Out The Box: Tina Edwards

We’re jumping back to ‘Out The Box’ with more interesting chatter from a fellow music head about what they get up to when not fully immersed in the crazy world of music!

This time we welcome music journalist, broadcaster and DJ Tina Edwards. Whether playing for Boiler Room or Worldwide FM, Tina perfectly joins the dots between jazz & club culture with her appearances at some of the finest festivals in the UK and abroad. And…as if that wasn’t enough, she works as a broadcaster, presenting radio shows for British Airways, Jazz FM & BBC Radio 3.

We caught up with her to get the lowdown on a few things we should check out…

Any books/publications you have recently read?

I’m a big reader. I’m slowly working my way through Temperament by Stuart Isacoff. At the moment, though, I’m favouring magazines over books; my go-to’s are WIRED, WeJazz – a Finnish magazine focusing on Jazz, and Monocle; its take on culture and politics is so refreshing; you really get stories from all angles without bias. And I’m a sucker for the ridiculous puns in the headlines. It’s my cup of tea.

Are there any films watched you’d like to share with our audience?
I love a good film, but recently, I’ve been at gigs and the theatre way more, mostly small productions and comedies. I’m a big fan of comedy improv and see at least a couple of shows a month. I saw a friend perform in Paradise Now at The Bush Theatre, which stayed with me for days. An amazing show! Gig-wise, I love to see what’s on at 91 Living Room, GROW Hackney and Barbican.

How about places to eat?
My favourite place to eat out is Camberwell, South London. There’s some low-key restaurants with big ideas and flavours; there’s a humble little spot called Falafel and Shawarma, which will make the most delicious and perfect wraps you can imagine! I spent a day in lockdown trying to recreate them. My absolute favourite restaurant is Farm Yard in St Leonards on Sea.

Places to visit/go on walks?
I live in Croydon, so I’m fairly close to some beauty spots like Box Hill and Farthing Downs; those are gorgeous places to walk and get lost in. I often go to Wellcome Collection and The Tate; creative people do a lot of “output”, so I look at creatively stimulating days out as “input”.

Ways to spend a Sunday?
I’m a bit off kilter; as a DJ, I make my weekend Sunday-Monday, so a Sunday feels like a Saturday to me, whereas on a Monday, I usually have a chilled one. Providing I haven’t gotten in at 4 am from DJing the night before – I start my Sundays with a UK Jazz dance class hosted by an incredible Japanese dancer, Masumi Endo. Then I’ll stay in town for a gig or a comedy show with my mates in the evening.

Catch Tina Edwards DJing at her jazz dance ‘Love Is Everywhere’ with special guest Rebecca Vasmant on 17 March in London.

Gig Tickets, Mixcloud, Tina-on-the-Web