Artist Profile – Jinx / Straight Up Audio – (UK)
Straight Up Audio has been on our radar for quite a while now. Label owner Jinx’s production style is absolutely A1 and he has a very distinctive DNB/jungle crossover style that is instantly recognisable.
With an equally distinctive artwork regime and with the labels 20th release dropping today, Straight Up Audio is one of those labels that just struck an instant chord with us here and we’ve been looking forward to hearing the story behind this wikked imprint.
Jinx! Welcome in!
You’re based in Stourbridge in the Midlands. This part of the UK is an absolute hotbed of DNB activity right now, and always has been to be fair. Your kind of right in the middle of it all, so where in particular is really doing the business right now? (local nights/events)
Unfortunately the local scene in Stourbridge isn’t what it used to be. My friend Daz started an event called Lifted which has run since the 90s, and we also used to run weekday events called Mid Week Sessions. We were lucky enough to be able to have access to venues that would be up for letting us do events, but unfortunately due to the younger generations doing nights and causing trouble, the venues that are left around here aren’t interested in allowing drum and bass nights. This is a real shame, as it has such a good following of people locally.
Now it’s all about going up into Birmingham. We still have the occasional Lifted event, and Kalum runs an event called Hidden Agenda which has happened a couple of times locally, but he’s now taken it up into Birmingham. There’s also my long time friend Benny D who runs Co Lab Recordings and does events around Birmingham, but like I say, we struggle to be able to find a local venue that will allow DNB. We’re working on it!
The events in Birmingham which are making some noise are Run come Ran by Mono Paul and MC Busta. Those guys are doing well. There’s also the long running event Broken Minds run by Phase 2, which does and always has pushed the drum and bass and jungle scene. Always a wicked night. Then there’s the before mentioned Kalum with his event Hidden Agenda that’s been making some noise too. Birmingham has always been a hub for DNB. I lived there for 14 years managing a venue called The Rainbow Pub and The Rainbow Warehouse and it was great being part of the Birmingham scene.
You’ve been producing DNB since 2002. That was a pretty exciting time to be getting into music production, but you are actually an original junglist from way back in ’95. You can hear this very clearly in your music. Jungle seems to be stronger than ever right now. What is it that has kept the music at the forefront for so long, do you think? (especially with the younger ones coming through)?
Personally, I was hooked the moment I first heard jungle. I will always remember buying my first tape of The Eclipse. I I was hooked then and I still am. I think the mixture of sounds and the sampling elements of jungle keeps it fresh, with the sounds of reggae, hip hop, funk and soul, house and garage all being able to give it more feeling to the music. It has the dancefloor elements but can also take you on a journey.
Hearing it daily on the radio is exciting, with the younger generation pushing the sound, but at the same time I hope it doesn’t cause the music to implode like it did with dub step. There’s always been the underground scene and there always will be. I don’t think jungle will ever die……
Me neither! Before we talk about Straight Up Audio, which is your own label, we need to talk about Ruffneck Ting. This was one of the truly iconic Bristol labels during the mid 90s, with a brand that equalled any in London and club nights that were talked about up and down the country. After a long Hiatus the label came back in 2013 and you were right in the middle of it. What’s the story with that one then?
Yeah! Big up to Dazee! She’s the original queen of the jungle and has always been a massive part of the scene. We met when I was playing at Shambala Festival in 2012, and then again a few weeks later at a Dread Recordings night I was playing in Bristol. We started the ball rolling with the re-launch of Ruffneck Ting and I introduced her to a lot of the relaunch artists such as The Force, K Jah, Vytol, Dawn Raid and Steve Wright who does the art work for Ruffenck Ting.
2015 saw the release of your first full length LP ‘Stand Up’, also on Ruffneck Ting. Was there always a plan to create a long player, or was it more of a collection of tracks, as some of these projects are?
Stand Up was a weird one. I had just had both of my hips replaced, so the name of the LP was sort of fitting at the time haha.! No, it wasn’t really planned as an album. It was more of a bunch of tunes that I had been writing when I was out of hospital and recovering, so I had a lot of time writing tunes and the selection of tunes were chosen by Dazee.
And are there any plans for another album?
