Leeds Local #003: JAMIE GRIND

photo credit: Jay Hawley
For the third in the series we welcome Jamie Grind, one of Leeds' most forward thinking promoters/producers. We caught up with him for a bit of a chat.

Tell us about you and your musical background...

I’ve done all sorts really... I’ve never played any instruments but I’ve been in various bands as a vocalist, and had a solo hip hop venture as an MC. I’ve dabbled with production in various forms over the years with different software but nothing serious until a couple of years ago... Not that I’d say my music is serious though!

How long have you been producing?

2-3 years ish, and had my first release on Infrasonics about a year ago – so still a relative newbie.

Your 'Footwork EP' came out on Fortified Audio at the end of last year. Have you any more releases lined up?

Yeah, I should have another one on Infrasonics soon, I’ve got some stuff lined up with Chicago juke label Ghettophiles, and a couple of other bits in the pipeline.

Footwork EP


Now let's talk about your night which is causing quite a stir. What spurred you on to start Modulate?

We just wanted to give some new up-and-coming artists the chance to play in Leeds. We try not to book people who have played up here before, to keep the night as fresh and interesting as possible.

Modulation the changing of key in a track - does this reflect on what you're wanting to do in the Leeds music scene?

Erm, yeah lets go with that haha!

Don't you wish that you could open the ears of those that frequent clubs like Mezz, Warehouse etc? They don't know what they're missing, especially when George Fitzgerald's in town!

That’s just the way it is I guess - the people that know about the good stuff will buzz off it, and those that don’t – will miss out, simple as!

Did you consider using any other venues, or was it Wire from the start?

Always Wire, no other venue has that kind of sound, or atmosphere.

What's next in the diary for Modulate?

On March 30th we have Jacques Greene, Machinedrum and DJ Rashad. That’s all we’re giving away for now, but the months following are shaping up to be massive too.

Give us a brief description of what's in your mix...

Some old stuff, some new... a bit of a mixed bag really, mostly tunes that work just as well at home as they do in the club.

DOWNLOAD

01. James Fox – New Jack Swing
02. Julio Bashmore – Ask Yourself
03. Crystal Fighters – In The Summer (Sepalcure Remix)
04. Jamie Grind – Footwork (Skips Remix)
05. RSS – Wife Her Up (Jamie Grind Remix)
06. Geiom – No More Tears
07. Groove Theory – Tell Me (George Fitzgerald Remix)
08. Kelis – Brave (Dark Sky Remix)
09. Headhunter – Chasing Dragons
10. Macca – Spaceship Anthem (TRC Remix)
11. Toasty – Knowledge (Untold Remix)

Check Jamie on Facebook and Twitter and Modulate on Facebook and Twitter.