For most people, a little summer lovin' lasts two to three months, tops. Wales-born, East London-based DJ/producer Jamie Jones, however, began feeling the seasonal love last year in March, at Winter Music Conference. It was then when his track "Summertime" (featuring Ost and Kjex) was quickly declared the deep tune of the convention and was repeatedly dropped to seemingly unequivocal enthusiasm in clubs throughout Miami.
He rode the momentum of that blissed-out choon through the open-air summer clubs of Ibiza and into the fall. That's when he released his full-length artist debut, Don't You Remember the Future, on his tourmate Damian Lazarus's label, Crosstown Rebels. (The two will appear together at Space this Saturday.)
Jones was recently working with a vocalist on a "Summertime" followup (perhaps in anticipation of this coming WMC) when he broke out to chat by phone about his success. "'Summertime' was just something I made and played at afterparties; I thought it was too tracky to be played out," he says. "But the hook of 'Summertime' — people were into it and it grew from there. I set out to make big tracks sometimes, but they end up not being big, and in this case it was vice versa."
Despite its populist success, "Summertime" was a track intended for sunrise, which is a favorite time slot for Jones, a self-proclaimed "shy musician/human record player." "I love playing the peak hour at times, and I love it when partying, but I really, really love the times when there is more space, physically and musically," he says. "Playing before or after [peak time], you can be a little more experimental."
Experimental is indeed the direction in which Jones has been going, for he continues to transition smoothly between a blend of electro-tinged, druggy tech-house, and a passionate search for rare cosmic disco records to sample. That results in sets that consist of more than 50 percent custom re-edits, but with certain things in common. "It's all about the groove and the bass, swinging drums, and a chugging bass line," he says. "That's it; that's what I've always been about."
These influences, "weird sounds and future voices," can be heard infiltrating the 11 tracks that make up Don't You Remember the Future. The tones of winding melodic synths, auroral guitar, and live action drums promise to even further pervade the bassy stabs and vocal hook-punctuated funky jackin'. This tomorrow sound is a future you will remember.
