J.E.S.u.S Walks
Tomorrow, Monday July 21st in Ibiza we bring together four goliaths of the contemporary DJ world for an world-first premiere of their new experiment, in the form of a rolling b2b2b2b broadcast: Jackmaster, Eats Everything, Skream und Seth Troxler, aka J.E.S.u.S. Although now close friends as much as top-tier jocks – ranking #21, #11, #70 and #5 respectively on Resident Advisor’s Top DJs of 2013 list – their points of origin are markedly different.
Take 2006, for example: Jack was bringing Ghostface to Glasgow; Eats Everything was playing out under his birth name Dan Pearce, disillusioned with his formerly adored hard house; Seth was a prodigy straight outta Detroit, nestled firmly under Richie Hawtin‘s wing; and Skream…well, a teenage Skream was setting about defining an entire generation. Fast forward to 2014,and the quartet are regularly found at venues across the globe playing side-by-side, fixed doyens of the underground and emergent stars of the mainstream, and mainstays on the White Isle – although that one in particular is a relatively new development.
Naturally, given the four individuals are no strangers to Boiler Room, we’re immensely fortunate to host this latest stage of their progression. To mark this momentous occasion we spoke to the boys in the hope of tracing a line from their formative Ibiza experiences to the present day, where they form like Voltron into a four-man tag-team superstar troupe: one truly bigger than J.E.S.u.S.
Jackmaster: I went on a family holiday to Ibiza when I was 15 – I was kinda old enough to buy beer, but not enough to get in to clubs. I’d been to underage clubs in Glasgow, but never a real one. We stayed in this hotel right across from Space, so I would just sit outside during the day and listen to the reverb of the tunes coming from the terraces, wondering what it must have been like inside. In those days I was heavy into the Subliminal sort of house Pete Tong would rinse. When I started getting into underground music, Ibiza was a dirty word. I used to watch Ibiza Uncovered for a laugh and thought that was all that was going on. I got a booking at Space one year, realised it wasn’t bullshit at all, and started going back as often as I could.
Eats Everything: It was my second holiday. I did Newquay when I was 16, then decided to trade up. On a whim me and my mates were like, “we’re going to Ibiza, fackin’ yeah!” It was Manumission to start, then I genuinely can’t remember where we went. We found recreational ‘things’ that none of us had ever done before. My mate had these scooters that had a ball instead of handlebars, so there’s three of us riding around on microscooters, absolutely annihilated on all kinds of whatever. Mint. We stayed there a month longer than planned! I had the best time of my life, and have been back every year bar one or two since 1997. That’s not bad going!
Skream: I think the first time I went I stayed for an extra three or four days…not a month. I had an an excellent time there though; I went missing. The club was definitely Ibiza Rocks, I remember that…err, I think so anyway. Either way I woke up in a cabin in the woods after, which was quite amusing.
EE: I saw Thomas Bangalter play the best DJ set I’d ever seen in my life on the Terazza at Space. He was playing two copies of the same record, reversing the other backwards in sync, throwing massive 909 kick drums into the mix…and then began cradling the mixer in his arms. We were like, “what the fuck is he doing?” He yanked the phono leads out the back of the mixer and started playing a bassline with the feedback. He was creating this enormous roaring sound with nothing but his clammy hands – and this curly-haired, terrified-looking French man didn’t look up once for four hours, I swear to God.
Seth Troxler: I first started playing it six or seven years ago, and that was the first time I even went to the island. It built up over time. This year’s been really incredible: I just played last weekend all night with Ricardo Villalobos and Craig Richards. It all just happened with time.
Sk: I always felt like an alien playing in Ibiza because we were the only people not playing house, techno or whatever. This was back in 2011/12 and I always knew the gig wasn’t going to be that good. I did Rinse at Amnesia, and it was just horrendous. While I used to hate playing, I loved going and seeing everyone. I crowd-surfed at Ibiza Rocks and really hurt my knee on the railings. Dunno what I was doing.
J: I had a really good gig in DC10 last year and it was a seriously big deal for me for to play there. I felt like I did a really good job and they keep asking me back, which is great. DC10 and the Subbie are my favourite places in the world.
Sk: Jack & I have got an apartment this year. I think we’ll be kicked out by the end of it. Jack’s had this rule: “No more loud music and no more parties”. But a few afternoons ago he woke up in a fruity mood and played for 6 hours, climbing up and up until he reached ‘Now Is The Time’, that old fucking hardcore tune. The levels of the mix hit a whole new high. At one point he ran out bellowing “I am Jackie Sequencer”, dived into our pool and then came up out the water screaming “Jackie Sequencer don’t obey no party rules!” – by which point all the people there had just left.
ST: Jack is possibly the funniest person I’ve ever met in my entire life, and that’s a fact. I don’t think there’s anyone who’s taking the cake for the wildest DJ in the world right now. He’s amazing, but when you add the fact that he’s a complete lunatic – it’s refreshing to find out not everyone’s a pussy!
EE: We’re quite a boisterous lot.
Sk: Well, Seth’s actually not really that boisterous.
EE: He’s not, but I reckon we could get him to be.
ST: Jack and Skream have definitely taken the crown as the crazy ones. I come in and out of the insanity, but they just live there.
Sk: We were talking about starting a festival at about nine in the morning at Bugged Out. Seth was really into the idea and then–
EE: –then he was like, “fuck that! Let’s just get on a tour bus and get leathered and go somewhere.”
Sk: Once the idea was in place, Jack was the only dubious one. Like, “is it not a bit…is it not a bit ‘bigger than Jesus?‘” But fuck it, if anyone knows us then they know we’re taking the piss.
EE: It’s gonna be wicked, I cant wait.
J: Whether we’ve got enough time to get Spice Boys style cream suits together or not I dunno, but that would be class.
ST: This whole thing is really about just having fun. Full stop. No no, wait: the thing about J.E.S.u.S. is actually getting us all to turn up.
EE: When it was first posted up it wasn’t as much “fucking yes” as it was “uh oh,” or “dear lord,” or “fucking hell” or “look out”…
Sk: …”this is gonna be a problem.”
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Watch J.E.S.u.S rising for the first time right here on Boiler Room.