Jow
From a very early age Jow collected records and tapes, listening to all styles, genres and eras. Getting his first keyboard at the age of 15, primitive decks and a mixer soon followed, along with production attempts that have suspiciously been lost….
“I always loved music… I often felt that somehow I got more out of it than those around me, like certain sounds, tracks, albums spoke to me on a level that others didn’t hear, it was like code”
So, whilst his school friends were listening to Bananarama and Bros, Jow was listening to the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, Ice Cube, Janet Jackson, Bomb the Bass, Technotronic, Shades of Rhythm, Beats International, Mantronix, The Human League, Adamski… and loving every second of it – however it was the introduction of Jow to the UK Hardcore sound in 1990/1991 that changed everything…
“It was like a light switch, a door opening, a world of possibility – my generation’s punk, or disco. Totally new, yet using elements of soul, funk, hip hop, acid, all fused together, which gave the records a kind of warped history. Not only that, it moved so quickly, within a year it had moved from the likes of Isotonik and M D Emm, to JMJ and Richie, Omni Trio and Bukem… it felt as if we were all part of something that was bubbling under the surface, covert, like a family. I bought whatever I could get my hands on, hahahaha…”
Inspired by DJs such as Easygroove, who would move between styles in a set, Jow’s first love was DJing, having bought as many records as he could find/afford (!) He would spend hours making mixtapes, learning how sounds go together and what makes a good mix.
“In many ways, making my own music was not a priority in the early days. I was swept up in the sheer amount of music coming out of UK streets at the time – from Hardcore to Drum and Bass, Techno, Trancecore, Speed Garage… there was so much to get involved with!”
Jow’s first tune, ‘Halo’ was released in 2004 on the BBHC label, and he has continued producing various styles of electronic music ever since.
“I see music as a challenge, one that I want to do the very best I can with – with this in mind I want each release to be better than the last. The great thing is I continue to learn every day, be it now in either producing, remixing or engineering – it allows me to get deeper inside music”.
