Get to know: Wax on Mare St.

We caught up with the guys ahead of their appearance at the Eastern Electrics Afterparty on August 4th...

Aligning their record collection and musical tastes in the heart of Hackney, Wax on Mare St. have been producing and DJing together as a trio since 2015, crafting a warm, chunky sound along with a burgeoning profile throughout the UK. 

 Under their own monikers of James Puentes, Disssonance & MIINA, the guys have individually released on a plethora of back catalogues including Cajual and No Fit State to name a few, in addition to an Eastern Electrics residency between them. Fresh off the back of their debut release on Lauren Lo Sung’s imprint, E1even records, Wax on Mare St. will be playing our Loft at the Eastern Electrics Afterparty straight from the festival itself on August 4th. 

Ahead of the night, the guys had a chat with us about how they collectively work on their sound and why they’re strictly vinyl-only heads… 

What’s the dynamic between the three of you behind the decks? Some artists would baulk at the idea of mixing with two other people, how does it work for you guys? 

Our sets and musical understanding have both developed as our friendship has year to year. We don’t ever plan sets, it’s more the case of having the awareness and understanding of the crowd. Which is why we play well off the cuff always. It’s much more of a relaxed approach towards playing for us. 

We all come from different musical backgrounds, so it works well. When we play out, we hang out! 

Wax on Mare St. Have just been added to Netil Radio’s schedule with one show per month every second Tuesday. How’s that going for you? 

The first one was a great success which was a nice surprise. We only saw positive feedback from the show which is always nice. It’s good to finally be onboard with Netil Radio seeing as we also have a studio at Netil House. So this now ties us in perfectly for us to create a platform, inviting and sharing the airtime with friends and like-minded people. 

Do you approach the radio show in the same way you would a DJ set in a club? It can be daunting to know that the show is being live-streamed on camera, does this affect you guys at all? 

Again going back to awareness, it’s two completely different environments, so we know when we are on the radio we have to bear that in mind. Keeping it natural and having fun at the same time. Which is what it’s all about. 

Every artist has their own way of doing things and the three of you mix using mostly vinyl. What is it about mixing actual records that makes DJing so appealing for you personally? 

We see it as a skill and a craft that sometimes goes unnoticed in this day and age, along with the research and time spent that goes into music digging. It helps to create your own musical identity which will then help you to stand out musically, rather than being similar to anyone else. 

You guys have just dropped a solid EP on E1even records, with remixes from Niko Maxen and Kevin Over. Again, as there’s three of you, what’s your approach in the studio? 

Our whole understanding with each other whether in the studio or anywhere else is always based on the vibe that day. Nine times out of ten we tend to start pretty much on a blank canvas and see where our creativity leads us too. 

We generally don’t put any pressure on our selves in the studio as we said earlier - it’s about having fun with it. We are really happy with the Red Light Ep. As we feel both remixer’s completely brought their own style to our original, allowing the whole EP to come together nicely and of course Lauren was very fond of the original track so props to her for putting us out. The EP is out now.

It’s been a fairly busy year for Wax on Mare St. with the EP release, the Netil show and a slew of gigs around London in addition to your upcoming Eastern Electrics set before heading over to us for the official afterparty. What’s next for Wax on Mare St?

 To continue having fun and developing our skills together as mates and artists.  

Get tickets to Eastern Electrics Official Afterparty: Matador, Guti, Mella Dee, Spencer Parker, Brawther, Wax on Mare St. and more: Here