I’d like to. I have been toying with the idea, but I think with my past releases of LPs I don’t think I’ve ever really been happy with the outcome, but then I’m never happy with my tunes anyway hahaha! My previous albums have just been a bunch of tunes and I’d really like to write a long player which takes you on a journey, with different sounds and styles. I’ve been writing a few different sounds recently, so who knows, there may be one soon.
So on to Straight Up Audio then. You’ve been running the label for a couple of years now and the label’s sound is well, just, BIG! The second I heard the first promo I was totally hooked. The sounds are just so thick and take up so much space in your ears! The label is mostly a vehicle for your own productions at the moment, so we’re getting almost 100% Jinx. Your mind is a very dark place!
Thank you very much man, it means a lot. Yeah, I was at a point where labels was taking tunes and it would be taking years for them to come out, or they were taken but they never ended up coming out, and I was getting frustrated. I write a lot of tunes so I needed to have an outlet to get them out. As for my mind being in a dark place, you don’t want to know haha!
The artwork is also super distinctive. I love the little lighter men with their mischievous faces. You know these dudes are up to no good. How and where did the idea for this come about, and who is the digital artist behind it?
Haha yeah! They’re cheeky things 🙂
Got to big up my long time friend Steve Wright (link below) . We’ve known each other since our school days. He’s a very talented artist and does a lot of work for a lot of the labels in the scene. I’m well proud of him. Like with all good ideas come, we were in the pub having a few pints and started coming up with ideas. A few days later he sent me a picture of the lighter and we both thought it was fitting, what with the old days of lighters in the air at the dance. His work is definitely worth a look.
How important do you think things like branding and artwork ACTUALLY are in the digital world? You’ve hit the jackpot as far as I’m concerned with yours, but do you think people still take a lot of notice when searching on-line for music?
Thank you 🙂 I learned a lot from working with Dazee and was always a fan of the original Ruffneck Ting design. Personally, I love characters and I’m also a massive geek, and I love comic books and graffiti, so it has that element to it. I think it helps, because if it catches your eye you seem to take note and have a look what it’s about. I know I have missed things because I’ve seen the artwork and it looked weak so I pass it by, but as they say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. It’s down to whatever makes you happy at the end of the day, but for me, I wanted to have a good character.
Yeah, I agree with that. So much of the artwork looks so similar in DNB though. Distinctiveness definitely seems to be key.
I’ve picked a few key items from your tech list. I’m pretty sure budding producers will want to know a bit about these items and why you use them. Could you tell us a bit about the way they fit into your set up?
Launchkey 49
There’s a lot of really cool things that you can do with it. I’m no master and I’m slow at learning things, but it’s been the best midi keyboard that I’ve had over the years (and I’ve been through quite a few!). I’m always learning new things on it and for the price, I fully recommend it.
Scarlet 18i20
Personally, I love Focusrite equipment. It’s well made and it doesn’t break the bank, and has good sound quality but that’s my opinion. It’s whatever you work with best and I’ve had a few different interfaces over the years. I just found working with this interface has been better for me, and has plenty of access to channels for vocals or instruments.
Neutron
Behringer stuff often gets slated, but for the price you cant go wrong. I love this little beast and I’ve had hours of fun playing around, just making sounds and then running them through Kontakt.
TD3
I just liked the yellow acid face! It’s not the best built, but it’s got a very powerful sound and you can do some really cool things with it. Again, it’s also a piece of equipment that doesn’t break the bank.
Thanks for that. I find the technical aspect of the music so interesting, and it’s always good to see what people are using.
As well as a whole heap of self-titled releases on Straight Up, you’ve also released some serious weight from a couple of other artists too. Namely LUXS, Berberis and Leks. Can you tell us a bit about them and why you thought they fit into the Straight Up camp so well?
I’ve got to big up all the artists who have featured on the label. There’s been some good friendships made through those releases and they’ve been pretty understanding with me, as I’m the first to admit, I’m not the best at promotion and online presence. I hate social media haha!
Berbaris I have known for years, as we worked together when I was the manager at The Rainbow. He used to produce hip hop under the name of Percy Filth and I was always a fan of his music. When he told me he was writing jungle and he sent me the tunes, I jumped at the chance. He’s safe and has a good vibe. He recently moved to Amsterdam but I’m hoping to get some more bits from him when he’s settled .
