{"id":6967,"date":"2015-02-27T09:18:54","date_gmt":"2015-02-27T08:18:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.deephouselondon.com\/?p=6967"},"modified":"2015-05-14T13:55:07","modified_gmt":"2015-05-14T11:55:07","slug":"exclusive-interview-laura-jones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.deephouseamsterdam.com\/london\/exclusive-interview-laura-jones\/","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive Interview: Laura Jones"},"content":{"rendered":"

Laura Jones surprised us with her latest EP on Visionquest, which was tougher than her previous releases to say the least. Of course, in the booth she often drops sets that have more of a techno-influence but production-wise this seemed to be a move in a slightly different direction to what we’ve been used to so far. With news that she’s working on launching her own label, plus lots more to talk about with 2015 already proving to be super busy, we caught up with Laura to get the lowdown on all her news…<\/strong><\/p>\n

First off, how is everything going at the moment?<\/strong>
\nEverything is great thank you. It\u2019s head down time in the studio which I\u2019m loving as I\u2019ve recently bought some new gear that I\u2019m learning to use.<\/p>\n

Ah nice one, what new equipment have you picked up?<\/strong>
\nA Prophet 12 polyphonic synthesizer and a Doepfer Dark Time sequencer and I\u2019m about to invest in some new external FX and a proper analogue mixing desk.<\/p>\n

Any piece of gear you\u2019re particularly enjoying working with so far?<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s all great to be honest. I\u2019ve always written my own hooks and relied very minimally on samples but I\u2019m loving using the sequencer to write hooks with. It\u2019s really hands-on and I don\u2019t need to use my eyes so much \u2013 just twisting knobs and flicking switches until it sounds right. It\u2019s been ace discovering what the Prophet has to offer too, it\u2019s pretty endless.<\/p>\n

Tell me a bit about last summer, as I know you moved over to Ibiza for a while\u2026<\/strong>
\nYeah, Gavin (my boyfriend) and I moved over there for the season. We\u2019ve got some friends who\u2019ve been living out there a few years now so it felt like a return home in a weird way. We\u2019d been living together in Leeds for five years and Ibiza felt like a very natural choice and change of scenery. The last time I did a season was 2005 so a lot has changed since then! I was working for Caf\u00e9 Mambo and going out raving each and every week to Circo Loco and Cocoon whereas this time round, I was playing<\/em> for Circo Loco for the third season and playing debut sets on the terrace. It\u2019s bizarre to think also that the friends I made in 2005 through going to DC10 each week – like Jamie (Jones), Richy Ahmed, Russ Yallop or Matt Tolfrey – are now some of the biggest DJs in the scene.<\/p>\n

You and Gav played at DC10 together, how was that?<\/strong>
\nWe did! We didn\u2019t play a back to back set but Gavin played his debut in the main room and I followed on the terrace. We had lots of friends there too so it was one of the highlights of the season for us.<\/p>\n

[youtube id=”8uzDf0k6zIY” width=”620″ height=”360″]<\/p>\n

How did being in Ibiza in 2014 compare with the summers you spent there before becoming an artist?<\/strong>
\nWell, we went to DC10 every week so some things never change!<\/p>\n

Will you be going back this summer?<\/strong>
\nDefinitely. For how long is a question mark but we\u2019ll be there in some way.<\/p>\n

Any cool spots, club-wise or not, that you discovered or you can recommend?<\/strong>
\nMy favourite beach is Agua Blancas in the North. Our favourite restaurant was Tago Mago, an amazing restaurant on a tiny island that can only be accessed by speed boat. As far as clubs, all the usuals like DC10, Space or Amnesia are still delivering. Underground has always been a favourite of ours as it\u2019s a little off the beaten track. Amazingly I\u2019d never been to Atlantis until last year. We went with a film crew just as the light was starting to fade and were so mesmerised by the setting that by the time we needed to climb back up it had gone dark and made for a very hairy yet hilarious ascent.<\/p>\n

Is there anywhere else you\u2019d like to live in Europe or the rest of the world?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019d really love to move to the States for a little while, just for three to six months maybe. The only issue is deciding on where… I\u2019m voting NYC and my boyfriend is voting LA as he wants to live by the ocean.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the plan now you\u2019re back in Leeds then?<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s been pretty non-stop since we got back so we still have stuff in boxes! There is a lot of development going on in Leeds at the moment so it\u2019s almost like living in a different city. For the minute though it\u2019s studio hibernation time during the week so we\u2019re focusing on our own projects but there\u2019ll obviously be time for a bit of fun in between.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re almost in February already, what have been up to so far in 2015?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019ve been in Mexico playing for Damian Lazarus at Day Zero. I made a return to Ecuador the following weekend for a show in Quito and at Lost Beach club in Montanita for the first time. I was in Istanbul, Dubai, Belgium and UK the other weeks. I celebrated my birthday and I\u2019ve been working hard in the studio also. Not the most relaxed start to the year, but I wouldn\u2019t have it any other way.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s good to be busy and in-demand though eh? How did you celebrate your birthday??<\/strong>
\nI had an early celebration with some friends in Tulum then my actual birthday was spent playing in Ecuador. I ended up having a birthday that was about three weeks long though as I celebrated with some friends in Leeds when I got back, too.<\/p>\n

