Interviews

Young DJs come and go, but with a pedigree like Jasper James, this Glasgow born and bred DJ and producer he is most definitely here to stay. Schooled by a youth spent at the legendary Subculture, his efforts have pricked up the ears of some international greats. Jasper James releases this week on the mighty Chiwax and is playing this weekend in Amsterdam with Tom Trago. One to watch without a shadow of a doubt, we get the chance to talk beside the chimney with Jasper James.

Thanks for taking the time to talk. Where are you this moment and how are you spending the day after this?

Cheers for having me. I'm back in Glasgow just now — the sun's out for once, so I'm thinking beer garden while it lasts.

Where are you from originally, and where are you based now?

Born and bred in Glasgow. I've spent bits of time living in London, Ibiza, and the US, but I always find myself coming back home.

What is it you love most about the city in which you live?

Definitely the people. When I'm on the road, I’m always reminded that not everywhere has the same kind of warmth or sense of humour. I’ll be cracking jokes with strangers, and they’ll look at me like I’ve lost the plot — but back home, that’s just how folk are.

For a small city, Glasgow’s got loads going on — proper nightlife, good food, amazing green spaces. And hands down, it’s got the best Indian food. When I was a kid, my dad asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I told him I wanted to be a chef at the Wee Curry Shop in Garnethill. If this DJ thing goes belly up, maybe I’ve still got a shot.

It would be difficult to talk to you without asking how much of an influence the Sub Club has been on your musically?

Massive. I was going to Subculture every Saturday without fail. Harri & Domenic have held that down for over 30 years and watching how they controlled a room taught me what it really means to be a DJ. I’ve had some of my best nights ever at that club — Moodymann, DJ Funk, Carl Craig, Roy Ayers, Ghostface Killah, Skinnyman… so many legends. And of course, the residents are still some of the best to ever do it.

And your dad has probably been your biggest mentor or have you followed your own path with your taste in sound?

We’ve definitely got similar taste — there’s a lot of crossover. But our approach is a bit different. He’s more about digging forward, always chasing new sounds, new producers, fresh records. He’s got this radar for things that are just bubbling under, always a step ahead.

I’m usually on a buzz with older stuff. I love finding tunes that are new to me, even if they came out 10, 20 years ago. There’s something about discovering a track that’s been hiding in plain sight — maybe it didn’t get much attention at the time, or just never made it across the pond — and giving it a second life in a set. I’m always deep-diving through old labels, Discogs rabbit holes, forgotten B-sides.

So between us, I’d say he’s digging for the future, and I’m raiding the past. But it works — we’re always swapping tunes and putting each other onto stuff we might’ve missed.

How long have you been playing around with records yourself?

I was about 10 when I first started messing around with records. I’d sit for hours trying to beat match two copies of the same tune — just to figure out how it all worked. Didn’t have a clue what I was doing at the time, but I was totally hooked. That’s really where it all kicked off for me. Just pure trial and error, but I loved it.

What are some of the early records you bought?

One of my first records was actually a gift from Domenic Cappello — Mos Def’s "Ms. Phat Booty 2.” I was obsessed with hip hop growing up, so getting that from someone like Dom felt pretty big time. I absolutely rinsed it.

The first dance 12” I bought myself was “Hey Boy Hey Girl” by the Chemical Brothers. Picked it up from Fopp on Byres Road — classic spot. But before that, I was lucky to have access to my dad’s record collection, which was basically like having a private record shop at home.

He’s got a serious stash — all sorts of Chicago and Detroit stuff, loads of classic house and techno, plus some proper curveballs. It was all catalogued too — shelves full of Dance Mania, Trax, Peacefrog, Relief, Prescription… labels I’d only later realise were proper gold. I’d spend hours digging through it, pulling out sleeves that looked interesting, trying to figure out how the hell to mix two tracks together. There were records from Jeff Mills, Ron Trent — and some unlabelled white labels I’m still not sure about.

I don’t think he minded too much. He was probably just buzzing I was into the music — even if I did butcher a few beat-matches along the way.

When did you start to DJ? Where were your first gigs?

I used to play every Saturday at Bier Halle in Glasgow with my mate Josh Barr. It’s owned by his dad, Colin Barr — a bit of a local legend. We’d get free beers, pizza, and £30. After that, we’d try to get into Sub Club but usually ended up too steaming from all the free Fustenburg. I’d pull the old “my da’s DJing tonight” card to try and get in. First gig outside Glasgow was in Bucharest. I didn’t even know how to check in for a flight — I’d only ever been on family holidays.

How did you step over into production?

Honestly, I’ve never been super confident with production. I’ve always thought of myself as a DJ first. These days, you’ve got to do both — which I don’t necessarily agree with — but it is what it is. Over the years I’ve worked hard to get to a point where I’m making stuff I’d actually play out. Moving away from just working in the box helped a lot. I was spending too much time trying to reverse engineer a dusty, raw sound with plugins and EQs, and not enough time actually enjoying making music. Now I’ve got a few machines and just let things flow more naturally.

What was the first record you made? How did it do?

The first record I made came out on Optimo Trax in 2015. I put it together in Ableton while I was meant to be studying up in Dundee. Truthfully, I wasn’t into the course at all — barely showed up to lectures, couldn’t get into the work, just wasn’t feeling it. Most days I’d be holed up in the flat, getting stoned and messing about trying to make tunes. I had no clue what I was doing, really — just clicking around, layering loops, sampling bits from old records — but I was hooked on the process.

Looking back, I probably learned more through those long, fried sessions in my room than I ever did in class.

In the end, I failed the course completely — didn’t even make it to the end of the year. But around the same time, I sent a few of the tracks off to JD Twitch and he got back saying he wanted to put one out on Optimo Trax. That moment meant everything. For something that started as me avoiding uni work, it turned out to be the best outcome I could’ve asked for.

Who are the artists that inspire the music that you’re putting out?

Mr G, Carl Craig, Drexciya, Basic Channel, Gemini, DJ Deeon, Theo Parrish, K-Hand, Glenn Underground, Boo Williams, Pépé Bradock, Robert Hood, Cajmere, Moodymann, Paul Johnson, UR, Ron Trent… the list could go on forever.

How did you hook up with Chiwax?

I had a few red wines one night and thought, fuck it, I’ll send some tracks over to Robert Drewek who runs the label.

Didn’t really think I’d hear anything back, just fired them off and went to bed. Woke up the next morning with a sore head and a message from him saying he wanted to sign all eight. Thought I was still half-cut reading it. Was buzzing though — didn’t expect it at all. Just goes to show, sometimes a drunken punt actually pays off.

Talk us through the new EP a bit?

The A1 track, “No Metronome,” was one of those total flukes that just worked. I was messing about on the MPC 2000XL and accidentally hit something on the swing setting — suddenly the bassline was off-kilter, kind of lopsided, but it had a vibe. I didn’t really know what I’d done, but it sounded cool so I just rolled with it. That whole track stayed in the MPC — no computer stuff, just raw. The rest of the EP came together with my TR-909, a bunch of samples, a Korg MS2000, a Roland SH-101… and a four-pack of Tennent’s.

Tell us one of your highlights over the last year?

Definitely releasing on Chiwax.

What have you got going on gig wise?

This weekend I’m in Barcelona and Bologna. Next weekend I’ve got two shows in Holland — Amsterdam at Radio Radio with Tom Trago, and then the Crave Festival afters at Pip Den Haag. Never played either venue before but heard great things. Then it’s full steam into summer.

What can we hope to see next from you Jasper?

More music — lots of it.

Check out the latest release from Jasper James.