamada and Kordz. Both are putting their own spin on electronic music rooted in a totally underrepresented culture at the edge of Europe.
And of course: the whole Melting Pot Music roster. From beat warriors to London-bred jazz rap and soul, it's a 20+ year archive of good taste - most of it on vinyl.
8. What albums are on heavy rotation on your Spotify playlist currently?
Michi’s Dirty Talk, Antonio Carlos Jobim’s Wave, and Channel Tres’ self-titled EP. I was even in the top 0.001% of Jobim listeners last year. That album is probably my all-time favourite.
9. What do you like to do when you're not making music?
I’ve been doing side quests lately. My wife kept talking about Henry Cavill’s physique, so I decided to compete with Superman, literally. I’ve been deep in the gym for a year - powerlifting, meal prepping, tracking 200g of protein a day.
Just like music, it’s a never-ending journey. Even if someone thinks you’re Hercules, there’s always someone stronger. It’s a whole new community and a solid counterbalance to the more cerebral side of music-making. I also love chasing PRs - it’s addictive.
When I want to switch off, I dive into YouTube. Lately I’ve been obsessed with Bliss Foster’s runway breakdowns and Margiela deep dives. You might know him for the split-toe “Tabi” shoes, but Margiela was really about celebrating imperfection - something fashion didn’t champion much at the time.
10. Name three things you can't live without when in the studio?
Sunlight, my MacBook with Ableton Live, and my mate Harry (Waywell) on guitar or bass. After three full albums, a joint vinyl on MPM, and countless EPs and singles, he’s basically part of the furniture.