Tell us more about Day Zero, that must have been quite an experience\u2026<\/strong>
\nIt was an idyllic setting, in a quarry with a crystal turquoise blue lake that Damian renamed ‘Moon Valley’. It was great to see him debuting his new live four-piece project, which was as epic as anticipated. The mix of artists was great from Mathew Jonson to Harvey and it was great to meet some new faces like Citizenn, so the banter was top notch backstage, too.<\/p>\n

[youtube id=”v-AmUBR-9zU” width=”620″ height=”360″]<\/p>\n

And how about South America in general? What\u2019s your general experience of that part of the world? Anywhere you\u2019ve enjoyed visiting, in terms of performing? And also tourist-wise?…<\/strong>
\nI love all of South America. I speak Spanish fluently, so that always helps. On the last visit I returned to Ecuador to play for Lost Beach and another place in Quito. Ecuador is quickly becoming one of my favourites. Although I also love Brazil, which has made me really want to learn Portuguese too. Warung is probably my favourite club. It\u2019s like a Balinese hut reimagined as a super club on the beach but I also love D-Edge in Sao Paolo. It always feels like being in a sci-fi film playing there when the lights are going crazy.<\/p>\n

Did you start out this year with any firm plans or targets? If so, what are you aiming to achieve?<\/strong>
\nMy main priority is to get as much music made for my label but at the same time lay down the groundwork for an original album, which I\u2019d like to put out some time next year. I plan to start putting some more time and effort in to charity, seeking out ways to help others with eye disorders as well as enrol for next year\u2019s London marathon. It\u2019s a life-long ambition to do a marathon so I think it\u2019s about time.<\/p>\n

Your label?! Great, what\u2019s the score with that?…<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s going to be for my own production to begin with and I\u2019ll be selecting some of my favourite producers to remix the tracks. It\u2019s great releasing music with other labels, but I really want to add my touch to the whole process of making a release from the artwork and design to the release strategy.<\/p>\n

Your latest EP with Visionquest focused on a tougher sound than people might expect from you, what was the inspiration behind that?<\/strong>
\nIt might be surprising for anyone that only knows me by my production, but if you\u2019ve heard me play out you\u2019ll know that I\u2019ve always played dark and tough. My tastes and sound are quite broad so hopefully this EP gives people a bit more perspective on what I\u2019m about as an artist.<\/p>\n

Wicked, and what\u2019s next release-wise?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019ve been concentrating all my efforts on my forthcoming label for the last few months but I\u2019m also going to be working on some music for other labels as well to mix it up but its too early to talk about anything just yet.<\/p>\n

We noticed that one of your friends is running the London Marathon in aid of Fight For Sight, which is obviously a cause that is very close to your heart \u2013 would you mind telling us a bit about the charity?<\/strong>
\nYes! The amazing Lucy Taylor! She\u2019ll be the third friend to run the London marathon for Fight For Sight after my best friend, Gill Dalton started the trend a few years back. I\u2019m very touched and honoured that they\u2019ve all taken the time out of their busy schedules to dedicate their energy to such a worthwhile cause that is indeed very close to my heart. The charity helps fund research in not only the eye disease that I have, Stargardt\u2019s Macular Dystrophy, but many other eye diseases that affect thousands of people around the world.<\/p>\n

And how can people find out more about the organisation and Lucy\u2019s fundraising efforts?<\/strong>
\nPeople can find out more about the charity here: www.fightforsight.org.uk<\/a>
\nAnd if anyone feels like digging deep, you can find Lucy\u2019s fundraising page here: www.justgiving.com\/Lucylucy32<\/a>
\nNo contribution is too big or small so if you\u2019d like to contribute then huge thanks in advance. You will be making a huge difference.<\/p>\n

Artist Page<\/a><\/span>Soundcloud<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Laura Jones surprised us with her latest EP on Visionquest, which was tougher than her previous releases to say the least. Of course, in the booth she often drops sets that have more of a techno-influence but production-wise this seemed to be a move in a slightly different direction to what we’ve been used to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":17441,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3971],"tags":[4434,4603,4602],"class_list":["post-6967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","category-interviews-london","tag-gavin-herlihy","tag-laura-jones-london-2","tag-visionquest-london-2","post_format-post-format-audio"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.deephouseamsterdam.com\/london\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.deephouseamsterdam.com\/london\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.deephouseamsterdam.com\/london\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.deephouseamsterdam.com\/london\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.deephouseamsterdam.com\/london\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6967"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.deephouseamsterdam.com\/london\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6967\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.deephouseamsterdam.com\/london\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.deephouseamsterdam.com\/london\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.deephouseamsterdam.com\/london\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.deephouseamsterdam.com\/london\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}