Introducing Hijack

Introducing Hijack

29 September, 2010 | 5.00AM

• Written by: Alex Hughes
• Filed under: Music News: hijack, introducing, jack union

With a name like Jack Union, it’s not hard to guess what you’re going to get: a heavy dose of Chicago jack action, combined with a uniquely British sensibility.

That certainly describes British producer Hijack, head of the Jack Union Records label. Jack Union kicked off in 2008 with Hijack’s appropriately titled Wobble House EP, and since then they’ve racked up nearly two dozen releases, all of which combine kinetic grooves and stonking bass lines with irrepressible sample action and manic hijinks. The style is comparable to Claude von Stroke’s dirtybird or Jesse Rose’s Made To Play, as well as Dave Taylor (aka Switch) and Trevor Loveys, two of Hijack’s professed influences. But Jack Union has a character all its own—hard to put your finger on, maybe, but evident in the free-spirited, free-wheeling antics and the undeniable sense of groove.

We asked Hijack to fill us in on his musical background. Read on for the interview, plus Hijack’s September Top 10 and a Jack Union label sampler.

To get started, could you tell us where you’re from and where you live now? Also, how did you get started DJing and making music?

I’m from Bournemouth on the south coast of England. I’m living there at the moment but most weekends I’m either in London or abroad. I got into music by going through my dad’s record collection when I was a kid and in the mid-’90s I began buying house records. I started producing music by making edits and bootlegs for my sets when clubs began installing decent CD players, and within a couple of years I made the first Hijack track, which was “Can’t Touch.”

The name “Jack Union” suggests the twin influence of Chicago and the UK. How have the two places impacted your music?

Chicago producers like Derrick Carter, Mark Farina and DJ Sneak really influenced me—the jacking beats, jazz and funk sampling and boompty rhythms are what got me into house music. I was playing that sound for a few years before I started making tracks. I went to Chicago for the first time last year and while I was there I played at Smart Bar and spent some time in the studio with Santiago & Bushido, where we made the Way Back EP.

The UK has an amazing music scene and going to nights in London and seeing some of the world’s top DJs at clubs like Fabric and the End have really influenced me over the years. There have been so many times I’ve been inspired by a club night and gone straight to the studio the next day with fresh ideas.

What kind of setup do you use to produce your music? Also, I noticed that vocal samples play a pretty big role in your material. Where do you get most of your samples from?

It’s a pretty simple setup—just a PC, some nice monitors and a good sound card. I’m not into collecting analog gear or filling my studio with expensive kit. I’ve spent years collecting samples from all sorts of music. I still go to a second hand record store near my house and buy obscure vinyl and CDs for sampling.

When you sit down to make a track, what’s the first thing you typically do? How long does a track typically take you to make?

I start by making a beat and gradually add sounds until I get something interesting going. I’ll have an eight- or 16-beat loop going for hours sometimes. I never go into the studio knowing what the track will sound like and every track differs in how long it will take to make—some can be done in a couple of hours, others a few days. But that’s why I love making music—every track is a surprise and there’s no set formula.

How would you describe your music? I hear quite a bit of what, for a while, people were calling “fidget house,” though to be honest I don’t know if anyone says that any more. But it’s definitely fidgety! Do you have any idea why you’re so attracted to that jerky, staccato kind of sound?

I’ve personally never called my music fidget house but people like Dave Taylor and Trevor Loveys really inspired me when they first started making that sound. It was interesting house music that was full of surprises. 

How important is humor in your music? I’m not trying to say that it’s goofy, but there’s definitely a lightness of spirit.

I don’t make music that’s too serious—I like to see people smiling and having fun when they dance to my tracks.

What’s your recipe for a perfect party?

It’s all about the crowd. You can be anywhere in the world but it’s the people that make a good party.

How do you explain your music to your family members?

My parents and my sister know all about my music so I don’t need to explain it to them. But my nan doesn’t really get it—she thinks it’s too repetitive!

Top three favorite all-time musicians or producers?

Prince, James Brown, George Clinton.

Which record (by another musician) do you wish you had made?

Michael Jackson’s Thriller album. Sales of over 100 million copies would have made me a few quid!

If your house were on fire, which one record would you rescue?

The test pressing of my first vinyl—the Hijackin EP.

Up-and-coming artists you’re impressed by/keeping an eye on?

Three guys from Holland who are signed to Jack Union - Brabe, Jeff Doubleu and Robert Boogert.

Hijack September Top 10

Hijack on Beatport

Jack Union on Beatport

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