Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Dubstep has been established in Leeds for some time now. The Exodus and Subdub nights have become epicentres for bass-driven music and the sound that they have created is now reverberating across the clubs ofΜύ Europe.

Emerging from the Dubstep milieu is Jack Sparrow. His melancholic tunes and style of DJing have recently captured the attention of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 1's Mary Anne Hobbs and DJ Pinch (perhaps the biggest name in Dubstep outside London) has signed him up to his highly-respected Tectonic record label.

Can you describe your style of Dubstep?

It’s hard to explain. No tracks ever sound the same, they each have their own character. My tunes are quite dark but I like to put some uplifting bits in there too.
For me it’s all about atmosphere, deep drums and crossing other genres with Dubstep.

What’s your background in music?

Since I can remember, I've had a special bond with music, I would say it's up there with oxygen for survival. My dad had thousands of tapes and vinyl records that I used to be really curious about and that started off my obsession with collecting music. I was 17 when I bought my first music PC and started building a studio, I was completely obsessed with music by this point. I became a bit of a loner at school… a bit like now actually.

How do you produce you tracks?

Firstly, I need tea, biscuits and late nights. I'll start with drums and then layer incidentals, beeps, crackles etc. over the top to create atmosphere. The bass takes the most time though because Dubstep relies on a deep bass with movement, a bit like Jungle. I can end up spending days mastering a song that took two hours to complete, I just love playing around. After all is done it's sent off to the cutting house to play that weekend.

How important has the Leeds scene been to you development as an artist?

The Leeds scene is growing and growing. Exodus and Subdub at the West Indian Centre are massive and now there’s a handful of local DJs making moves on the scene. We're all really good mates, it's a real community vibe going on - we all just like dubstep. What's special though is that we're all from broad backgrounds musically. I just want to see more of the boys getting abroad and spreading the Leeds vibe in Europe – that would be wicked!

Mary Anne Hobbs has got behind your music - how does it feel to have the mother of electronic music backing you?

When I heard Mary playing my track I did a little dance. She's been very supportive of my sound and she's really cool to chat to. She's asked me to do a mix for her show, which is going to be really personal. A lot of my new stuff is going in it and it's really symbolic of how I feel right now.

You've played overseas quite a bit now, how well is your music received abroad?

My gigs in San Francisco, Poland and Croatia really stick in my mind. The crowds just love the music there, it's like going back in time to when the scene started and it was fresh, they just go nuts for it.

Do you believe there's a certain 'other-worldliness' to dubstep?

Yeah, it's a physical thing and anyone who's been to one of the nights in the West Indian Centre knows what I'm talking about. It's like having a bath in bass, it's amazing. I won't get into the specifics but certain bass frequencies can do strange but positive things to people.

What's next for Jack Sparrow?

I'm working on an album with DJ Pinch, who is an absolute legend, his label is one of the Top Three on the scene and I feel really at home on it. I've also started making a lot of UK funky tracks and remixing some big commercial artists so I guess there’s a lot of life left in me yet.

Jack Sparrow will be a guest on Mary Anne Hobbs' show on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 1 at 2am on Wednesday 1 July 2009.