Q&A with Jeshua

This week, we’re bringing you the smooth effortlessly cool tones of Glasgow based songwriter & artist, Jeshua. A student at Glasgow Kelvin college and on their respective in-house label Electric Honey Records - he impressed at his headline show at The Hug & Pint over the bank holiday weekend. In our eyes he’s cemented himself as Glasgow’s very own Mac Demarco - with a quiet confidence which is both endearing and spellbinding.

His recent release ‘Esther (22 Mix)’ is smokey and shrouded with jingly guitars - uncomplicated yet impactful. It transports you to the cool sands of California, beer in hand, watching the sun disappear of the edge of the earth.

For anyone who is unfamiliar with Jeshua, describe your artist project in 3 words

An infinity pool?

You released ‘Esther - 22 Mix’ on Electric Honey Records last month, tell us about that process
There were a couple of songs on my debut album ‘’Unreliable Narrator’’ that I felt would suit a more ‘’produced’’ sound so I collaborated with Jamie Holmes and Femi (mnlghtr) who are both amazing musicians and producers. We added drums and some other layers and gave it a more contemporary mix. So happy to be releasing the first one on Electric Honey Records!

In a recent Vintage Society interview you mentioned the inspiration of your grandmother and her generation - how does that inspiration transcend to your music
I think maybe it’s a bit more in the context of the song ‘’Esther’’ because it’s about my Gran and I was definitely taking inspiration with the lyrics from the songs of her generation. For some of the lines I was trying to get in that mindset of an older style of lyrics like from a Sinatra type song.

Your music is effortlessly refreshing, cool and understated productions - do you write and produce all your own music or do you have a team you work with?
Initially I tried to do it myself but it’s very much a collaborative process now. Collaboration with other producers and musicians has been really liberating and I'm really into it! I'm always looking for people to work with to add something different. I haven't really stepped into songwriting with others yet though but having other people's music imprint on there is so cool.

You’re hosting a dinner party and you get to invite 3 musicians/artists (dead or alive), who would you have along to 'Jeshua’s tea party’

Édith Piaf, Brian Wilson & André 3000 would be a dream come true actually. Ideally there would be a piano in the room! I'd make everybody a risotto and we'd all get really drunk :).

You can catch Jeshua performing as part of the Electric Honey Records showcase tonight (Thursday 9th June) at Oran Mor alongside a series of other artists on the famous label. In the meantime, follow Jeshua on socials Facebook / Instagram / Twitter.

Q&A with Kairogen

This week we caught up with DJ/Producer & visual artist Kairogen, ahead of her warm up show tonight (01/06/22) in the Subclub with Sama Abdulhadi & Dominic Cappello. Kairogen’s sound mixes and melds between ambient house & deep techno; her crossover has a real unique and exciting identity for Glasgow’s electronic scene. She has recently played with the likes of Slam and will be warming up for Avalon Emerson this July in the Subclub.

Follow Kairogen for her latest shows and upcoming releases. Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

When did you start to dj & produce and what inspired you to do so ?

“I started to produce when I was 18 - the first piece I made was a sound art piece to be played alongside a sculpture I made for a project in my first year at art school. One of my tutors who had a big influence on shaping my music taste suggested I open Logic and mess around with the samples which actually turned out really well. The next year I discovered Ableton and then proceeded to mess around with it on and off ever since.
With DJing that took me a lot longer - I had been talking about it for years but only learned to DJ during lockdown and I still feel pretty new to it. Having that production background and so many hours of listening and collecting music meant it felt like learning to mix it was the natural next step”.

What advice would you give to other dj’s and producers starting out specifically in Scotland ?

“Firstly I’d say to use YouTube as much as you can as a free tool for learning. There’s endless information about DJing and production there. Specifically in Scotland - I’d say to follow and check out as many artist you resonate with that are local - go to local gigs if you can and get chatting to everyone after - most people are generally up for chatting about their own experiences and becoming part of the scene is really important - not necessarily DJing or producing at first but just being about and being passionate about music is key to starting off.
I’d also say that doing the Subsine academy courses with Simon Stokes has had a great impact on my learning and being able to ask someone for feedback who has a high level of understanding of sound aswell as being around other students can make a huge difference in speeding up your understanding”.

Do you have any releases coming up this year you can tell us about ?

“I just had a track release on a compilation by a Paris label Anscestral Process. Some of my favourite new producers are on the compilation such as Sanjib, Sam Wilson and John Plaza which I’m happy about.
I’ve mostly been focusing on the DJing side of things lately to be honest but there’s certainly some really exciting projects coming up in the future and I’m looking forward to dedicating the time to diving back into production again”.

You recently played with Slam and Black Lotus at their Return to Mono night in Subclub. How did that go?

“It was great, I feel like it went really well. I worked on the bar for 3 and a half years in Sub Club so I’ve heard a lot of Return To Mono warm ups and I had been picturing doing it for a long time in my own style. I wanted to keep it pretty low key for the first 45 mins to let everyone settle in and get a drink - techno nights can be full on. It’s fun seeing those first people get up and dance and by the end the dancefloor was packed and full of energy in time for Slam so it was a great buzz”.

What’s the best gig you’ve played so far ?

“To be honest maybe the first one for Sensu with Junior & Jasper James back in September at Sub. I was so nervous my hands were shaking the whole time and I found it quite difficult to relax, but by the end I felt really happy with what I played. Having the support of people around me made me feel grateful and achieving a goal I’d been planning for years was a nice feeling.
Playing back to back with Domenic Cappello for some of my Subculture set was also a really nice moment, and the last time I played Pressure was also really fun - seeing a venue that size go from 1 punter to over 1000 during the set is nice to observe”.

Your recent gigs have been crossing the boundaries between house and techno, but where do you think your sound lies?

“When I started working in Sub Club I was so into techno, quite heavy stuff really. The longer I worked there the more I was influenced by a more subtle approach at times to music by hearing the warm ups and being aware of pacing through the night. At some point I felt my taste opened up and the influence of ambient came in after needing some relief from club music originally.
I’d say I can see some common threads that tie together the music I like from multiple genres - being drawn to emotive pieces full of dynamic range is a big one which I think comes from being in an orchestra when I was growing up.”

“I’ve often been interested in pieces that don’t quite fit and can’t easily be defined - an artist like Forest Drive West for example can be considered in many different genres; techno, house, drum and bass, ambient - it’s more about their specific taste and sonic palette which makes them recognisable”.

What do you think of the current techno/electronic scene in Scotland? 

“It’s definitely all kicking off. When I got into it about 8 years ago there was for sure plenty going on then but the way the scene has developed so much since then has had a big effect and so many people around me are doing really well. Critically, I still think it could be doing with being more diverse in terms of sound. I’d like to see some more experimental artists rising up that have a different approach in whatever way, keeps it interesting. There’s not much in the way of breaks etc up here which I’d like to see develop more too”.