As the popularity of drum and bass skyrockets exponentially the scope of artists pushing this sound globally increases more, and more, every day. As well as the usual suspects, there is a wave of artists who have transitioned from rising stars to established, elite level, performers – joining the very best in the drum and bass world we all know and love. Before drum and bass, Harriet Jaxxon already had a budding career as a garage and house DJ. She burst onto the drum and bass scene by warming up for Shy FX, was quickly picked up by Ram Records not too long after and the rest is history.
Her unique style of mixing is mesmerising. Utilising 4 decks, the ability to seamlessly blend and transition different sub-genres and styles of music is masterfully crafted as she is now consistently one to look out for on any electronic bill. Harriet’s diverse pallet has been homed in through many years of mixing within different scenes that include garage and house – back when she was signed to Ministry of Sound. These years prepared her for when she finally took the drum and bass scene by storm with such dynamism and innovation.
The London-born artist has now gone on to achieve so much involving showstopping sets at Glastonbury, Boomtown, Printworks, Warehouse Project and a wide-range of performances around the globe. Locking in a BBC Radio 1 residency, as well as playing on some of dance music’s biggest platforms including Rinse Fm and Capital Fm, Harriet is widely considered one of the driving forces behind the new wave of drum and bass coming from the UK.
As a producer Jaxxon has been responsible for some real heavy-hitters that have caused waves in the community including ‘The Sound’, the ‘Save Me From Myself’ remix, and ‘The Story of Women’. Now, she has a new two-track EP out on Souped Up Records which contains ‘Stop Me’ and ‘4 Me’, two sought after, high energy, tracks on the circuit that will undoubtedly get the dancefloor moving for the rest of the summer season. It’s been 2 years since her last release, so we thought it was only right to have a chat with this formidable DJ and producer as she talks about the release and how her influences have shaped the artist she has become.
What kind of stuff were you listening to before you even started mixing?
I’ve always been into loads of different types of music, not just dance music. I was interested in going to raves and clubs more for the experience, at that age, than anything else. To this day, I don’t really listen to dance music when I’m at home or driving. The stuff I listen to most often that’s fed into my own production are genres like dub, reggae, 90’s hip-hop, soul, funk, a bit of everything really.
What got you inspired into listening to drum and bass?
My key introduction to drum & bass was when I found out about old jungle music through my dad. Learning about people like Roni Size, DJ Ron, and those types of 90s jungle artists. Then ten years later it was acts like Chase & Status and High Contrast. They were the types of producers I loved watching when I was old enough to go out and see them. My number 1 DJ to watch, however, was Andy C.
How would you describe your mixing style to someone who’s never seen you play?
No matter what genre I’m mixing, I’d like to think I’ve always, quite naturally, created a journey in my sets. I like to explore sounds that have different energies throughout a performance. I like to start my sets with quite high energy, then have a middle section that is a bit more deeper with some rolling sounds and I end with more high energy.
What have you been able to take away from your time mixing other genres, if anything at all, that you have brought into your drum and bass career today?
I guess trying to be as creative as possible with my track selection. Leaning towards the more unconventional and unexpected. It’s something that I get quite a lot of positive feedback on. From mixing previous genres, I’ve tended to try and fuse things that on paper probably don’t make much sense. This has been a constant throughout my DJ career. Being experimental is what keeps things interesting for me. It’s one of those things that I’ve had to get wrong a bunch of times to get right. It did cause me problems in the past as some people didn’t understand what I was trying to do. Back then promoters were more focused on whether you could do a certain sound for their night. This caused some confusion as to what events to book me on or what room to put me in. In the end, it’s now something that sets me apart.
And the set that fully bought you back to drum and bass was when you were booked to play before Shy FX.
Yes, it was a club show near my hometown at the time, within Kent. I hadn’t played drum and bass for a while. That show is what reminded me that this was the kind of scene and music that really did it for me. That set made me decide this was the genre I wanted to focus on. It’s not to say I didn’t enjoy mixing stuff like house and garage in my previous years. But the energy of this set from the crowd to the MC felt like a different level to me – a reminder of what was missing whilst I’d been playing around in other scenes. .
What followed after the realisation that drum & bass sets were something you wanted more of?
At this point, I already had a name for myself as a DJ. I was signed with Ministry of Sound and I was touring as one of their DJs. Despite being in the house and garage circuit, I had already been mixing drum & bass in the past so it wasn’t unexpected that I was playing it out locally. I was still very much a raver, going to events like Ram and Hospitality. Still getting to know the people behind these brands. The next drum & bass set I played out I recorded and put up on soundcloud. The label manager of Ram heard it and asked me for a meeting. They felt my skills lay with mixing drum and bass. They wanted to know if this was the direction I wanted to go in, if so they wanted to back me. I agreed.
Do you remember what Ram’s role was with you?
This was at the beginning of 2018. So I’d get to play a variety of their events. They were doing loads of stage takeovers at festivals, so I remember doing a lot of them. The label manager had a sort of management position with me as an artist. It primarily gave me a platform to showcase my DJing ability.
I’d love to hear about some key moments you feel have led you to the established powerhouse you are today?
The summer of 2019 was a big year for me. I was really pushing hard the year before lockdown. I played on some huge stages, like on Origin at Boomtown. That summer I was on loads of festivals for the first time. Not peak slots as such, but it was a pivotal time for me as I felt it got me on the map massively. At the back end of 2019 I toured Australia and New Zealand for the first time, doing the festival circuit out there too across christmas and new years. I’d say covid came right in the middle of my personal trajectory. However, through lockdown I did manage to continue elevating myself as an artist. I did a podcast, put my first tune out and I was just generally being as active as possible. Post-covid, I found myself back on loads of great festivals again including Glastonbury, Creamfields & Boomtown, as well as some incredible shows at Printworks and in the Depot at Warehouse Project. In more recent times, I’ve started touring America too, which has been really exciting to break into a new territory.
