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Issue 107

Monthly newspaper and online publication targeting 18 to 35 year olds. The ultimate guide to the hottest parties, going out and having fun. Music, fashion, film, travel, festivals, technology, comedy, and parties! London, Barcelona, Miami and Ibiza.

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You have a new track on Danny Howard's label, Nothing Else Matters. Tell us a bit about the new track, 'Indiana'. Lewis: We wrote the vocal with our friends Boy Matthews & Kyan in Kyan's studio in Cambridge a while ago actually. We laid down some chords and had a really strong verse idea, but couldn't find anything that worked as a chorus. I then remembered a hook idea that Boy Matthews had sent us ages ago, we listened back to it and it fit perfectly as our chorus. It was a bit of a strange one merging two vocal ideas together, but in this case it worked. Lyrically, we wanted something that captured an 80s nostalgic vibe as Laurie and I are pretty heavily influenced by that era. The production was where we wanted to take things more modern, we took the vocal we'd written back to mine and played around with some new chord ideas. Within a few hours the track was done - it was a breeze to make, these are usually the best ideas! There's no doubt you have your own inspirations when it comes to making music, or life in general. Who immediately comes to mind? Lewis: for me, I don't really get inspired by other music that much - it's mainly doing mundane tasks (driving, shopping etc) that spurs on my creativity. I guess if you take inspiration from one particular artist, then chances are you're going to sound just like them. In my experience, it's been best from taking ideas from loads of sources and trusting my emotions when we're onto something good. Laurie: The most inspiring thing for me is playing shows, watching how people react to our music and partying with them often helps inspire where the music needs to go. Other than that it's about finding that special moment in the studio where you feel like you're presenting something from a new angle, or from a voice that hasn't been voiced before. You've received support on your tracks from Danny Howard in the past. How does it feel to now have music being released on his label? It feels amazing. Danny has supported our music for a long time, so we knew he was a fan, but had no idea he intended to sign us to Nothing Else Matters. When we found out he wanted to work together it felt like a no-brainer. You're best friends who went on to create a DJ and producer duo. What was the dream when you first started out? We dreamt small to begin with. Just Kiddin wasn't really created with much of a plan or clear sense of direction. We were both friends that liked making music, so why not get our heads together and start something? We've always made music that us, and all our friends would like - I suppose it turns out that if you and all your friends dig it, other people will too! What is it really like working alongside your best friend? Like anything there's ups-and-downs but we know each other better than anyone. I don't think either of us would find this journey quite as fun if we were on our own. Through JK, we've travelled the world together and had an absolute blast! What advice would you give a duo today starting out in their music career? Work hard and make music that you whole- heartedly believe is amazing. If you make something that after weeks, you still wanna keep listening to - it's gotta be good! Knowing what you know now, in what way would that advice differ if you were giving it to your younger self? Collaborate with as many people as you can. Writers, producers, songwriters, musicians etc. I've previously held back from collaborating - possibly out of fear - but putting yourself in a room with another head is an amazing way to learn. Your club performances continue to be a hit with the crowd. Tell us a bit about how you prepare for a big set? We just try to have fun in our sets to be honest. Usually if we're having fun, the crowd are too. We put a lot of prep into our sets and pack them full of edits that we make ourselves - it's a long one and means we spend hours cutting up tracks - but it's totally worth it. What are your thoughts on blending different genres into a track for a future Just Kiddin release? We're always experimenting in the studio & incorporating different styles into our music. Since we started, we never really put our music into one particular box. I think that's allowed us to take our sound wherever it feels right. We'll continue to develop and blend more genres for sure, but we just try to follow our natural progression. It's not quite so calculated! What can we expect from Just Kiddin in 2018? A bunch of more music that we're really excited about releasing. We've had music made for a while, but haven't had the right home or platform to share it. We think this year is different and are more excited than ever about the music we have right now! 2018 / ISSUE 107 29 Just Kiddin are homegrown talents who, after coming up through the Eton Messy crew, have become a sensation across the pond in the US. After a brief musical hiatus, they're back on the scene with new track 'Indiana', out on Danny Howard's Nothing Else Matters label - we caught up with the pair to discuss their journey so far. follow @wearejustkiddin HOUSE Cristina Trujillo | Guestlist " I DON'T THINK EITHER OF US WOULD FIND THIS JOURNEY QUITE AS FUN IF WE WERE ON OUR OWN. "

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