Next up for our Times & Tunes interview is true music head Jeigo. Having interned at Phonica, Rye Wax, Worldwide FM and now working for Juno records, his wax collection spans the sound of London, Detroit, Berlin, Lagos and just about anywhere else that matters. We’ve been huge fans of his first release on air miles and also the second pure gold to our ears. His EP is out on air miles on November 15th and comes along with remixes by Tom VR, Ex-Terrestrial and Urulu. Listen to our premiere of his original tune here:
INTERVIEW
Hey Jack, thanks for joining us today. How have the last months been to you? What’s going on in your life right now?
Hey guys, thanks for having me. Things have been good over the last fews months, just been sorting some future releases, playing a few gigs here and there, as well as holding down my day job, so things have been pretty full on but I have been really enjoying my time working on some new music as well as getting to learn the industry a bit.
We really enjoy your latest releases. Especially the ‚Fluerella’ EP on the air miles imprint, which came out November 15th. Your original on the EP is the name giving track „Fluerella”, followed by remixes from Urulu, Ex-Terrestrial and Tom-VR. How did this flips come about? Are you all friends or just like each others music?
We managed to get such a wicked selection of artists for the remixes and they are all producers myself and the label love and admire so it was amazing to have them put their own twist on “Fluerella”. The Urulu and Ex T remixes just came from us reaching out to them, they were both fans of the original and Urulu’s production is really inspiring to me (especially under his latest Liquid Earth alias) as well as Ex T label Naff, which has had a killer output (highly recommend Piori’s LP) and they both have such different styles that we thought it would be an eclectic package. Tom is one of my best mates, we lived together at university in Leeds and I fully believe his is one of the best producers I know and coming into his full musical stride at the moment, so it just felt natural to get him on board as well.
Your “Fluerella” EP is the second release on the air miles imprint and both releases come from you. One could guess that they really like your music, huh? How did this relationship come together? What is the story behind the label, can you give us a few insights here?
Yeah they have been great and super supportive of my music, which I am so grateful for. We just met online, the guys were big fans of my releases on Valby and got in touch asking if I was sitting on any material. One thing lead to another and we have been good mates since, as well as releasing the two records and me constantly pestering them for feedback. Joe, Harry and Chris all have quite a similar idea for the music they like and wanted to put out and the guys have been heavily involved in the scene for a long time, so I think it felt like a natural progression for them but to be honest they would be much better to ask about it (I still don’t know why its called air miles haha).
You have already released three EP’s and have produced more unreleased records. How did you get into music, producing, and what age have you been when you started? What’s your studio setting?
I started making tunes back when I was revising at school and started heavily procrastinating. I had Logic on my computer and just started playing around with it (although to begin with I was making some truly awful hip hop instrumentals haha, not even the kind which are cool to look back on, just awful stuff). I properly found my way with it though when I got to Leeds for university and I was studying Music Production so I had a lot more time to work on music, as well as for the first time really being exposed to clubs like Wire, Subdub, Cosmic Slop etc where music fully took the focus of the night.
Are you using any hardware or are you solely producing within your DAW? Do have any particular sounds, elements or VST’s that dominate your workflow and the way you produce?
My studio setting is pretty basic, just in my room with a few bits of hardware gear and using my laptop with Logic. I have a few synths and drum machines which I use a lot (Korg Electribe series, Moog DFAM, Quasimidi Rave-Olution, Korg Poly 800) but I tend to use them all in a singular. Way. I hook one up and focus on making rhythms or synth lines for the background drums or textures in my track and then I use the software Machine as a sequencer for my samples and hits. It is definitely not the most efficient or user friendly way to produce but It works for me and I guess that is what matters really. I have a few pre set sounds I have made which usually feature in my productions but usually it can vary a lot. I have one synth patch which is almost this detuned and very melancholic pad which I think you can hear a lot through the air miles and Valby releases but most of the time I work from a basic pre set as a basis and go from there.
We have seen that you work for Juno Records and produce a show at Worldwide FM. Do you enjoy working for a radio station and juno? Would you say working for a radio station/Record Company is affecting your taste and style? Does this broaden your musical horizon?
