The art of selecting may seem like an easy enough gig, but to truly create a spectacle in the dance that lives long in the memory a fluid understanding of your tracks is essential. Although venues up-and-down the country are struggling, there’s still an inspiring shining light on British dance music with a wave of new talented artists expressing themselves freely – causing elation in the rave. Paris-born Just Jane is leading the way and has dived into the club world demonstrating this knack for selection and technical prowess – forging her into one of the brightest of rising stars within the underground scene.
Jane, like many other new artists, is faced with challenges regarding the pressures of having an online presence. The importance of social media and the reach it gives artists is unprecedented, a tool where you can market yourself to essentially anyone in the scene. Although the eclectic artist from South London accepts that this medium must be taken advantage of, she still aims to maintain her creative credentials and not rely solely towards online forces. Anyone that has watched her in action can see her multifaceted skill set behind the decks through the way she approaches her performances – making the art of DJing intriguing to many new fans around the country.
With a range of sounds influencing her curations, this diverse artist is not contained into just one avenue. The skill of club DJing is an art form in of itself. Many can mix and produce to high levels, but to showcase a sound that stays relevant, intricate and vibrant in the dance takes many hours of learning your tracks inside out. Just Jane has demonstrated this keen ear for club sounds throughout her rise as one of the scene’s best selectors currently. As a now highly sought after act, her love for left-field sounds and an appreciation for a plethora of genres, including bass, techno, grime, dubstep, uk garage and electro, lends itself nicely to her well rounded, thought out, electronic performances – making her a promoter’s dream to book. It’s no coincidence that she’s already played some of the most iconic venues in Europe including Fabric and Razzmatazz, with other European sets already secured in the coming summer months.
There is a lot of noise around this masterful Londoner, with some of the biggest names in the scene tipping her to reach the very top. Boasting appearances on BBC Radio 1xtra, Rinse.fm, Balamii, Kindred and a whole host of the best underground radio platforms, as well as representing the likes of Keep Hush, Percy Mingle, Kyso Sound and a range of the most forward-thinking electronic brands in the country. It was only right we caught up with the South Londoner – finding out a bit more about what inspires her. We’ll take a deep dive into her early career so far and find out what thrilling projects are on the horizon.
Talk to me about your early influences.
Originally, I was doing classical music from the age of seven. I was part of this scholarship scheme which was a division of the Guildhall. I was learning the piano and oboe – both instruments fascinated me. I completed all my grades and played in orchestras at places like the Barbican. This side of music was a big part of my early life. My transition into electronic music came from me listening to SBTRKT from the age of 11. One of my first raves was Ms.Dynamite at The Nest, which is closed down now, but was really inspiring. I also remember seeing Special Request at Jazz Cafe. I went to a lot of jungle drum & bass events, seeing the likes of DJ Marky who I really rated. Production-wise, SBTRKT and Joy Orbison were two artists that inspired me the most – that ‘Hyph Mngo’ tune was an obsession of mine for years.
I guess electronic music became your new passion!
100%. I remember just becoming immersed into the sound and culture. I was going to an event pretty much every week. I was so interested in these electronic sounds. I remember the first time I heard ‘Hackney Parrot’ when Special Request dropped it that night at Jazz Cafe I was talking about earlier. It just got me thinking – ‘what sound is that?’ I became very captivated by this whole scene very quickly.
The classical training must’ve been a really good foundation for you musically!
Definitely. It taught me a lot about learning music and gave me structure. An all round amazing experience. I love all music, and it’s important to appreciate different sounds. The learning process is all the same premise. I still play to this day.
So, what made you want to learn how to DJ?
It was towards the end of lockdown in 2021. A lot of my mates who I went raving with knew how to DJ. It was something that was on my mind throughout my early raving days. I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t start soon.
And how did you learn?
I started off by getting a load of credit down at pirate studios and learning by myself. I got a lot out of this alone time, working everything out and figuring out the types of sounds I wanted to play with. Once I started getting the hang of it, I’d meet up with mates who already knew how to DJ and I was confident enough to have a mix with them. Back when I was starting out, I watched loads of mixes to try and understand what people were doing. I’d also pay attention to what my friends were doing and watch their techniques. I was just being very observant. When I commit to something I immerse myself in it. I was practicing consistently, invested in some equipment, and always trying to learn.