Similarly, what releases would you say have cemented your place in the scene further?
Yes, a few different ones for different reasons. I think my debut release ‘The Sound’ was a really good one to get things going. It did really well given the climate. This was in the middle of a lockdown period. I could feel that there was a general desire for me to release something as I’d created some noise around myself as a DJ and I already had some sort of following. It was a big moment because now I would start getting recognition as a producer, not just as a DJ. The last bit of music I put out was 2 years ago ‘Story of Women’, and that was a cool moment for me because I took a lot of control on the visual aspects of the project. I got quite a lot of props on this one from radio shows, good press, and stuff like that.
Moving on to now. You’ve got a two-tracker coming out on Souped Up Records. How did that come about?
I’d already released on Souped Up in 2022, with GQ called ‘Find a Space’. Serum signed this new release after he’d heard a demo of ‘Stop Me’ play off a phone. He really liked it. I then sent him a folder of stuff I’d been working on and the other track on the release ‘4 Me’ is one he also really loved. It all came about quite naturally. This is my first release in two years, I’m not someone who could be comfortable releasing music for the sake of it. I need to be in the right frame of mind to maximise my creativity. This whole process of taking a step back and taking the pressure off to deliver, has been great for my mindset and it feels like the right time to start sharing everything I’ve been working on. .
Have we got more Harriet Jaxxon releases to look forward to in the coming months?
Yes, I’ve been writing loads of new music since the start of this year. I’m sitting on a lot of different tunes. I’ve got more music than I’ve ever had, that I’ve been playing in my sets. I definitely have plans to release them in the future. But I am also enjoying having my own dubs dominating my sets and being able to watch how they land with a live crowd before promoting them for a purpose. I’m trying to produce music with no agenda as such. Taking the strategic pressure off has made me enjoy the whole writing process a lot more and has actually started to deliver the results I’ve always wanted, way more organically. I’m in a place where I truly understand my sound and identity as an artist now.
How have you overcome challenges you’ve faced on your journey?
One thing I’ve learnt is that progress is never linear. Everyone has their initial trajectory or rise, momentary hype, but the key is realising it’s not easily sustainable, for anyone, and definitely shouldn’t be taken for granted. To survive in this industry, understanding longevity is crucial. . The key thing is your strength, grit and ambition. That really comes into play at the points when a journey plateaus. It’s how you deal with that mentally that’ll determine what course you take next. The lifecycle of certain sounds, trends, come and go, so the psychology behind coming to terms with the need for preservation and reinvention is really important – especially in today’s landscape.
Where do you think the scene is at the moment in terms of opportunities and inclusivity?
Everyone is learning all the time. Our current economic climate and how that’s affected nightlife and ticket sales has been a real challenge for people who are putting on these events. Venues are closing at an alarming rate. All of these factors have a knock on effect on how much room there is for everyone. There are fewer events and people can’t afford tickets. On the flip side, everyone now has the opportunity of having a platform through social media. Open access is something that didn’t exist before. With so many polarising factors I think it’s impossible to get it right all the time. I do see where people are trying though and it’s great to see.
How has the summer festival season been for you so far?
I had Parklife a few weeks ago which was great. I did Worried About Henry the other day at Silverworks which was also wicked. I played a nice one at the On the Beach after party in Brighton last weekend. Another stand out this month was one of the last Motion events too, which was great but also sad as it was a goodbye to such a great venue.
And what bookings have you got coming up for the rest of the summer?
I’m looking forward to Boomtown. I’ll be playing on Friday afternoon with Voltage which is a first for us. There’s a Worried About Henry festival in Malta in September which looks really cool. I think it’s the first time they’re doing something there. I’ve got Nibirii festival in Germany soon, which I’ve not done before, and I’ll be heading back out to North America in the Autumn too
What have some of your favourite venues been to play at?
Printworks was the best venue for me. It’s my default answer. That Royal Rumble set I did with T>I, Benny L, and MC Det will especially live long in the memory. I also really like the concourse room at Warehouse Project. Underground in Bristol is a great new one. In terms of smaller venues, it’s hard to say but I really am on board with the growing introduction of 360 set ups in these venues as it feels more immersive.
And in terms of places, what cities get you excited?
Bristol for sure. It has a guaranteed vibe. You know the crowd is going to get onboard. London and Manchester are the two other cities where you can get this too. They’re sort of like the holy trinity of places to rave in the UK.
As someone who is now established within the scene. Are there any up-and-comers we should be looking out for?
I’ve been doing sets with a very talented MC called Jolie P. We’ve got plans to link up a lot more moving forward and I’ve been in the studio with her recording too. Performing together has felt like natural good energy every time. It came about for us after I saw her doing a 140 set online over a year ago. I hit her up and we did a set on Kool Fm. It got good traction online, straight away it was obvious that our dynamic works. The best things start like that, organically. I know she’s got loads of potential as an artist. I’m really excited for her and for us. I want to give these Romanian promoters a shout out too. They’re called Quite Lucky and they did a DnB Allstars collab event last year. They also get involved with things like Hospitality on the Beach. I did a 360 party with them a few weeks ago. I’m really impressed with the community they’ve built. Their whole brand is on point and I really respect the hustle and the integrity.
Finally, are there any dream back to backs you’d love to do, past or present?
I’d have loved to go back to back with Randall. RIP, to the official G.O.A.T. – it’s such a loss – he was truly unmatched. Other than that, Andy C, the 17-year-old raver in me would still lose her mind. Special Request would be sick too. Maybe Kings of the Rollers – all 3 of them!
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