James Pople: "don't try and be like your favourite DJ"

His latest releases ‘I Never Knew’ on Electronique and the ‘Who’s That Girl EP’ on Feast Records has gained him the respect and support of big names such as Noir, Droog, Groove Armada, Wolf + Lamb, Huxley, Louie Fresco to name a few.

We caught up with him for a chat ahead of his appearance at Pacha Presents this Friday with Nathan Rovers and more. 

Did you make any new year resolutions, and have you stuck to them?!

I don't know if I made any resolutions as such. But I always write down all my goals at New Year to help me focus on what I want to achieve.

And how was last year for you – something of a breakthrough, right?

Yeah it was really great. I was taken on by SPL agency and then found myself gigging more regularly, playing bigger clubs and supporting bigger artists. It's all still very exciting.

How long had you been making music before your first official release, and how do you feel about it now you look back?

It was only a couple of months before that I made 'Keep It Up' so production wise it all went very quickly which was a huge blessing.

What were some of the highlights, some standout moments?

The SPL Showcase and Deep'art were definitely the best UK gigs I had, also supporting Solomun was pretty special. Then traveling to Naples and Salerno was awesome, very cool vibe there and the Italians sure know how to party!

And what have been the biggest lessons you have learnt whilst on tour and producing?

It may sound cheesy but really just figuring out that the best thing to do for both is just be yourself. Don't try and be like your favourite DJ, make records just like them etc… just let it come from you naturally.

I understand you have new music on the way, can you tell us about it? What inspired it, the thinking behind it and so on?

I've started playing more up-tempo house records the past year so my new music is quite different to what I've done before. It's faster, more groovy and generally I think it's much better.

How do you feel about playing at places as famous as Pacha? Do you still get nervous?

Yeah I still get nervous pretty much every time I play but once I've played the first two or three records the nerves fall away and the time flies by.

What sorts of things should people expect from you, anything special up your sleeve?

I'm doing a few collaborations at the moment with some artists that might not seem very obvious choices and the sounds are really cool, so you will have to wait and see!

And what else have you got coming up/are you looking forward to?

I'm moving to Ibiza in March for the season, will be there till October and then moving to Berlin. Pretty much taking up all my excitement at the moment!

What do you like to do away from music?

I love to be outdoors and in nature. I particularly like a day on the beach - soaking up some sun is always good. 

James Pople appears at Pacha for Pacha Presents this Friday. Tickets are available below. 

Tickets are no longer available for this event