J.Wiltshire

"I feel the most inspired when I don’t know what I’m doing and just have a strong urge to make tunes"

© Alana Naumann

DJ producer wunderkind J.Wiltshire first came to the scene at the tender age of 16 with a release on UK powerhouse Hypercolour. Jake has come a long way since, continually evolving and pushing forward his rich sound palette. Running Super Hexagon, together with his label mates, he has become synonymous of a super smart Electro, IDM and Braindance sound that builds on a rich heritage of UK dance music labels such as Rephlex, Warp Records and Planet Mu.

Recent projects like his Semuta Music EP on Black Orpheus and Laghan Pux on MUSAR have seen JW in full squelch with acid and electro grooves that are filled with playful and fun nuggets of melody.

On 2020 JW debut album ‘Resa’ planned to see light. ‘Resa' finds Wiltshire sharing 11 sci-fi and futuristic ambient gems, blends melancholic movements with rich layers of harmonics, resulting in a sequence of slowly unfurling tracks that sounds brilliant first time around, but also reveal more intricate details once you've listened a few times.

When and how did you get your interest in electronic music?

It’s hard for me to pinpoint the exact time. I remember hearing Kid A / Amnesiac by Radiohead as a young teen and that opened my eyes a fair bit. I spent a lot of time playing guitar and singing in bands during these years, and after some time I became more interested in the sounds I could get out my effects pedals. My mum used to play a lot of 80s groups like Human League and other synthy stuff so I think that had a lot to do with it too.

How did you decide to dedicate to producing?

I never decided to dedicate myself to production, I just started doing it more because it was so accessible. I didn’t need much of a recording rig to start making tunes at home, where as before with a band we would need to get studio time etc. It was a nice opportunity to be able to make tunes more casually to share with mates when hanging out in a park or whatever. 

Do you have criteria when producing? And what inspires you?

I don’t think I have any specific criteria when making music, other than trying to make sure that the music sounds like me in some way. I think I feel the most inspired when I don’t know what I’m doing and just have a strong urge to make tunes. The best state of mind for me is when I’m making choices intuitively and not thinking about it. Although unfortunately, it’s not always as easy as that!

Can you tell us about your label Super Hexagon and the idea behind it?

Super Hexagon was first a club night set up with Josh Thompson (FFT), Arthur Scott-Geddes, Harry Byford and Calum ‘Don’ Kerr whilst we were students in Leeds. We turned it into a label so that Josh and I could start putting out music that no one else wanted to sign. It’s been a slow burner as we prefer to put releases out less regularly and make sure we are all fully behind the music. Up next we have a record from our mate Lårry called Kauz, which is a great example of the kind of sound we’re into. 

© Alana Naumann

What can you tell us about your new album Resa? What inspired you?

I had a few tunes building up from a project I started and never finished, the idea was that I would write some music as a new score to some of my favourite films. I never got enough material together, but David from MUSAR approached me asking if I had any demos for his new cassette series so I used what I had to start to piece something together. The overall intention then became making an introspective LP that you can chill out and be sad or glad to.

What about your collaboration with MUSAR?

David first contacted me asking for some demos off the back of my first Super Hexagon split release and some bits I had up on SoundCloud. He was super supportive of what I was sending him so it felt like the right home to release some music.

What was the last track that you heard that really blew you away?

Hans Reichel - Bubu and His Friends. I became pretty obsessed with the sound of the Daxaphone recently. I love how cheeky and disturbing this track sounds, but the whole of Yuxo is other worldly and expressive in so many ways. 

What tracks would you recommend us to liven up the confinement? 

In my flat, we’ve recently been livening up the confinement with tunes from composers like Martin Denny, Lalo Schifrin and Esquivel.

Finally, what can you tell us about your present and future projects?

I have a couple of other EPs lined up that should be releasing this year. We also have some bits in the works for Super Hexagon, and I’ll be getting to work on new stuff too. 

J.Wiltshire

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