What were you doing outside of music? Had you been studying, working, how did your day-to-day look?
I was studying neuroscience at University. When I finished, I was lucky enough to be doing brand work which was sustainable for me. I was doing some part-time, freelance AI training work when I needed to – but I had nothing concrete. I’m lucky enough now that I’ve got enough going on in music to fill my time up. I’m currently training to become a yoga teacher which is really exciting. It’s important to have other things going on outside of music. With the DJing schedule filling up more and more I do love to have that balance.
How did your DJing journey in the clubs begin?
I got my first booking quite quickly into my DJ journey. It was around the 6 month period of starting. It was Halloween of 2021 at Lab11. It was a drum & bass set. At the time I was mixing a lot of genres, getting to grips with it all. It was a wicked event. I did a few more drum & bass sets but I was trying to move away from this and into sounds I wanted to play. At this point, I didn’t have a social media presence. I didn’t really start on the social media stuff till a bit later on in my journey. Over time, I did end up getting more breakbeat, bass, and dubstep sets and once these opportunities started to appear I decided I no longer wanted to do drum & bass sets. I still go up the tempo a bit, but with the 140bpm sound I can mix dubstep, bass, techno, breaks, grime, electro and a whole load of other genres – this is what I get most joy out of when I’m DJing.
Your social media presence seems like a tool you’ve been able to use to your advantage.
At first, a lot of the sets I was getting were for people I knew or friends of friends. Just getting sets for fun really, everything was very organic. At the time I was thinking of getting social media. I didn’t even have a DJ name. Using socials as a way to demonstrate what I could do definitely helped me gain more bookings and has been a huge part in getting me to where I’m at today. I wasn’t someone who used social media before, but I felt like if I wanted to take things more seriously in this industry, putting in effort with learning how to manage the socials was necessary. It was crazy getting support from platforms like DaMetalMessiah, one collab post with them got crazy reach and did great things for my career moving forward. I do also think it is important to remember that social media isn’t the only thing that’s crucial for career progress. I’ve taken breaks and it’s not the end of the world. The main thing is staying creative and authentic.
Why the name Just Jane?
Someone asked me what my DJ name was to put down on a lineup flyer and I didn’t have an answer. I said “it’s just jane” to which they actually put Just Jane – I liked the sound of it so I decided to change all my socials to justjane.uk and it’s stuck ever since.
Are there any DJs or producers who are inspiring you at the moment?
Joy Orbison is one I’ll always mention as both DJ and producer for sure. But I do listen to a lot of different types of music. There’s one guy I love listening to called Cocktail Party Effect. Very left-field tunes, his productions are insane. Hassan Abou Alam is a techno-bass producer from Cairo who I’m really feeling too. His level of production is on another level. My sound is very dark, club vibes, taking inspiration from many different sounds to create this is important. Theorist is someone else who makes incredible tunes and is a friend of mine. DJing wise, I always look forward to watching Sir Spyro – his grime sets always deliver and bring so much nostalgia to me. Ben UFO appeals to me as an experimental DJ, whilst someone like Kessler is another DJ that brings all these club sounds I like together.
Since you also heavily delve into the world of grime and dubstep, are there any MC’s in particular that you are really rating?
Killa P is great. I’m really looking forward to having him MC on my set at Outlook in July. He has a way with the crowd, a certain energy that elevates a set. Also, I’ve got to shout out Limmz, he’s someone that I’ve worked with for so long, is an incredible talent and a great friend. Our chemistry together is obviously high, so any time we get to perform it’s special. We don’t do that many sets together anymore, but I’m sure we’ll be collaborating again soon. P Money over grime is something that I have to include. It would obviously be a dream to perform with him one day. Capo Lee is someone I rate massively and he actually did jump on my set the other day in Newcastle which was great, seeing as though I was playing a lot of different sounds including techno.
How does performing with a MC feel in comparison to solo sets?
They are obviously different experiences. They both serve their purpose. However, I have to say that when you’re not in your flow on the day, an MC can really help you out with direction. The energy does seem to have an extra something with an MC. I do love the idea that I’m DJing for someone and they get to flourish too. Bouncing off energies is a special experience. I guess, having an MC can sometimes feel limiting in terms of what I want to play, but again, they are both very special experiences. I’ve done my fair share of both so I’ll always appreciate both equally.
