‎Insomniac Events
Price: Free

Insomniac’s Metronome series features mixes from some of today’s fastest-rising electronic stars, as well as championed legends. It takes listeners deep across a wide range of genres, movements, cultures, producers, artists and sounds that make up the diverse world of electronic music.

The frequent flyer miles Jacob Plant has amassed from constantly bouncing back and forth between London and Los Angeles is a perk that has lent him the opportunity to straddle two well-endowed music scenes. And none of that exposure is being squandered foolishly.

With a sound that has stayed rooted in high-calorie helpings of bass, Plant has made friends and locked in endorsements from places where it matters most. He made himself known after Calvin Harris picked up his low-end-loaded number “Shakedown” for release on the lauded Fly Eye imprint—the big break that sent the budding producer on his way. He’s since turned up on Steve Aoki’s radar and has been running with the Dim Mak roster. It’s his many-hats approach to genres that has given him such a wide-open appeal—and the fact that Jacob just doesn’t stop delivering that good-good.

As Plant gets settled into his new digs over here on the West Coast, we tagged the fast-rising artist to throw together a mix of tracks he’s been feeling the F out of recently. This is what he came at us with.

You just spent your birthday in South Africa. Happy belated. What were some of the highlights of your trip?
Thanks. South Africa was amazing—such an inspiring place. I was lucky enough to see a family of elephants on my birthday, which was definitely a highlight. I was out there for a wedding, so we had a bachelor party in Johannesburg that was crazy! It’s always good seeing new countries and traveling; it’s the best thing people can do, I think.

You’ve had your eye on Los Angeles for a while now. What compelled you to relocate?
I’ve been back and forth to L.A. for the last couple of years, doing shows and studio sessions. L.A. is definitely my favorite city, apart from London. I always have such fun, and it’s great for music, as most people are out here now. For me, doing studio sessions in the day and then going out to parties or exploring the city at night is what I love. You can’t get much better than that.

Have any aspects of the L.A. lifestyle felt like a culture shock to you or had an effect on your source of inspiration?
I think the first time I came over, it was a bit of a culture shock, but I fell in love with it straight away, so it wasn’t negative. It’s funny, actually: I feel really British when I am in L.A. because everyone picks up on my accent. At home, it’s nothing, but when I go to bars in L.A., people always start asking loads of questions about where I’m from. It’s actually really good, because I never feel alienated or left out!

L.A. is amazing to get inspiration from; I love going down to the beach, especially in the evenings. The other thing I have noticed is the music scene is slightly different to the UK, but it’s good for finding new artists and sounds.

What’s the reason for bouncing between L.A. and the UK so often, and what’s your favorite way to pass the time on all the long flights?
It’s mainly because of shows that I come and go. I’m still yet to decide where is best for me to stay, but for the time being, I’m doing both. I actually spend more time in the UK, but whenever I come over to do shows, I base myself in L.A. I really don’t mind long flights, as long as I am with someone. Normally, I will spend some time making music on my laptop, then watch as many films as I can before I land. I can never sleep on long flights, which is so annoying!

“Reflections,” your single with Example, has hit 2 million plays on Spotify. Did you have a feeling this collab would be met with such tremendous success while you were working on it?
I’m so happy with the reaction I got on “Reflections.” You never know what’s going to happen or how people will react when you release a new record. Deep down, I knew it would react better than some of my previous songs, because it had vocals on it. That was the first song I have released with vocals, so I’m glad people enjoyed it. That’s definitely a route I want to take now.

Your home country has a pretty forward-facing music scene. In what ways, if at all, does it compete with the way things are back home?
The UK music scene is crazy. It always looks forward, and it always moves on pretty quickly, which is good and bad. The thing I like about America is there are more people, so your audience for the music you make is potentially bigger. I also think that sometimes people are more open-minded to music in America, so it gives you more room to take risks. Having said that, the UK is so important to me, and I always look there for inspiration and new music.

Tell us about your mix. What are some of your favorite tracks from the bunch, and why?
The mix is full of songs I love playing out—some my own, some other producers’. It pretty much sticks to house and bass house genres. There is a sick remix of “Reflections” by my mate JVST SAY YES in there, as well as some UK grime at the end, which is the kind of music I listen to in my spare time! The thing I like about most of these tracks is that they have hard bass, but still maintain some kind of groove/energy.

What do you have lined up for the rest of 2016?
I’ve got some new vocal singles coming out this year that I am excited about. I’m aiming to get some more club tracks out, too—maybe an EP toward the end of the year. I’m also playing in America and Europe this summer, which is really exciting! In April, I am joining Calvin Harris in Las Vegas, which is going to be crazy!

Track List:

Jacob Plant ft. Example “Reflections”
Jacob Plant ft. Example “Reflections” (JVST SAY YES Remix)
Jack Beats “Zone” (Riko Dan)
Yellow Claw “Run Away” (Moksi Remix)
Damien N Drix “Stacks”
Angelz “Hey Girl”
Sonny Banks “Spice”
Valentino Kahn “Deep Down Low”
Skepta “Shutdown”
Jauz “Rock the Party”
Kill the Noise “Fuk Ur Mgmt”
Malaa “Notorious”
Sinead Harnett “Do It Anyway” (Jacob Plant Remix)
Jacob Plant “Hunger”
Jacob Plant “Louder” (Kayliox Remix)
Bojac “Hookah”
Major Lazer “The Sound”
Kill FM “Fresh”
“Pushing on Fire” (Jacob Plant Edit)
“Feel the Bang” (Jacob Plant Edit)
P Money & Gappy Ranks “Baddest”
Wax Motif “Krush Groove”
Prince “Funk N Roll” (Chris Lake Edit)
Mr Polska ft. Ronnie Flex “Ravotten”
Movenchy “Look at Me”
Riddim Commission “More Fire”, “Own This”
Tchami & AC Slater “Missing You”
Autoerotique “They Know”
Chris Lorenzo “The Calling”
Chase & Status ft. Novelist “Bigger Man Sound”
Section Boyz “Lock Arf”


Share

Tags

You might also like

INSOMNIAC RADIO
Insomniac Radio
INSOMNIAC RADIO
0:00
00:00
  • 1 Sounds of our festival stages streaming 24/7. INSOMNIAC RADIO