Warboy: What Came First Premiere & Interview

Sabajaq promoter and resident DJ Jim Warboy becomes the fourth artist to release on Egg's fledgling What Came First label with his three track 'Overcast City' EP, released under the name Warboy, out this Friday 24th February.

Ahead of Sabajaq this Saturday 25th, where Pig&Dan and D-Unity join Warboy in the Main Room, and Alinka and Hannah Holland headline the Terrace, we spoke to the London producer and DJ to find out more about the release.

Check below for tracks premieres of the EP, via Egg, Mixmag and Insomniac. Get tickets are full info on Sabajaq here.

Can you tell us about your involvement with Egg and how you started working there.

I’d been putting on lots of underground nights in East London when Laurence Malice, Egg’s owner, offered me the chance to create nights at Egg in 2011. I jumped at the chance and have worked on a number of projects since then. It’s an exciting place to do things because Laurence encourages all the team to aim high, think outside of the box, and create something amazing.

How long have you been promoting Sabajaq for and who are some of your favourite acts that have played there?

Sabajaq started a couple of years ago as a small underground night that combined music, art and performance with a dark, uncompromising vibe. It became resident at Egg a few months later, which has allowed us to do some incredible things like stage a big Vogue Ball last year.

We’ve had heavyweights like Green Velvet, Sam Paganini, Jay Lumen, Monika Kruse and Pleasurekraft, but also rising stars like Dennis Cruz, Paride Saraceni, Vinicius Honorio, Hannah Holland and Alinka.

As a regular DJ at the club, have you noticed a particular sound that work well there?

Whether it’s techno in the main room or house in the middle floor, one thing is always clear - the crowd at Egg come to dance. I mean, really dance! Between that and the first class sound systems, I find that I have lots of scope to really push the boundaries. Driving, atmospheric tracks with a dark edge go down well in my sets there at the moment.

Egg's What Came First label is putting out your 'Overcast City' EP as it's fourth release. Can you tell us some of the inspirations behind your sound?

Yeah, I’m over the moon to be releasing on the label and the EP is already getting some big support. I love the organic way the label is growing and the fact that it’s giving a platform for emerging artists. This EP really captures the essence at Sabajaq and the current mood in London. It’s a paradox of dark, looming clouds and underlying euphoric optimism. Outside of clubbing, I love going to the opera, which has encouraged me to take a more dramatic approach with my work. Vinicius Honorio has also delivered a dancefloor beast with his remix!

Are ravens really that unkind? Maybe they're a bit tired from protecting the Tower of London. It's a big responsibility.

Lol! I found the title for that track – 'Unkindness of Ravens' - on Wikipedia in a long list of names for groups of animals. There were the obvious ones, like herd of cows, but it also included some really quirky ones like a shrewdness of apes, a flamboyance of flamingos and an unkindness of ravens. I mean, who the hell uses terms like those?

How long have you been producing for and what lessons have you learnt along the way?

I’ve been producing for over ten years, but it’s over last couple of years that I made the decision to focus on producing properly. While working with Mike Monday, a former producer turned incredible life coach, I’ve managed to grasp many things, including starting – doing something, in fact anything, is what gets tracks made - and finishing – knowing when to say enough is enough and move on to the next track.

What's next on the horizon for yourself and Sabajaq?

I’ve got more releases lined up in the spring and am constantly busy in studio. As well as producing the techy tracks, I’ve been working with some brilliant vocalists so am creating a live show too.

As well as Sabajaq this weekend, we’re planning a huge bank holiday party at Egg on Saturday 29th April with techno heads Jay Lumen and Pleasurekraft, plus Catz ‘N Dogz and Kim Ann Foxman have now been added to the line-up.