A chat with the viral Finley Davies

If you've opened your TikTok in the past few months, you've probably come across him: Finley Davies. The 19-year-old Brit posts tracks from sets of big house DJs and managed to gain a large number of SoundCloud followers. This led to the Englishman becoming a phenomenon on social media and even being reposted by Josh Baker. That's more than enough reason for us to have a chat with him!

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Hey Finley, where does your love for house music come from?

I’ve been listening to house music since I was 16. I’m into minimal / deep tech. I also have a massive interest in becoming a DJ myself.

Who’s your favourite DJ?

I have 2 favourites: East End Dubs & Josh Baker.

How did you come up with the idea of uploading tracks to SoundCloud?

So I started off ripping tracks to help my mates and also for myself. I had no aim of blowing up and making a name for myself until one day I found Josh Baker’s “Bass Up to the Top” months before it got released. It ended up doing 100k+ views on SoundCloud, which was crazy at the time, as this had never happened before. I started doing it more and finding tracks that had been doing the rounds on social media, and my accounts started growing and growing, with DJs starting to notice what I was up to. At first, most DJs weren’t happy about it, but now it’s seen as a way of promoting, and I’ve built multiple connections from what I’ve done.

What do you think of all the memes about you on TikTok?

I think the TikToks are mad. It started when Josh Baker made a TikTok about me with the post saying “Day 47 training to catch Finley Davies.” I was at work at the time, and my phone started blowing up with messages and multiple people tagging me in the TikTok. I thought it was funny as heck as the TikTok completely blew up, and I gained over 5k followers from the post. After JB made this TikTok, everyone started jumping onto it, making TikToks / memes about me and him, which was funny to see as we had a bit of banter going on with a rivalry online. Now, when I go to raves, everyone knows me, people ask for pictures, and I don’t get left alone.

I saw that you met Josh Baker. What did Josh Baker say when you spoke to him?

I met Josh Baker at his You&Me show in Manchester just after Christmas. I was at the front for his set the whole night, and he clocked onto me straight away. Once he had finished his set, he came down to me, and we spoke about it all. He was sound with me, and we had a good laugh. I then got a picture with him, and it completely blew up the internet.

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I also saw that you went to a festival in Amsterdam. What did you find to be the biggest difference between Dutch and British festivals?

Yes, I went to an event called ADE, which was held in Amsterdam last October. I went to Paradise & Metamorfosi, and I realized that there was a mix of ages there, with plenty more older ravers in their 30s and 40s in the mix. It looked like me and my mates were the odd ones out. This is completely different from the UK crowds, as they are full of younger people.

Thanks for your time, Finley!

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