As one half of The Jinks, Dan Savidge has released records on labels like Defected, Code Red, Stingily Music and Mark Grant’s Blackstone imprint, toured extensively and found time to run his own label, Jinks Inc. Now, after a (disappointingly amicable) spilt from his production partner and a little time away from the industry he’s back with a new alias…. say hello to Bad Zuke
So bring us up to speed… what happened to The Jinks?
We took a break midway through 2011. After a solid few years of output, working with so many heroes and the best labels in the business we both felt it was a good time to try other things. Sorry it’s such an amicable story – maybe we’ll start a beef in the press. I have footage of Chris punching kittens.
And Bad Zuke is the next evolutionary step… where does the name come from?
Zuke was a dog I met once (really). He was not a cool dog.
How have you found the transition from working as a duo to going solo in the studio… has it been a difficult change to manage?
It’s different – Chris (the kitten puncher) and I acted as a filter for each other’s work. It meant that we boiled each track down to the best it could be. The removal of that safety net makes the high wire a bit scarier, but it’s definitely an exciting change.
Will the music you make as Bad Zuke be a departure from what you’ve previously produced? Is there a particular aim?
The Bad Zuke project has been about stepping away from genre affiliations that I felt attached to as The Jinks. It’s been about getting in the studio with a blank canvas, building grooves and writing songs that make me shake, and that I want to play in my peaktime sets.
I have learned some new techniques and am working with different sounds, but I would have done that regardless of a name change. I just don’t get how some people can basically make the same record month in month out for years on end, however good their production might be. I need to keep it fresh and moving every track I make.
Your first single ‘Everybody Talking’ is coming out on Nocturnal Groove… is that where you see yourself, stylistically?
Over the last few years Nocturnal has consistently put out records that I want to play, and that in turn make my dancefloors jump around. That’s right where I want to be.
Do you plan on collaborating with anyone over the coming year? Or is it all about the solo work for the time being?
My writing partnership with Byron Stingily is still strong. Song writing is as important to me as it ever has been, and I plan to get stuck into some of those projects soon. There are lots of musicians who I feel I can call on to work with and bounce ideas off, so the process is usually collaborative to some extent.
After such a lengthy break from production, was it difficult to get back into the swing of things?
I took a few weeks off last year to give myself a chance to reflect on what I want from music, but I never really stopped producing, I’ve been making beats and writing songs non stop. I just needed to wait until I had the right shizzle to unleash. Now that the minimal tech donk is out of my system, I feel ready.
What else have you got lined up for the rest of year?
I’m working on a remix at the moment and I’m also underway with a follow up to Everybody Talking. Gig wise, I’ve got a few festivals lined up. I’m loving my music again like I did when I first started producing. Hopefully that will show in my output over the coming months.
Anything else you’d like to tell us about…?
Yes – a project I run at Somerset House in London for emerging musical talent called What Next. It’s for 18-24 year old producers/songwriters/MCs, and is an amazing opportunity to take their sound to the next level. Anyone who wants to get involved can find out more at www.somersethouse.org.uk/music/what-next
