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Jonah Considine chats to us about making beats, balancing studies and Berlin
House | Wednesday 12th August 2015 | Annalisa
At just 19, Jonah Considine is the youngest artist on Nein Records and is already on his second single ‘Shotcrete’, which is released on August 17th. We sat down with him in the middle of his tour to chat about making beats, balancing studies and playing in Berlin.
We’re here with Jonah Considine, a 19 year old producer and DJ. Would you like to tell us more about yourself?
I’ve been making music, DJing and buying records for the last couple of years. I live in London, I play around London.
So what type of music do you specialise in?
Well it’s mostly house and techno but I play a lot of disco as well. Yeah all sorts really.
Tell me more about your musical influences.
Well since a young age I’ve had an interest in acid house and Detroit techno. As I got a bit older I started researching a bit more, buying records more, digging deeper, the disco movement in the 70s and house music when it came to the UK and the records being played then, that sort of stuff.
Who’s your favourite artist?
Oh I don’t know, that’s quite a hard one. If I was to pick a favourite group it would probably be a band called First Choice, the 70s disco group, but yeah that’s a hard question.
Ok so you’ve received a lot of good critiques for the first single you released, so has that put pressure on you for your second single?
Yeah I’d say so but I’m quite pleased with the second one that’s coming out now. I’ve put a lot of work into it and I think if you like the first one hopefully you’ll like the second one as well.
What type of vibe were you trying to achieve with ‘Shotcrete’?
I was trying to make something that would work quite well in the club, you could play to warm up a room, give the crowd a breather but yeah it’s music for the club basically.
So you’re currently touring with Tronik Youth, how’s that going?
It’s good, we just did something in Scotland, in Edinburgh. We’ve got Tokyo coming up at the end of the year and Berlin in a couple of weeks as well.
Are you excited about this Tokyo trip?
Yeah I am really excited, it’s one place I’ve always wanted to visit.
You are incredibly young to be a DJ, you started DJing at 15, so is that an advantage for you?
Yeah it’s good now to be an age where you don’t have to sneak in past the door staff, which is what I used to have to do, but it’s good. I’ve got a lot to learn but I’ve been doing it for a while now, four years, so yeah it’s good.
Tell us more about Nein Records.
It’s a label set up a few years ago but in the last year or two they’ve really upped the output, we’ve got good stuff coming out from people all over the world, people from Italy, all across Europe.
You’re the youngest artist at the moment, how is that? Is it pressure?
Not particularly, I just make music, put it out and hope people like it.
Your single is coming out on 17th August, how are you feeling about that?
Good, it’s had some good responses so far, so yeah I’m looking forward to it.
Are you gonna be playing it because you’re touring right now? Will you leak a bit of it?
Yeah I will be. I’m a bit shy to play my own music but it’s still nice to do when you get the opportunity.
So the next time you’re going to be in London is with your tour?
Yeah it’s at Corsica Studios. We’ve got an afterhours party on the Sunday morning, so no sleep beforehand, we’re starting at 5 in the morning, so it’ll be a bit of a hard one but I’m looking forward to it.
How are you feeling about that because you’re going to Manchester first?
Yeah Manchester on the Saturday and London after that. I live in London anyway, quite close to the club actually.
Where are you actually based?
I’m from Northampton originally but I live in Lewisham. I love it there.
Are there any DJs that inspire you?
People like Larry Levan, Ron Hardy. They influence me in the sense that they play anything, they’re not really bound by genre so much, if a song works on the dancefloor they’ll play it and that’s what I strive to do.
Have you got any major clubs that you would prefer to play at?
Well Corsica Studios was somewhere I always wanted to play so it’s good to be able to go and play there now but it would be my dream to play in somewhere like Berghain. Panorama Bar in Berghain, that would be my dream.
Is your management and record label helping you to go towards there?
Yeah I mean there’s a lot of parties happening, the one in Edinburgh was a label party, the one in Berlin is a label party, so it’s good when those events come along, so in that sense yeah. Of course having them put my music out helps as well.
So you’re currently studying yes?
Yeah film at Greenwich.
How’s that going with your DJ career?
It’s good, I’m off at the moment so I can focus on music but it helped me. It made me move to London so in that sense it was a big help, with music being around, quality house and techno music, going to clubs and meeting people who’ve helped me play out, so yeah it’s actually helped rather than detracted from it.
Ok Jonah I’m gonna ask you some personal questions! Who are you in love with right now?
No one right now I’m afraid.
What is the worst job you’ve ever had?
I was working as a labourer at one point. When I was a kid I worked in a hairdressers, that was really boring actually, I was sweeping hair, so that’s probably the worst job I’ve ever had.
So what is the worst thing you’ve ever done?
Played bad music to people.
Did you ever get boos?
I’ve never had boos, so it couldn’t have been that bad.
What would you fill a swimming pool with if you had the chance to fill it with anything?
Bacardi rum.
What’s been your shittest moment?
I don’t know, when you’ve got no good music around to listen to.
What’s the worst thing you’ve got a reputation for?
That’s a hard one! Someone who’s not good for their word. I’d like to think that’s not the case but maybe it is.
What was the first record or CD you ever bought?
The first CD I bought was Homework by Daft Punk when I was about nine years old.
What’s your favourite song on that?
It’s probably ‘Da Funk’.
What do you bring in your genre that’s special?
I wouldn’t say there’s anything special but I like to think that I play a wide range of music, forward-thinking music.
So the fact that you’re so broad?
Yeah and it’s good as well, I think so anyway, I’ll let people judge!
What would you do to make the world a better place?
I don’t know, end world hunger.
If you had to start a new life in a new country, where would you go?
I’d go to Berlin, the club scene over there is the best.
Have you been there?
Yeah I’ve been there, I’ve never played there but I will be in a few weeks, really looking forward to it.
Have you read any good books?
I’ve read good books if that’s what you’re asking? The book I’m reading at the minute is quite good, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson, it’s in the bestsellers list at the minute and available at all good bookshops.
What are you most looking forward to – Berlin right?
Probably Berlin. And Tokyo as well.
Yeah that should be major. Is Tokyo big on the house scene?
It is but it had this weird law until a couple of months ago where you couldn’t dance at clubs, something to do with clubs and brothels, and the majority of the population is old so they didn’t understand that most clubs were just places to go and dance. So a few months ago they stopped all that so it should be good. But yeah they’ve got a big scene over there and people over there are so nerdy about music, they’re really dedicated to obscure genres and stuff.
If you were on a deserted island and could pick three things to have with you, what would they be?
A copy of an album called Dreadlocks Dread by Big Youth, a record player and a good pair of headphones to listen to it as well.
You’re on an island alone, why would you need headphones?
A good pair of speakers then!
If you could have one magic power, what would it be?
I’d like to fly. I’ve got a fear of heights but hopefully I’d get over it.
Who would be in your ultimate band?
I’d make myself the lead singer, I always wanted to be a bit of a pop star. I’d have Gary Numan and Bernard Sumner from New Order. Just a trio, keep it tight.
Follow Jonah on Twitter. 'Shotcrete' is out on 17th August with mixes from Timothy J Fairplay, Posthuman, and Monoblok & PSLKTR.
