Grafix - Drum & Bass legend, Spurs fan
DJ and producer Grafix draws parallels between DJ’ing at a huge venue and stepping inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
As an iconic figure in the world of Drum & Bass music, he's done that in his sphere countless times. As a Spurs fan of over 20 years, he finally got to taste the N17 experience live for the first time a couple of years ago, describing both as 'pure adrenaline'.
Labelled as 'one of the biggest names in the dancefloor scene at the moment' by UKF.com, Grafix – Joshua Jackson - has just released his second solo album Don't Slow Down, following from 2022's Half Life.
Singles from the album including We’re On Fire (3 million streams), Vital Signs, Don’t Slow Down, Let Me Down, and Memories (Us Together) have all received national airplay, with Don't Slow Down earning Jack Saunders' ‘Hottest Record’ on BBC Radio 1, reaching #17 on the Shazam UK Dance Chart.
Speaking to us before a ground breaking audio-visual album launch show in London, and another set of tour dates across the UK, Europe and USA, Grafix told us his Spurs story...
First up - why Spurs?
Grafix: "I was born in Roehampton, London and spent my early years in Maidenhead. My Dad is a Canadian, so I had a big North American influence in my house. He loves all sports, so I was exposed to a lot of ice hockey and baseball, as well as the more traditional European sports like football, rugby and cricket. I didn’t know who to support back then – but I knew it would be a London club! I moved down to Exeter with my mum when I was 11, and when I started secondary school I had a group of mates that loved football. We used to play Pro Evo Soccer on PS2 and loved smashing volleys on it! One of my friends called Gio was (still to this day) the biggest Spurs fan I've ever met, and he sold me the dream of supporting Tottenham Hotspur. Ever since then I've been Spurs through and through!"
What are your memories of your first match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium?
Grafix: "The first live match I finally went to was last season, vs Chelsea, where we lost 4-1. We started so strong, but it all fell apart after Heung-Min Son’s disallowed goal (which would have made it 2-0). Cristian Romero got a straight red, then Destiny Udogie got sent off and that took us down to nine men. Such a crazy game. Due to the nature of my job, I'm usually out of the country DJ'ing on the weekends, so I really struggle to watch games - let alone actually get there in person! I usually just keep up to date however I can and watch highlights."
How did you get into dance music - particularly Drum & Bass?
Grafix: "I had a group of friends in school that loved DnB - the beauty of living in the UK is we’re all engulfed in dance music from an early age, and we’re seen as trailblazers with genres like Drum & Bass, so it was a very accessible genre to get into in my early teens. We loved the idea of going to raves and listening to this fast, tear-out dance genre. As my love for creating music developed, it was only a matter of time until I started making it myself."
You were half of a successful producing duo with Fred V - how daunting was it to break away from that and become a solo artist?
Grafix: "Yes, it was a pretty crazy experience. I had a really amazing start to my career and was lucky enough to release three albums on Hospital Records in a duo with my friend, Fred V. After we split, I realised how much you rely on your partner when it comes to producing music - you have strengths that the other one lacks, and vice versa, so you start to lean on each other heavily to fill in the gaps. Going solo made me start to learn how to become a more complete producer and learn all aspects of producing and song writing."
What is your formula for putting a DnB track together? There seems to be a lot of moving parts to the process...
Grafix: "There isn’t a right or wrong way - it happens in many different ways for me. Sometimes it begins as a simple voice memo humming some melodic parts that you later put down in the software you use. Sometimes it can start with a strong vocal you've been sent, that sparks a wave of creativity you just follow. DnB as a genre is quite complex to produce, there’s a lot of layering involved and can be tricky to mix, but I think the high standards it sets in terms of mixing/engineering keeps the DnB scene really inspiring and competitive, a healthy balance!"
Can you draw comparisons between DJ’ing at a big venue and being at the stadium?
Grafix: "There's some huge parallels for sure! You run on pure adrenaline in both, and it really makes you feel alive."
Finally, how important is your second album, Don't Slow Down?
Grafix: "My new album Don't Slow Down is the proudest I've been of a body of work. It marks my 15-year journey in producing this incredible genre, and how I've developed as an artist both creatively and sonically. I'm proud to be part of the DnB scene and I'm always amazed at the talent that we have coming through - it really keeps you excited to keep contributing to it and also keeps you firmly on your toes!"
Grafix's second album Don't Slow Down is out now.
Follow him on Instagram - @grafixmusicuk
