One to Watch: Jade Blue
Having risen through the ranks at an impressive rate since her debut on Black Butter a little over a year ago, the 23-year-old Jade Blue continues to impress with her ability to craft deep and bass-heavy house grooves for imprints as varied as Viper, Atlantic, Toolroom, and Love & Other. With her latest single “Hardwired,” and “Inside” having become something of a summer anthem in its own right—plus a wave of new releases on the way—it’s no wonder that support for the young artist continues to pour in from the likes of Tchami, Zeds Dead, Oliver Heldens, DJ Cameo, Mistajam and more, as well as from both 1Xtra and BBC Radio 1 in the UK.
So, we thought it a good idea to touch down with Jade Blue so we can say we knew her when. The resulting conversation ranged far and wide and took in everything from gender assumptions about female producers to her ever-impressive production process. It’s a glimpse at one of the most exciting producers to emerge from the house scene in quite some time.
“I can’t decide whether it bothers me or not, to be honest… When did it become the norm that all males produce and all females sing?!”
First off, introduce yourself to the Insomniac masses.
I am a 23-year-old producer, based in London, originally from Cornwall. I would describe my style as bass-heavy house, but with my releases, I always like to have a diverse style. I would describe my most recent single, “Hardwired,” as more of a commercial house vibe, as it is heavily vocalled; whereas the B-side to the release has more of a bass-heavy, underground energy. Similarly, my first single on Black Butter, “Lately,” was a very clubby vibe, while “Moving Away” was the complete flip. I like to be able to flitter in between genres; I don’t want to be restricted with my work.
How do you react when people make a big deal out of your age and the fact that you’re a female producer? Have you had to deal with daft types that are surprised you’re not just singing on the tracks, but actually producing them?
You are right; it’s a difficult one. I can’t decide whether it bothers me or not, to be honest. With my most recent single, I have had people compliment me on my voice, and in interviews, blogs, etc., they just assume that I am the singer. I don’t really understand where these assumptions have come from, and why people don’t second-guess it. When did it become the norm that all males produce and all females sing?!
People have been in touch with me to collab with them, as they love my voice; I am almost half-tempted to be like, “Yeah, all right, let’s hook up and work together,” go in the studio and start singing—to give them the fright of their lives.
At the moment, I don’t think age is a big issue for me. Perhaps they are too distracted by the fact I am a female, that they don’t necessarily care how old I am?
What kind of music were you exposed to growing up, and at what point does electronic music enter the picture for you?
I was very fortunate with my upbringing, as my parents were quite passionate about the creative arts. I have always been surrounded by music and art, regularly heading to jazz clubs and live performances across the UK. My dad was, and still is, a big fan of dance music, and some of my first memories of the singles I purchased with him were Mr. Oizo “Flatbeat” and DJ Jean “The Launch.”
I imagine Cornwall was an entirely different environment than what you would eventually find in London. For those unfamiliar, describe Cornwall so we can get a sense of what kind of environment you were leaving when you eventually moved.
Cornwall is a beautiful county in the Southwest of England. It is truly a stunning place with beaches, coves and lots of greenery, almost a little too surreal. St. Ives, my hometown, is a small town, which for half of the year is a busy tourist destination and the other half a ghost town. It’s a very tight-knit community; everyone knows everything about everyone, which is a bit of a blessing and a curse.
You left to go to university, correct? Obviously, the music scenes are completely different. Do you think this move influenced your sound?
Yes, I moved to London with my partner to study at university, of which I have now graduated, but my passion and love for London is still strong, so no doubt I will be here for a while! The energy here is fantastic, and there is just so much going on, so much to take influence from—I really could not think of a better place to call home. I have only been producing since moving to London, so perhaps London was and is still a key influence for my sound and vision.
You’ve mentioned that you were surrounded by music production and the industry from a young age. At what age did you start producing, and how did things develop from there?
I’ve been surrounded by music production for about 10 years now. I always remember sitting in my partner’s bedroom at the age of 15, listening to his band practice. It was always so mesmerizing. Max, my partner, was the drummer, but he also used to produce some really sick backing tracks for his band. He then started doing his own alias, which was predominately dubstep at the time, and he hasn’t stopped producing since. [Editor’s note: Max is one half of the duo known as Koven.]
