Rozhovor s Jackem Sparrowem

Těsně před chorvatským festivalem Outlook – Exodus to Croatia a v dostatečném předstihu před dalším dílem Bass Trap Live (24. 10. v Crossu) přinášíme rozhovor s Jackem Sparrowem, který má v obou akcích prsty. Ptal se Abu.

I would like to know where do you come from originally  and the same question concerning your dj / producer name. I don‘t think you come from Caribic really… :-)

Ha Ha Ha, I am form Leeds uk and have lived here a long time, I grew up up in northern Cyprus, lived in England around 20 years. I was producing under a different name and one day I made a tune that sounded pirate like, a fellow DJ said I should have another alias „Jack Sparrow“. It was all jokes to begin with but it makes sense now!

Hah… Quite funny… I like the movie, especially the Sparrow character. What was the song that sounds pirate like? And how long do you produce music?

The first tunes I did were called „Hold“ and „Parrot Soup“, all the tracks had a pirate theme. It was all a bit of fun really. Dubstep was the first thing that I produced properly, I was making hip hop before that.

When did you come to dubstep music - any kind of something that we call an “initiatory act”? For me it was MarkOne & Nika D playing in Crossclub on a biiig sound (yes, this is the place you gonna play on October 24th :) for example.

The first gig I went to was Exodus in Leeds which was about 200 people. Now we got more 1200 every month, it has grown loads here and the most popular night is Exodus vs DMZ. I wanna say I‘m real excited about coming and playing over there, it will be a highlight for me for 2009!

Really? But do not look forward too much… it‘s just a small basement with very low roof and very low bass :-) Do you like touring and do you tour a lot with dubstep tunes? When Mala was here this January he told a friend that he spent so much time touring that he became quite scared about how fast dubstep grew up and how big the scene already is worldwide! Funny, isn’t it… or?

Mala has always amazed me with his tracks, he has it perfect with his sound and he never comprimises on sound to fit how the scene is changing. Touring is hard because you‘re in a little bubble doing your thing with no time to see what is going on elsewhere musically. Best thing to do is stay true to your sound.

What was the year when you were on your first Exodus and who stands behind this gig (maybe - who takes care in the past/present)?

I first played Exodus back in 2007, a year after I met Simon Scott. He has really done something massive with dubstep so far and this has got to be the best thing so far. We have been friends for a while now and we have watched it grow and we are still excited about dubstep.

Tell me more about exodus festival! Former name was Outlook, am I right?

In 2008 we held Outlook festival in Croatia. it was a small affair, only about 1000 people, but the response was massive and it was a crazy 3 days. We all flew out together. All the artists and then had fun in the sun. This year is going to be huge though. I can’t wait, biggest line up ever and different site in Croatia… Massive. Simon managed to get all the artists by booking them upfront, and some of the artists requested to play, because it was so good last year.

I like your kind of sound - I feel it like massive atmospere but in a minimal way. The problem is that you do not release stuff at all, do you? Just a track here and there, some free tunes, some remixes… On the other way I‘ve heard you are about to release an LP - can you say more about that?

I don‘t release a lot of tunes because I‘m very selective about what is put out, I don‘t really give tunes out to other DJ’s either, only Pinch and Headhunter, this is because my sets are like one big tune and not lots of seperate ones in a way. The LP is going to be real mixed vibes. I‘m doing the LP for Pinch, so it‘s deep and atmospheric with some bangers on there.

Looking forward to hear new tracks - sounds even better to me that it’s for Pinch! ;) What is an exact banger for you? E.g. Shallow remix - a banger or not? I mean not only hard sound is the way how to be brutal…

A banger for me is not jump up or fast tempo or synth lines, it‘s quality production and atmosphere, textures etc.

Hey, what an approach… Concerning your sets - what do you usually include? A lot of your production? Is that why you do not put tracks out so you can stay original with your own sound on top? Pinch and Headhunter nice pick, they are my favourite producers - and what about DJing? I’ve heard Headhunter in Bratislava, Slovakia. Sound went like one level higher as he started to play… :-) And what about Pinch? And others? Who are you favourite djs / producers?

I would have to say that I keep my tunes on lockdown for a long time because I want people to book me to hear the full set, not just bits and pieces. Pinch is one of my fave DJ’s as well as Headhunter too, both capture exactly what I love about dubstep.

I rarely listen to dubstep these days as I think I found the sound I want and don‘t want to be misled by other artists or impose on their sound, I‘ve kept it dark and moody a lot like Photek has done, he is also my idol.

What are your dubstep roots? Both musical and nonmusical, eg. philosophy?

My musical background is massive from metal through to jungle. I just love a certain sound, it doesn’t matter what genre. I have a massive love for nature programs and wildlife and animals. I spend most of my time in studio and when I‘m not doing that I‘m touring and getting the live show off the ground, plus helping run festivals and events worldwide.

Myspace.com/sparradubz
Bass Trap Live
Outlook - Exodus to Croatia