We put 10 quick-fire questions to rising Tech house aficionado Jake Beautyman
Jake Beautyman is far from a stranger to underground dance music.
His journey (quite literally) started back when his mum was pregnant and used to go raving in at the now legendary ‘Wiggle’ events in the late 1990s. It should come as no surprise that the bedrock of London’s Tech House community and sound is at the core of his space for expression.
Fast forward to today and you’ll find Jake playing at the very parties which set his foundations, having supported the likes of Nathan Coles, Silverlining and Terry Francis at Wiggle, as well as Mr.C for Superfreq. This young addition to the scene is certainly is set for a bright future.
Having got the producing bug from the age of 14, he’s now in his early 20s and not long after having got into DJing, he already released on a host of well established labels including Harmonious Discord, Bosh Recordings, Bombis,Superfreq. Having worked with the likes including Orlando Voorn Damolh 33 & TerryFrancis .
The unique style and fierce energy Jake brings to the underground scene seems to be the perfect bridge between the original grassroots of Tech house and where things lie today. Occupying the lower parts of the UK, Jake is a resident for FUMP (For Underground Music People)… South East England’s home for cutting edge house & techno music – regularly putting on events and festivals around the area he lives in.
With a remix about to land on Plus Future, we got busy and fired 10 questions at him:
Name your first love, musically speaking?
This is haaard. I’m gonna pick 1 from each of my most prominent genres while thinking back to earliest memories: Odd Future, Pink Floyd, Colin Dale.
What was the first rave you attended?
It was a FUMP (For Underground Music People) party that my dad took me and my friends to… and it was unreal! They had a House which had a big projection / lightshow scaling over it, all along the walls. Then there was a cardboard cutout of David Cameron, which was burned as a sort of effigy haha. Wild!
How do you like to spend your time when not banging out beats?
I love anything outdoors… walking, exploring, adventuring but also recently I’ve really been enjoying swimming. Water tribe vibes…
If you could go back in time, when and where would it be?
Oooo. I’d of loved to have been 20 years old around 1969. To go to some of those concerts and to be around during such a creative time period. Some of the shirts that were around then too were just awesome!
Ipswich Town or Ipswich Wanderers?
Neither!
What are the best and worst records you’ve ever heard?
Music is subjective of course but hmm. For the worst, I’d have to say there’s a tonne of formulaic pop music that just does my nut in. A good example would be “Shaboozy – A Bar Song”. I just literally typed in “Typsy” on YouTube to find it btw… it came up straight away. I did not know what it was called haha! But, that’s ear worms for ya.
The best record is also very difficult, so I’m literally just gonna choose a couple that are resonating with me at this moment in time & space.
“Terry Francis – Change” absolutely timeless. The dubby bassline, the euphoric pads, the tasteful subtle vocals – it’s a beautiful piece of music.
“Jay Tripwire – KT” what a unique exploration of sound. Twisted, evolving, deep, intricate. You really don’t hear anything else quite like this (track 8)
Who uses the 909 better: Underworld or Daft Punk?
Honestly don’t judge, but I haven’t listened to either.
When it comes to crisps: Skips or Discos?
Skips but only because I’ve never tried discos.
How would you describe your spirit animal?
Love this question! I’m an absolute Avatar: The Last Airbender nerd hahaha – shout out to Appa!
I think my spirit animal is a turtle, but not your average turtle, it’s a high energy one! Not ancient… nor old, but not super young either.
Last but not least: tell us about your remix that’s about to land on Plus Future…
This was mega fun to work on. We played a Bloop London radio show Superfreq special together a while back, and that’s where we first met. When Nepo asked if I’d be up for remixing one of his tracks, I knew it would be fun, he’s got some lovely bits out there.
As soon as I got the stems and heard the sub bass, I knew I was gonna go dark. It’s very Techno, but it’s still 123 bpm (Yes, Techno can be slow). After picking out the ‘dangerous’ vocal sample and bringing it forward a little, I came up with the concept of making the whole remix into a ‘dangerous remix’ kind of thing.
I think this really all glued together once I laid down the huge alarm sounding synths at 2:50. Big, scary, and panic inducing. Am buzzing to play this one out and shake the whole room up!
