Fresh-faced Twentysomethings Jaymo & Andy George have already achieved much in radio and label management, yet they remain relative newcomers. Encouragingly, the Brit DJ-production pair is keen to temper its turbo-boosted career rise and boundless creative fervour with careful planning and a cautious eye for detail. Such equilibrium is not all that common considering the club industry’s hectic day-to-day and night-to –night; here, Defected’s Ben Lovett tries to find out how they achieve it.
“We’re obsessive about every little detail” Jaymo opens; “we’re hands on with every single aspect of our work. That doesn’t just mean the music we DJ or produce, but the whole package... the design of our website, the scheduling of our gigs, the cover artwork, marketing and PR strategy, social media.... It’s because we want to give the very best that we can but it’s also down to the fact, particularly with our label, that we’re always working with friends. If they’re going to give us their music, we need to be able to put a value on it and show the support and attention it will get. You feel responsible; everything needs to be 110% in terms of quality.”
Andy continues: “Artists like Eats Everything and Maxxi Soundsystem expect the best so when we’re working with them we have to provide that. I did actually dream the other night that Dan [Eats Everything’s Dan Pearce] was really pissed off about a track we were meant to be releasing for him, but it was just a dream thank god!”
In truth, the boys are usually awake in the early hours because of rocking DJ commitments or tireless work for their label, Moda Black, rather than anxiety-fuelled nightmares. And as the Volume II follow-up to their hugely successful Moda Black Vol I mix compilation prepares to land next week there is absolutely no indication of sweaty palms or hyperventilating. Jaymo and Andy’s nerves, if they even exist, are firmly in check.
“There is some awareness now of the expectation around Volume II” Andy concedes; “where, with the first mix, no-one was expecting anything. But we’re genuinely excited rather than nervous. And, as before, things have fallen into place perfectly. Some of that is down to hard work and being as organised as we can. I mean, we waited until everyone else had provided material before we added anything; we wanted to see where there might be any stylistic gaps so that we could cover them. But overall, Volume II has had a nice organic flow which I hope comes across in the music too.”
Moda Black Volume II fizzes with new and exclusive house music from forward-thinking label regulars and close affiliates including Hot Since 82, Huxley, MANIK, Hauswerks and, of course, “Dan”. Ably mixed and arranged by the boys it plays cleverly and confidently with the 21st century house genre, absorbing leftfield vocals, bold bass manoeuvring and all manner of skipping, skulking, swinging rhythms. Where the off-kilter funkiness of Eats Everything’s Jazz Hands can sit next to spry Chicago jack via Medlar & Pedestrian’s T.R. Wilson and super-freaky slink from Maxxi Soundystem & Danny Daze on forthcoming collaboration Karoline, you know you’re in safe hands – ‘safe’ meaning assured and deliciously outlandish all at the same time.
“I don’t mean to sound twee but when we DJ we can see different colours in our sets, and those colours help you decide which way to go with things” Jaymo explains. “This compilation is different to a DJ set because it’s right across the board; a representation of the entire spectrum of things that we like and that we might not be able to play in one club at one time. However, it was still helpful to put the record together according to stylistic tones and colours. We’re really happy with how Volume II has turned out; it’s an exciting journey through the electronic underground according to what we know and love.”
Moda Black has been operating for about a year now, an already cast iron offshoot of Jaymo and George’s original label Moda which, founded in 2006, will now take something of a backseat while Black’s niche house loyalties strengthen further and expand. “Moda isn’t finished” Andy stresses, “but Black has become a natural alleyway for our current personal tastes. In speaking to people at gigs, hearing the demos sent to us and, in general, soaking up the house scene it feels like there is a real synergy with Moda Black and what we’re trying to do with that. The label wasn’t an afterthought; it was planned out for a year before we announced it. As for Moda? It’s on the backburner for now but we see it as a platform for band projects, possibly with a live disco angle; it’ll be for fuller artist projects. We haven’t found the right material yet and it doesn’t make sense to force something out but when the music is there then we’ll be ready to go.”