Yeah I love the roles I do during the week, it took a long time and a lot of internships to get there haha but I work in marketing for Juno Records and co-produce the show International Tribe on Worldwide FM (with Louf) and both positions have had a massive musical impact on me. At Worldwide FM we have the opportunity to book artists we love for an hour long mix, which inevitably has lead to being exposed to huge amounts of music, with such an eclectic range. At Juno the buyers are playing records all day (new release, personal collections etc) so its pretty mad to be able to take in all this music, especially from the guys who run labels like Mana Records, Future Primitive, Whities and have such an diverse taste that it must seep in and influence my production in way.
You’ve already played many shows in iconic clubs around the UK and recently at a festival in Croatia. Can you share your best moments/partys/settings with us? Are there any special targets for next year?
Yeah Ive been lucky to play in some really cool places so far for quite a small artist. I think Croatia this summer for Laguna Mala was a pretty special location and party. It was my first overseas gig and I got to play with my two best mates, Tom and Louis. To make it even more special it was two days held at separate locations. One on this small island over looking the most beautiful ocean and the other on the highest point of Hvar. The whole weekend was just great fun and met some super lovely people as well which just made the whole thing feel quite special now looking back at it. I would love to play out more but hopefully that will come with time and the dream would be to hold down a residency somewhere, as I think I would semi thrive on the opportunity to play for an extended period of time in a place and booth I can really get to know.
In May this year your “An Ode to Midnight” EP made it into Mixmag’s Top 10 list of “top selling House Records” for their industry insiders section, spot number six. How does it feel that your Music is appreciated by true music connoisseurs?
Yeah that was quite a surreal moment, especially for myself and the air miles guys as we didn’t expect it to get such a reaction (well maybe they did but not me). It’s just so nice and humbling to know that people out there are enjoying the music I have made, especially when its a very personal thing to me. It always feels slightly terrifying to put your music out there for judgement but I guess you never know until you try and I am so glad I did.
Your latest releases are a lot more breakbeat influenced compared to your first ones. Can you guide us through your releases and the change you made? Do you have any artists or even tracks that are influencing your current productions and music?
Yeah for sure. I guess the first release on Noble People was me really just starting to get the grips of producing and starting to make the style and sounds which I personally enjoyed at the time(I was big into artist who were using samples as a basis to tracks like the Detroit guys Moodyman, Theo Parish etc). The release on Shadow City was a just a development from that as they were made at similar times. I started understanding and researching the history of the musical scene and the influences which played there part, I think this came across musically with some of the tracks. I think naturally as I was going out more and listening to a larger range of music, I moved away from the disco and sample heavy productions and more towards the more (I dont want to say it but) “intelligent” electronic music. Saying all this though, “An Ode to Midnight” was heavily inspired by the track Its my Life” by Wattz Noise. I think naturally the music I vier towards listening is what ends up influencing my productions but I don’t really see myself focusing on one “genre” and just kind of go with what I am feeling at the time.
Your music is very harmonic. You combine breaks, a great variety of soundscapes and smooth melodies with ease. Perfect conditions for a set in the early morning we would say. Good vibes and yet a lot of energy. If you could choose a slot for a DJ Set between midnight and noon, which one would it be?
I think it would have to be midnight. Although my productions and release are quite harmonic and melancholic, I play a lot tougher and faster. I feel a lot of the time in the club for me its about building an energy and this usually for me comes from playing heavier and more rhythmic focused tracks. Although saying that you can still do that a noon just depends on the crowd haha. I guess I have two sides to it really, the high energy records I buy and the more mellow and harmonic music I make.
Thanks for joining us for this little interview today. To round things up, is there anything interesting coming up towards the near future? Do you have more promising releases lined up? Is there anything else you want to add?
Thanks for having me :). I have an upcoming track on Roger Gerressen’s Irenic label which is very different to my other stuff (more minimal focus) and then I am sitting on lots of unreleased material I am currently trying to get out but apart from that not much actually. Maybe setting up a label in the future but thats something I will need to find some proper time for haha.