I found it fascinating that he could spend so much time at the computer, and his passion for what he was doing was so contagious. A few years later, I wanted to get involved myself and enlisted Max to be my mentor—just playing around at home and having a little jam—and it all really stemmed from there. It helped having a musical background, for sure, but for the first few years, I most definitely was not technically literate with music terminology. I didn’t get too caught up on that, and my focus was more to explore my creativity and the equipment and software I was using.
At what point did you start to take the production seriously and begin working toward your first proper release?
Summer of 2013 was when I really decided that I wanted to take the next steps and up the ante. At the time, I was working with a very basic rig—just a laptop with a pair of mediocre headphones—but I still had the ability to head into my partner’s studio to finesse and add the final touches and get a second opinion. It’s always beneficial to have a second pair of ears.
After dabbling and slowly learning off him for almost half of our relationship, it came to a point where I felt comfortable enough to stand on my own two feet and put my music out there. Having been with Max for almost eight years, there’s no denying he’s played a significant part in the development of my “technical” skills when it comes to producing, but I’m very happy with how things are panning out in terms of my own productions.
Since then, things have taken off in a major way, with loads of support rolling in across the board. How have you been managing the expectations of others, as well as keeping yourself focused on making music?
I’m very pleased and excited with what the future has to hold, but I feel it’s the very early days. I’m still working full-time and having to balance my producing on the side, so it has been an interesting balancing act when trying to meet deadlines for remixes, and the only time to do so is evenings and weekends, in which I’m normally exhausted! This is where the work really starts.
One of my favorite tunes of yours is the “Don’t Let Me Go” remix you did for the Prototypes—was it challenging to pull it down from its 170-BPM original and keep the energy flowing?
With that remix, the vocals for the original track were actually recorded at 128 BPM, which the Prototypes then sped up to drum & bass tempo. I was fortunate to have received the original vocal take; otherwise, it would have ended up in a time-stretched mess.
What’s your approach to remixes in general? This seems to be an area where a lot of new-school producers are making their mark these days.
It all depends on the genre of the track I’m remixing and how I’m feeling at the time. Sometimes if I’m feeling chilled or in a “summer vibe,” I will make uplifting piano chords with a melodic drop, the way I did with my Francesco Yates “Call” remix. But if I’m feeling opposite and just want to make a darker, “clubby” track, I end up producing something like my Mediate “What You Do” remix.
Shane Blackshaw seems to be someone you are vibing with, as he’s lent his vocals most noticeably to “Inside” and “Hardwired” recently. How did you guys link up, and what’s the usual process for you two in the studio?
We’ve never actually met or even spoken over the phone. Shane just dropped me a message on SoundCloud with a few of his demos, and I fell in love with his vocals and songwriting skills instantly. We bounced ideas off of each other and ended up with “Hardwired.” I had a B-side track I was working on, but it was lacking something. I then checked back in the folder Shane had sent me, which contained a load of random ad-lib vocal takes which we were going to use for “Hardwired,” but then I discovered this one vocal take which fitted nicely over what I was working on and eventually became “Inside.”
Your taste in music seems to be very diverse and even leans toward the bass music side of things. Talk a bit about how you view genre classifications and where you think things are headed in terms of electronic music in general.
My honest answer is, I don’t know; anything can happen. They’re might be a new genre in 2023 that just involves the sound of dropping pins that may become the next biggest thing. For me, my aim is just to create tracks that have longevity, that it just doesn’t become part of a fad.
Even if we just look at gear, you have some people producing tracks using an iPad, while others are trying to use the oldest bits of analog gear they can find; and both are coming up with interesting stuff! So, we’re at a place where we have more contrast in sounds, production techniques, gear and genres than ever. I hope that we continue to not be restricted by genres, and keep on pushing boundaries, collaborating and sharing music. That’s all that I would hope for and want to be a part of.
To get a deeper sense of the head- and heart-space Jade Blue is coming from, check the eclectic playlist she curated for Sunday Blessed, featuring the likes Miamigo, Leftfield, Kursa and Kove.
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