Contributing WriterWhat were the best and worst moments of the last year for you?
Our best moments were probably starting our After Hours Radio Show on Certified Jackin as when we first started planning the show we did not really expect to book the artists that we have on our line up, we could never have imagined the amazing feedback we were receiving from the DJ’s and fans.
Then the second great thing to happen was for Tube & Berger to take our Nine 2 Five track on to their Kittball records label. We were shocked when they accepted and are very grateful to them for supporting us.
What did you learn about yourself, the world, the industry?
We learned that it takes time and effort to succeed in this industry and we feel that all the hard work and dedication is now starting to pay off for us as a duo.
Has the music you make and play, or your attitude to life, changed at all as a result of more time at home, less time on the road?
Not really as most of our time has been spent learning and progressing with our sound. This has kept us motivated and helped us to get where we are today.
What scene in Yorkshire do you emerge from, what DJs, labels, parties?
The scene in Yorkshire is pretty booming, well before the lockdowns. myself (Paul HG) being older started partying at Back To Basic in Leeds at the pleasure rooms.
Our music influence comes from mostly attending parties across The UK and Europe at clubs like Amnesia, Sankys and Mint Club for events like Do Not Sleep, Moxy Music and also supporting our DJ friends within the scene like Darius Syrossian, Sidney Charles & More!
Does being from there mean your music has a certain style, sound or edge?
No not at all we just create good music from how we are feeling at that moment in time.
You have a new one on Kittball – how did you link with Paul HG at first, why work with him on this?
Paul is a very good producer and we work together on most projects as a Duo and have done for 7 years. We have found a good balance and have formed a very good working relationship which works well for us together.
Did you collaborate on the internet or in person for it?
We collaborated in Paul’s studio on the Nine 2 Five Track but we are very versatile in our working methods and often work over the internet on ideas.
Who did what, do you each have certain bits of the production you take care of?
Paul is the lead producer/engineer out of the two of us and has a degree in music production.
Jake has a very good ear for music, his sound selection skills are amazing and he has very good ideas When producing tracks.
Jake has also built up a good network of record label professionals and is liked by a lot of DJs. Within the scene he is very good at dealing with the administration side of the duo which gives paul more time in the studio to concentrate on the productions.
What’s next for you, what are you working on, what have you got coming up, what are you looking forward to?
The next thing for us is definitely getting back in the clubs and listening to all the new music that’s been created throughout the lockdown. We aim to push on with some DJ Gigs and hopefully find some management for ourselves.
We have some guest mixes coming out soon and aim to put out one mix per month. We are constantly working on new music and will be working hard to find a good home for our future releases.
We will hopefully be able to restart our Eye To Eye Radio event we put on just before the first lockdown at Monty’s Club in Todmorden which was a success.
We’ve also been offered the opportunity to start up a Eye To Eye Radio live stream event hosted on stream radio which will include live streams from top DJs across the world so definitely keep a lookout for that.
Nine To Five is available via Kittball Records now: