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Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/826845
The masked mash up master, Jaguar Skills has started a new trip down the production route.The ninja DJ has been trashing stages across the world for years now, rapidly tearing out every genre imaginable. The mysterious selector manages to cut between 360 degrees of music, sound-tracking crazy parties that get everyone going for it! 2017 / ISSUE 99 DRUM & BASS 37 So what's the story behind the ninja persona? The ninja thing, I'm really into comic books. My dad collected comic books as well, so I grew up with comics and superheroes. I drew the character Jaguar Skills way before I started DJing. That was my little dude, I use to draw little comics with this guy. I had the name for like 5 years before I ever DJed. I DJed for years without the mask, I mean do you have to look like your logo? I did this thing for Radio 1 and they said; you're gonna have to wear the mask dude'. So the mask is Radio 1's fault? Yeah! Before that I was DJing at Pacha as a resident before the BBC stuff and I was a disco DJ. My Dad had a mad collection of records and I was just playing B-Side rare disco records and pre- that I was doing parties where I'd play soundtracks, proper leftfield, proper digging DJ selector. What did Jag Skills grow up lis- tening to? I grew up listening to hip hop; DJ MK, Shorty B, Mixologists, Scratch Perverts. That's when I was a teen- ager, checking out all this stuff. To me hip hop nowadays is like watch- ing football. It's interesting, the commentary, mad interviews - all the stuff other than the music. The 90s hip hop style stuff was more conscious and much more political. It was much more exciting as a teenager growing up. I fell out of love with hip hop and found loads of other music in the clubs. Started DJing then and I added the hip hop mixing style to it. So that's the inspiration behind your rapid mixing style? That style isn't mine, it's old hip hop style. But when you take that style and apply it to other styles it's interesting. In D&B it's easier. My dad was a reggae DJ with Rodigan - they would always play records crazy fast. When I started DJing that was what I knew. It was only a thing that I started DJing house music back to back, I never thought that I play stuff too quickly. I started on vinyl and I never moved to CDJs, cos in the hip hop world - you use CDJs you're a joker. When Serato came out I was like, shit I can mix on vinyl but use my computer and not all my records. Then it dawned on me, why do I need to stick to the rules of using the vinyl when it's actually a com- puter. I've really tried to embrace the digital. What were you first steps into DJing? There was this house party and I DJed it and thought it was fuck- ing great. I was quite good at it and was obsessed with the music. That's the key, to love music and to not be able to get enough of it and to eat it. A lot of people wanna be a DJ, and fair enough - but do they love it? Let's talk about your producer side, how's it going? I spent so long learning to DJ, in today's climate you need to be producer and then you learn to DJ, I've done it the other way round! Now it's got to a level where I'm really happy with it. To come out as an artist and be known for DJing all types of shit must be weird, like what kind of records are people expecting? Last year was testing out loads of different styles and seeing what the reaction is, and the reaction is fucking do the hard shit. Now I've got 5 or 6 records coming out one after the other, which is next level! It's all systems go at the moment, the studio is 24/7 right now. I'm a single parent as well, so I have to teach my son the way of the ninja at the same time - it's exhausting. Last summer you premiered the Dirty Horses at SW4, with Adam F and Mind Vortex - can we expect productions from that or is it strictly a mixing group? No that's mainly production. There's a record to go, like 10 tracks. There's too many things to think about, when you're a band with three guys all with different opinions - it's great and everything but it's hard to do your stuff on the side and do gigs. There's only a certain bandwidth you've got as a human being. Sometimes when you've got a vi- sion that's just so massive you've just gotta let it cook for a minute. So that's kinda stewing away - but we've got some great stuff man. It's like the Gorillaz on acid. We've got some big shit on there. Has there been a place that's blown your mind? Going to Japan was fucking epic. I'm a fake ninja so it was going to the land of ninjas and all the Japa- nese stuff was just amazing and DJing at Womb and stuff, hanging out with everyone - I felt so lucky. If you weren't involved in music, what do you see yourself doing? I'd like to be a movie director or I've always wanted to do special effects. I'd love to know how to do that stuff. I love art, I love creating stuff. It's movies and music. "IT'S TIME NOW TO FOCUS MY SHIT, THERE'S SO MUCH MORE TO JAGUAR SKILLS." Arren Haynes | Guestlist follow @JAGSKILLS INTERVIEW: JAGUAR SKILLS