Jobe Interview: I really matured musically in Leicester

Sankey’s Carnival sessions have been all about inviting the finest talent from across the globe to their Saturday soirees in Ibiza. The order of the day is cosmopolitan grooves, continental flair and essentially the finest the globe can muster. Brazil’s D-Edge, LA’s Culprit, Italy’s Tenax and Tel Aviv’s Be as One all the promotions selected, giving a fully panoramic take on the global scene.

Only this week the destination is a lot closer to home. Very much so for Sankeys in fact, as they’re inviting Manchester agency Underground down to host the club on Saturday. The city will always have an indelible impact on the Sankeys enterprise, having been the nucleus of their organisation for so long. And Underground represent part of the city’s new wave, currently taking up the mantle by promoting events in South and Gorilla in the city and representing the likes of Finnebassen, Dale Howard and James Silk via their agency.

Another one of their top talents is Jobe, who will be making his Sankeys Ibiza debut this weekend alongside the Agency. We caught up with him to discuss the impact the two cities he spent his early adulthood in, Newcastle and Leicester, his time as an RAF instructor and dreams of making it as a basketball pro.

Hi Jobe. For our readers who may not have heard of you before can you tell us some more about your style and sound?

I always find this question difficult to answer, mainly because it changes from time to time. I’ve made quite melodic uplifting tracks, while others have been a lot harder. I guess my usual sound is quite raw, deep disco/house.

You’re originally from Newcastle but attended University at Leicester. How important were these two different cities in shaping your tastes and passions for house music, and were you a big frequenter of the likes of Shindig, Wax:On and Shivoo?

My early days in Newcastle were usually spent in the more commercial clubs. I hadn’t really cut my teeth on real house music back then, I only ever went to Shindig once, and that was New Year 2000!  Which was unreal. 

I only really started to discover the underground scene after university in Leicester, when I stared DJing. I guess Newcastle gave me the love of music and clubbing in general, but I really matured musically in Leicester. That’s where I discovered Breaks, Dubstep (when it was good), Drum & Bass, Deep House, Minimal, Techno etc, and all of these genres have helped shape my current tastes. Since I started DJing I still haven’t had a gig in Newcastle, so I’m really looking forward to heading back home and playing some of those amazing venues!

You used to play basketball to the point where you wanted to make a career of it. When did you relinquish this goal and did music pretty much replace that straight away?

That’s a great question! I loved basketball more than anything else, I played pretty much every day from the age of 13, until my late twenties. I desperately wanted to play professionally, and did play to a high level throughout my career, but the issue was always the UK scene. There’s no money in Basketball, so you have go abroad if you want a decent career, and I never got that chance. 

After university I started to realise that it was an unrealistic career, and it was around that time I really started to get into music. I also joined the Air Force as a Fitness Instructor which took priority over everything. Luckily, I decided after a year or so that it wasn’t for me, so I left and went back to Leicester. That’s when I really started taking music seriously, and started to make progress towards a career.

You’re due to play Sankeys Ibiza in June as part of the Underground’s party at Carnival. Have you played at the club before, and what have your previous experiences of Ibiza been like?

For some weird reason, I’ve never been to Sankey’s in Manchester or Ibiza! Shameful behaviour, I know. I respect the club so much, but I’ve never made it down to a night. I was gutted when Sankey’s Manchester closed, because I really wanted to experience playing, and going to that club, I just never made it in time. 

It’s amazing to be given the chance to play in Ibiza, of all places. I’m still a bit gobsmacked to be honest. So my first ever experience of Sankey’s will be behind the decks in Ibiza!! In a way, I’m glad I waited until now. It’s going to be somewthing I’ll never forget, I can’t wait.

We’ve also seen you’re part of the Vertigo festival in august. Are you looking forward to the event, and is it exciting to be part of something right at the very start of its life cycle?

Absolutely, I’ve been looking forward to it for months. The line up is amazing, so it’s a huge privilege to be playing alongside those guys. I’ve also got quite a few friends coming along, so it will make the experience even more memorable to have those guys smiling back at me from the crowd. 

It’s also very cool to be part of the festival from the beginning, they have chosen an amazing location and the organisers are so professional, I think it’s going to be a huge success. Imagine going mental to some ridiculous tunes in the middle of the mountains!?

What other festivals are you playing this summer?                              

I don’t have any others planned. I played at Love System Festival in Croatia, and I’ve just got back from Off Sonar (which was unreal!), but besides those I’ve got nothing else scheduled. I wanted to try Burning Man this year, but I haven’t managed to sort anything yet, so it look like that is going to be next year instead.

What DJs and producers are you really digging right now? Have you got a top tip on someone who may not have been given the exposure their talent deserves?

I’ll reel some off; Samu.l, Guy J, Inxec, Droog, Hector, Laura Jones, Audiofly, German Brigante, Avatism, Cozzy D, Dale Howard, No Artificial Colours, MFR, Steve Bug, Super Flu, Tom Demac… to name a few!  And my ‘one to watch’ is Dexter Ford.

And finally what lies in the future for you?

A flourishing career, hopefully!! I’m still not doing this full time, so that’s the ultimate goal. I want to spend all of my time making music, and playing out, that’s when I’m happiest. I’m not sure when that will be, but that’s what I’m working towards. Always.

Head here to find out more information about Sankeys Ibiza.

For more info on the Underground head here.

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