As a club DJ you’ve come together with some insane talent. Talk to me about some back-to-back’s that you’ve enjoyed.
I’ve got to mention Zukki, he’s an unreal DJ, I’ve loved going back-to-back with him. I’ve done a set with Plastician and I really appreciate his eclectic taste, it was a big moment for me. I’ve got a couple coming up with Sir Spyro, one being at Glastonbury which I’m super excited for. Riz La Teef is a combo I have loved doing. He’s a really great guy, it was super easy to play tunes with him and, again, another very knowledgeable selector in the scene. I also played with Theorist not too long ago and we played such a wicked club set going from 100 bpm upwards. It was so much fun and very refreshing. I love playing those sets where I don’t know where it’s going. I want to quickly mention Tim Reaper, he made a brief cameo on my set at Phonox and it was such a wicked experience. Especially because we weren’t playing jungle, the genre he’s obviously known for. I’d love to go back-to-back with him properly one day.
These are all great acts! Following on from that, have you got any highlights that have stuck out so far in your early career?
The one that sticks out in my mind is being invited on BBC Radio 1 Xtra by Sir Spyro on a guest mix. I’m so grateful for the experience. He gives so many young artists an opportunity. I was so happy with how the mix went. I was still very new to the scene, so I was very nervous. Sharing a lot of amazing moments with Limmz earlier on in my career is really nice to have experienced, someone who’s a close friend, playing at Reading Festival with him was special. Playing at Interplanetary Criminal’s event at Outernet was unreal. It was great to have a crowd that was so receptive to my sound – which was a crazy feeling. I guess playing at Fabric and Phonox are big achievements, but it takes nothing away from the small intimate events I’ve played which I thoroughly enjoy. Although, despite the venues I’ve just mentioned, the Village Underground set I played felt like the biggest crowd I’d played to date.
I know you’ve started to delve into production. What’s the plan on that front?
I have completed a lot of tunes, I’ve been testing some of them out in my sets when it feels right. I’m playing a slow game with it. My initial release will hopefully be an EP that showcases a lot of different flavours, similar to how I DJ. I don’t want my first release to define the direction I go in, so for me it’s important to curate an EP that displays the array of sounds I play out. Partly down to my experimentation side and partly down to the fact I enjoy different sounds, I find myself naturally making a variety of genres. The left-field club sound is definitely the direction I see myself in moving forward, but creating a wide range of stuff helps me discover my sound easier. I’m thinking after summer I’ll start looking at a release date for a body of work.
You’ve got a lot of sets coming up towards the end of spring and summer period. What is standing out?
Well I’ve just played at Razzmatazz which is a very special venue. I felt like I could express myself and play what I want. It was a really fun one! Also as we mentioned earlier, Glastonbury with Spyro which is very exciting for me. I’ve also got a really wicked booking for Rinse coming up in Sweden including the likes of Flowdan, Neffa-T and D Double E which is insane. I’ve also got a gig in Berlin, I’m very intrigued to see that crowd and I’m hoping it’ll give me the license to experiment even more. Other bits I’m really looking forward to this summer are playing at Boomtown with Sicaria and performing over the Outlook weekend.
Wrapping up, what advice would you give a budding multi-genre DJ who is trying to find their way in the scene?
It might sound obvious, but whatever feels right for you as a creative, just do it. Don’t compromise and don’t try to follow trends. It’s important to find out why you love what you do and find that blend of sounds that pushes you to improve. Ultimately playing what you enjoy will make you a better DJ. That energy you’re giving off whilst you’re loving what you’re playing will translate into the crowd.
And for those just starting out trying to get on the ladder, what would you say to them?
Practice a lot of course. Use social media to your advantage where you can. Don’t rely on it, but definitely try and put yourself out there as it is a key tool when trying to get yourself out there. Understanding how content works is a good thing to learn. Being yourself and being nice when you’re in and around the scene is really important too. It goes a long way when you give off a nice vibe, good energy matters as much as the music
Follow Just Jane : Instagram / Soundcloud
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