Catching Up With Jackmaster
Jackmaster is one of Scotland’s premier DJs. He occupies that middle space between the underground and the main room, able to rock both equally. Now that he’s on the other side of 30, he took some time to reflect on the career of being a DJ and all the little things in between gigging that eventually start to take their toll.
Miami Music Week is going down. Anything you’re specifically looking forward to there? I see you’re booked playing with Armand Van Helden and Black Madonna, and on the Arcadia Spider at Ultra.
I’m most excited about playing with the Black Madonna, just because we have never done it before. We have never even met in real life, so there’s definitely an element of the unknown there. I think we both know that we play dope shit, and that’s enough.
How do you fill your time on the road? Does the slog of travel get old? Does DJing get old?
I spend most of my time on the road doing these interviews! Haha. For sure, there are gigs when you feel like you’re going through the motions, but that’s just when you have a few gigs on the trot that you haven’t enjoyed for whatever reason: bad crowds, you’re not on your A-game, you’ve had flight delays, or some airline has lost your luggage.
How do you feel about the music coming out of the UK at the moment?
I fell out of love with UK music for a bit, but I’m back in it. That’s been really refreshing.
Does anything outside of music excite you in the same way music does?
Girls and a bit of football. I think you guys called it “soccer” or something silly like that.
You’ve recently turned 30? Has this changed your perception on life at all?
It really has. It’s almost like a switch went off when I turned 30. I developed a small beer belly and realized I needed to start looking after myself. I’ve been going hell for leather for the last 15 years solid, so time to calm down a bit.
When you’re not gigging, how do you fill your time?
Pretty boring stuff. I buy records from Discogs, record and remaster them. And I go to the gym. I just started acupuncture to help me try and relax when I’m not gigging. It can be hard to switch off when your weekends are so hectic.
Are you still a Glasgow lifer? Do you think you’ll ever move?
I think I’ll move if I find the right woman. Until then, I’m Glasgow 4 life.
What is it like now that the Arches has been forced to close down?
As wrong as it was, it hasn’t made a huge difference to me, because I didn’t frequent it much. I have had some wicked nights in there, but there are venues I hold in much higher esteem, like the Sub Club.
Do you think the RA Origins film about you changed people’s perception of you?
Yeah, definitely. I think people just thought I was this crazy party guy with nothing more to offer; really, I’m a normal guy who came from quite a difficult background, saved by music. I get emails, texts and tweets about that film every day.
What are you listening to that isn’t club music?
Nothing, and that’s bad. I need to improve that. I pretty much listen to everything from a club perspective at the moment.
