Interviews

Next up on Marcel Vogel’s vital Lumberjacks In Hell imprint comes the future classic, soulful house groove of ‘Real Love’ by Antipodean producer Jerk Boy, Dutch label head Marcel Vogel and the delightfully inspiring French vocalist Million Miles. On the week of the release, we took a moment to get to know a little more about Aussie artist Jerk Boy. We talk about his home city, his new release, and how he got close with Marcel Vogel.

Thank you for taking the time to talk. Where are you this moment and how are you spending the today?

I'm at home, it's a Friday I'm doing some mundane life admin before I have to pick up my little kids from daycare and then prepare for a gig tonight.

It's winter down here so unfortunately, it's a little cold. Not too cold though… more like an English autumn or summer.

Can you introduce yourself to our readers please?

I’m Adam (Jerk Boy), I enjoy making music, playing music, riding my push bike and spending time with family and friends.

Where are you based currently?

I’m based in Sydney, Australia

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

The beaches, the sun, The food, The people and the exciting new time and rebirth for Sydney’s music scene.

How is the health of the music scene where you are?

It’s really starting to blossom again, Sydney used to have some really strict laws around nightlife but post Covid there has a been a big focus on rebuilding it. Feels like a total renaissance and it’s really starting to bloom! The government is offering loads of financial grants to help venues and promoters stay open and trade to push entertainment in lots of interesting and forward-thinking ways.

Sydney has so much to offer and I’m loving everything that’s happening. This is my hometown and most of the things I’ve experienced and learnt in my career have been here so it’s important to me to see Sydney thrive again for everyone in our local music and hospitality industry and all the future generations to have something vibrant for them to peruse a career.

How is the health of the music scene generally in your opinion?

Really good! There is so many amazing pockets of sub scenes and parties happening all over the city. Because of the lock out laws, its really pushed people to be creative and find alternatives and kind of pushed it underground again!

There was loads of raves happening which is where I grew up from in the 90’s and the nostalgia was and still is really inspiring.

Who are the icons who have inspired the music that you make?

There’s so many! I’m into so many different things. Growing up I came from a hip hop and rave background getting into all forms of house, techno jungle and so on. But at home my parents listened to lots of rock, 80’s new wave, Italian music that is my family’s background. My mum is a bit of an early goth fan and would play The Cure, Smiths, Nick Cave etc to Jimi Hendrix, Chris Rea, Chris Issac, Willy Nelson ,Elton John. My dad is a rock and heavy rock guy so things like Thin Lizzy to Chuck Berry. I was very fortunate to come from a home that really embraced music and art.

How did you come to meet Marcel Vogel and Lumberjacks?

The first time should have been at a La Discotheque event at ADE that we were both booked to play at and unfortunately the party was cancelled. Then a few years later he was out in Australia visiting family and was doing a live DJ stream and geo tagged "Gladesville” where I grew up and most of my family still live.

I saw it and was thinking WTF is this guy doing in my neighbourhood and who gave him permission to do this… so I messaged Marcel and he asked me out on a date. We met at a local café. It was quite sweet. We got on… I’m a fast mover so I immediately asked him to come to my studio. And the rest is history!

Give us an overview of your new release with Marcel?

It’s an uplifting piano driven euphoric soul belter to take you into the night.

How long did it take to come together? Did it flow easily, or did it take some time to perfect?

It took a while to come together. Initially Marcel sent me an idea then I did some time on it few different versions then hit something we both really liked. Then Marcel suggested we reach out to Sophie (Million Miles) and Sophie delivered any amazing vocal.

At first, I was really taken back, because my initial thought was our track isn’t strong enough to carry this monster vocal. But we spent about a year on it, back and forth, also because we are all in such different time zones it was tuff to navigate between everyone’s schedules. But that time was a blessing because it really did give us space to test it out and let it simmer to a place where we all loved everything about it.

Tell us a about any other artists involved in the release. Like Oliver Night

Once the track was finished we started to think about - what are we going to do with it, then it was decided - it was going to go on Marcels - LIH.

What was the plan? We threw around a few remixer ideas and there we a few names and most were down, it just came to who could catch a vibe and it’s not always easy to remix anything, you either catch a vibe on what you’re doing or don’t.. and also working schedules. Oliver Knight was the first person I think Marcel reached out to and he delivered so many versions and every time Marcel would send it to me I was loving them and then a week later another completely different version. I think we got to like 20 or more different remixes and we decided we need to do at least 2 of them, they were all so good!

I did have a thought which I never voiced. Imaging releasing all the remixes like they do with Jamaican riddims, on the Green Sleeves label.. a double 12” album, the same song 20 different remixes from the same artist.. could it be done?

Do you take some time – after you have made a track – to leave it alone for a while to evaluate?

Yes most definitely, most of the things I’ve released were ideas conceived years before they became what they are.

Do you find the feedback of others is important to you in the production process?

Yeah I do. Which is a blessing and curse. But I’m finding more and more now as I get older, that I need to just run with my first gut feeling and trust my own taste, experiences and knowledge. And the last few times I feel have paid off. I’m feeling more confident to believe in my ideas and also follow the energy the universe gives to follow a certain direction.

What are some of the challenges in putting out music currently?

It’s tuff out there…The digital algorithm isn’t really favourable to people that want to spend more time on making music than standing in front of their phone to promote it. I’ve worked for dance music record labels for the last 15 years and I’ve seen the ups and down and how drastically you need to pivot each time and steer a big ship in a completely different direction when there’s a new technological breakthrough or platform.

Having experienced this over and over again, it has just pushed the narrative for me that you need to work on your own eco system and find tools that work for you, whether that be your own label, events, merch, whatever and make a model that fits your story and give people a bit more to buy into than just the music.

I can’t speak for anyone else, but for me it’s paying off more than putting energy into screen time stuff that is a swipe on some one’s device for a few seconds.

What drives you to create music do you think?

Dancing, seeing people dance to what I’ve made and hearing it out loud in a big space. I always pick up something I never really noticed in my music hearing out in a club that I missed in the studio. That’s always a fun exciting thing to hear.

What other artists do you think are making great music right now?

In dance and electronic music so so many it’s hard to keep up! I love what Marcel and Lyma are doing so much soul and real life in the story telling.

I like the M.A.D (make a dance) guys. Super fun eccentric party tunes same with Eden Burns and Ilija Rudman, zero fucks given dance music, I love everything they are making!

The new Eli Escobar and Nomi Ruiz album, Tiger stripes again interesting unpredictable club music with soul along with Luke Alessi it’s a lot of “Damn I wasn’t expecting that!” which is inspiring me to try step out of the box.

What was the last record you purchased?

Thomass Jackson - Here We Go on (Multiculti)

What has been a highlight of the last year for you?

I’ve been able to release some of my best work on labels I’ve been a huge fan of for so long. It’s rewarding to have the guys you’ve admired for so long also believe in your music.

What can we expect next from Jerk Boy?

Loads of new music! A lot of new releases coming from myself and signed artist’s on my label sosilly. A new refurbished sound system which I’m restoring which was the inhouse sound system from one of Australia’s biggest and formidable house music clubs of the 90’s and 2000’s. I watched so many of my idols play unforgettable sets on this system and now I own it. I’ve almost finished restoring it and there will lots of fun parties and events, maybe even some interviews with some greats that played on it back in the day. Stay tuned and watch my eco system ☺

Check out the latest release from Jerk Boy.