| Release Date: | 2004-08-18 |
By turningintoyou
Originally from In The Mix
Since beginning as a young DJ over 13 years ago, Jumping Jack has taken over the Sydney dance scene. Responsible for helping to create and maintain the unique mix of trance and hard house that Sydney has become famous for, Jumping Jack hasn't stopped, having headlined huge events such as Two Tribes, and earning residencies at all of Sydney's major clubs.
Having just released his latest mix CD, "The Art of Trance", and now holding the title of runner up in the UKTR global mix competition, I caught up with the man himself to reflect on some of the monumental moments in his career and discuss his plans to further excel himself in the field of trance music.
Since you emerged on the electronic music scene back in 1991 you've followed the changes and trends, seen DJs come and go and watched the rave scene turn from clubs to the underground. Where do you see the future of the Sydney electronic music scene heading?
I think some of the bigger clubs like Home will be more popular than ever. I think there will only be a hand full of events outside the clubs throughout the year which will do any good, and some, will do exceptionally well. I think some of the rave events will struggle in terms of numbers. The scene to me is growing but punters are more clued up these days and they'll be very picky on where they go out. I think the Australian scene is about to kick off on the production side of things. There seems to be a lot of young talent producing music these days.
You've been at the foreground of Sydney's dance scene for over 13 years now, so obviously your passion for electronic music is still as strong as ever. How did your love of trance begin?
Back in the early 90's when I was frequenting some of the Horden events I would sit in the back rows and listen to tunes like Pacific State 808 and there would be this delay from sitting so far back, kind of like an echo effect and it would sound so good. Real journey material. Ever since then I've always loved and played trance.
After being a resident at major clubs such as Ice Box, Sublime and Zoom as well as playing at basically every major event to hit our shores, what do you think your continuing success is based on?
I believe I try to play tomorrows sound today. Always playing with new material and having the balls to try it out, even if I'm the only DJ on a line up playing a completely different sound. And I go to a lot of effort in chasing good tunes from around the globe. Playing new music is what gets me excited.
In June this year you won yourself a guest spot on United Kingdom Trance Radio's weekly show after winning a position as runner up in the UKTR global mix competition. What do you think gives you that extra edge over other DJs out there?
Don't really know, I haven't heard any other mix from the comp so I can't really say. Could of been the fact that I waited for the last minute and sent in a mix full of demos. I was stoked to get the position. Meno De Jong was the winner and he's a very good Dutch producer.
You've played big events such as Strawberry Fields, Two Tribes and Aztec alongside some of the worlds best DJs. How do you think the Australian scene holds up against all that international talent?
I think Australia has some of the best DJs in the world (technically). Where Australia is lacking is in the production side of things. Most of the internationals have a lot of production under there belts. In Australia we don't have many programmers/engineers to write for the DJs. Most international DJs, not all, have engineers to write for them. Mixing wise, Australia is right up there with the best I believe.
You've just released your latest mix CD "The Art of Trance" on which you feature awesome tunes such as Underworld's "Born Slippy" and Blank & Jones' "A Forest". What's your decision based around when you are selecting tracks to mix on a CD as apposed to during a live set?
I try to program the CD as if I were playing a live set. I try and obtain as much new material as well as a few more classic tunes that I have been known to play. The 2 discs differ in styles. Disc 1 is more of an uplifting style but still has the energy and disc 2 is the darker side of my trance. There's some pretty big tunes on this CD like Tiesto's "Traffic" and GTR's "Mistral". We also tend to cram in as many tunes as possible.
Despite being an incredible DJ in your own right, you've remixed tracks for Australian and International artists such as Nik Fish and Subsonic. You're also heavily involved in production with your own studio now set up and running. How does producing weigh up against performing live for you?
I'm at a phase now in my career where I'm so inspired to write music. My studio is at the final stages of completion and I've hooked up with several people to produce. I'm writing with another well known DJ starting this week and I've hooked up with some incredible musicians who are keen to write. I'm very excited. It's completely different to DJing. Producing ain't as much fun but the results can be rewarding.
You are a veteran to the Sydney dance scene and have definitely earned yourself the title of a forefather of the unique sound of Trance and House that has become Sydney's signature electronic sound. How do you feel about the up and coming talent that Sydney has to offer the next wave of pioneers?
You make me sound like an old bag! I've heard a lot of the younger DJs play and some of them are exceptional. Some of them are writing music too which will give them an edge.
What's your favourite track at the moment that we can expect to hear on the floor of the major clubs?
I really like Slip Friction "Crazy". It's a promo that GTR gave me written by Cern. It's a cutting edge tune. I also like "In Silence" by Randy Katana which has been ripping up the dance floors. And a "Born Slippy" bootleg I have.
I remember seeing you at Sublime for the first time two years ago and being blown away by the overall energy of your set. What do you think creates the ultimate club experience?
I think the club plays a major factor. Lighting, sound and overall feel of the club. Crowd numbers are an important factor. I think the more people there are in a club, the more it tends to go off. Of course the music is probably the most important element but I think a combination of all the above makes for a top experience and that's something that only a few clubs have, like Sublime.
What can anybody who is yet to catch one of your live sets expect to see?
They'll hear a lot of new unreleased material mixed in such a way that ends up taking them on a journey. A lot of my style is what is happening overseas at the moment. I'll probably jump around a bit on some of the tunes too.
There's no doubt that you must have had some great experiences playing festivals and touring with Ultrasonic on their Australian tour. What do you think the highlight of your career has been so far?
Don't know if I have just one highlight. Too many big events to name would be up there like playing Bondi Beach facing the sand with thousands of punters going off on a hot summers day. Or playing OS in South Korea or Germany. I think winning runner up in a world wide comp has got to be one of them. Playing after Blank & Jones on DI.FM with listeners from all over the world like Canada, Estonia, Germany giving me 97% is up there.
It seems as though you have done just about everything in terms of performing, producing and releasing albums. What's next on the agenda for you?
I'd really like to do more overseas gigs like Ibizia and Holland. I'm going to work hard in the studio so I can achieve that. You really need your own tunes for recognition overseas. I'm also going to release another CD towards the end of the year which will have a lot of cutting edge tunes. My goal here is to push the trance sound as much as possible too. I'm wanting to start a weekly radio show dedicated to trance and working on starting a weekly club night. I'm also wanting to get my website up and running to give punters updates on all I do and also have a few exclusive mixes to download and info on some of the tunes I have been receiving directly off artists such as Gareth Emery (GTR) and Scott Bond and so on.
After 13 years in the dance scene do you ever contemplate packing up your decks and retiring?
Never. I am more inspired now than ever. The music for me has come full circle. It's that good at the moment. I feel like I'm starting all over again. About 18 months ago I contemplated it because the music was so shit. But that didn't last too long.