There is plenty to be getting on with, not least Moda Black’s own soon-to-launch artist-led project Little Black Book. The name is work in progress, but the concept fully realised. In the coming months, Moda Black will ask key artists to dish the contents of their little black studio books, gathering exclusive new productions and remixes in one irresistible, sharply defining space. It sounds promising. Meanwhile the label’s regular schedule of EPs and remixes (and, so says Jaymo, “a few other little bits ‘n’ bobs”) continues to progress smoothly.
Radio, where the boys made their first truly sizeable mark on clubland, is also still high up the agenda, if a little more under control these days. Jaymo and Andy George met in Lincoln in 2006 through a club manager and mutual friend. Each had been directing separate events at the same venue but shared similar tastes and ideas, which made their coming together inevitable. The rabid success of their subsequent Lincoln party, Moda, led to replications all over the shop and the attention of BBC Radio 1, who quickly snaffled them for an Essential Mix (two of the youngest names ever to record one) and, in turn, a prestigious In New DJs We Trust residency, starting 2009.
“Radio 1 has been an amazing experience” Andy beams. “Our New DJs spots drew a lot of support and were even weekly at times; they became a major part of our lives. Of course, we probably did lose control of some of our other commitments, particularly being able to spend time in the studio. We were never pushed into Radio 1; perhaps manoeuvred into it is a better word. And as I say, the experience has been fantastic but maybe, looking back, we’d have tried to approach the opportunity in a slightly different way.”
Sensibly, the boys have maintained their relationship with the Beeb; it was only last week that they presented a second (jaw-dropping) Essential Mix. Of course, technically speaking, their New DJs residency ended last March and, in its place, they have cemented a new show on Clear Channel’s far-reaching internet radio network, iHeartRadio – via new dance station Evolution. The broadcast gives them major exposure in the States.
“The radio set-up today is perfect” Jaymo says. “It’s always exciting to reach out to new audiences but, at the same time, we have a lot more control over what we’re doing which is allowing us to push on with everything else.”
That includes running Moda Black and crafting original productions. Jaymo and Andy are probably best known for their prowess as DJs; it is only during the past 24 months that they have focused more on the studio console. Has the transition been smooth? “It’s something that we desperately needed to fulfil” Andy answers. “We really wanted to make music. At first our efforts felt really functional...simply a process because of the limited windows we had in our diaries. But today we get long stretches to record, so we’ve been able to fully explore and experiment. Things are much, much better; we can fully trust our passions and instincts.”
Hip-hop and electro solo offerings cut in the mid-Noughties (notably Jaymo’s Tuned In Live) have made way for memorable Moda moments - as a double act – including Hold Me Back, Hump & Grind and last month’s swaggering tie up with Hauswerks Take It To The Hoop. Momentum will build further when the duo puts imminent pen to paper on a large but currently vague new enterprise targeted for the coming months – “you know as much as I do” Jaymo playfully teases....
Are the guys confident they can retain pole position with so many other records being released around them, so many new ways to consume music being invented, so many new nights, new labels and new artists? That’s not even considering the industry’s ongoing financial challenges.... Music has always been a turbulent business, and it’s not about to calm down anytime soon. “It goes back to working hard on all fronts” George explains. “We don’t over think it but we focus on great quality so that whether someone is coming to one of our events, or buying a record, or just browsing our website, they have a good experience. The industry has widened massively but it’s not a case of people choosing one aspect over another; they’re digesting music in several different ways at the same time and as long as our offer is excellent across all of them then we’ll be fine. We don’t take things for granted; we maybe used to assume that what we liked everyone else did too but it’s not so simple these days; therefore, we’re extra fussy about absolutely everything.”
The DJ booth is a perfect case in point. “This year is going to be busier than ever, and we’re preparing accordingly” Jaymo concludes, Andy rushing off to a photo-shoot. “We are DJs first and foremost, that’s where everything has come from and we love it. We’ve got upcoming plans in Australia, another residency at We Love... Space in Ibiza, then Creamfield, Secret Garden...so many things. Then there are our Moda Black parties. There are lots of those planned for the UK in 2013; they’re like a home away from home and we can’t wait. Everything, trust me, will have our full-on attention.”
The boys already have ours....
Moda Black Vol II (Mixed By Jaymo & Andy George) is released by Moda Black on April 15.