With LUXS, I went down the rabbit hole on Hypedit to see what it was all about, and I came across a tune of his. This led me onto his SoundCloud as I was really feeling his stuff. I had a good listen to what he was doing and absolutely loved his sound, so sent him a message .That kids got some skills, man. I love his sound, and he also runs his own imprint (Raw Label UK – link below). I’ve recently done a colab with him too, which is up on his site as a free download.
Then there’s Leks! Big up Leks man. We chat on the phone like all the time. We met through the power of Facebook. We just got talking and struck up a friendship. Again, his sound just fits with what the label does, and he also runs his own imprint, Big and Heavy Recordings (link below). Go check them out they have some nice bits.
I’ve got to also give a massive big up to long time bredrins The Force, Kalum and Shogun, as they have also been a massive part of the label releases.
Definitely. I should have included them.
How do you know when you have a track that you want to releases by another artist? Is it usually a very quick decision, like 30 seconds in, or do you tend to deliberate a bit more in order to keep the label’s sound authentic? (and the label definitely DOES have a very authentic sound).
So far with the releases, I’ve been lucky enough that they have the same vibe and taste as myself, and everything the featured artists have sent I’ve just felt straight away. I think we are all into the same style of sampling and the mixture of jungle and vibes. Every artist I have featured all have a unique sound, but the same elements that I’m also into and I fully respect what each one of them does. They’re all doing good things man, and I’m well proud to have them on the label and call them friends .
On to this latest release then, and the twentieth for the label. It’s another self penned 5 track EP, but this time featuring Thunda Banton. Tell us a bit about how this awesome EP came about?
Big big respect to Thunda Banton. He’s killing it. We got talking a few years ago and we did a release on Run Tingz. The man is a machine when it comes to dropping vocals, and he just kept sending vocals. I’m not going the lie, this release was hard work man. It’s been over 2 years since we started the tunes, but I was just never happy with them so kept changing them. I just had to get it finished as he’s been so patient with me. I’ve been blown away by the feed back and support of the release so far though.
The other thing I noticed is that your output is pretty prolific for someone who works full time. Do you have a set schedule for making music? How the flip do you fit it all in?
Oh man, I love writing music. It’s my escape. I have a very understanding partner (big up Sally). I do the family thing after work and I’m lucky enough to have my own studio space, so when they go bed, I lock myself away doing tunes till about 2AM some nights, and then I’m up at 6.30 for work. Weekend nights, I’m up doing tunes as well. I can’t just sit there and watch TV on the evenings. I have to be doing music. I love it.
Yes! I know this feeling very well. So many of us in this community (in whatever capacity that might be) have brains that never switch off!
This label of yours is clearly going from strength to strength and as far as we’re concerned here at INSIDE DNB, it is always going to be one to watch. What are your plans for the next 12 months? Would you be interested in getting the label out to some events for a couple of takeovers maybe, or getting it out on tour?
Big respect man. Thank you very much.
I’m blown away by the support of the label. I never really set it up to be anything but a thing for me to release my music, as I write so many tunes, and they were just sitting on my hard drives. My plans for the next 12 months? I’m not sure. I’ve not really planned anything so far haha!
I’m just going to keep rolling out tunes and see what happens.
Yeah man, I’d love to get some promoters hitting me up! straightupaudio@gmail.com {wink wink nudge nudge) haha 🙂
As for getting the label on tour, that would be sick as, every artist on the label have serious armoury and all very talented DJs ,
Well, we are massive fans of Straight Up Audio here, so we truly wish you all the best with it. KEEP MAKING BANGERS!
Thank you so much for taking the time to interview me, and big respect to everyone supporting what I do. Also, a massive shout out to all friends and family 🙂
FIND OUT MORE HERE:
https://www.instagram.com/straightupaudio
Stream Straight Up Audio music | Listen to songs, albums, playlists for free on SoundCloud
https://www.instagram.com/stevejwright
Stream Big And Heavy Recordings music | Listen to songs, albums, playlists for free on SoundCloud
