Get to know: Audiojack

Audiojack are the Leeds grown, Ibiza based duo who have built a solid reputation over the last decade as DJs, producers, remixers and label curators. Running their own dancefloor focused label Gruuv for over five years has provided an alternative home for their original music. 

Remaining true to their beliefs and staying relevant without being contrived is at the core of Audiojack's success. The duo never rests on their laurels, reinventing themselves whenever necessary, although in an organic manner. In today's fast-paced, ever-growing electronic music world it's not always easy to keep a cool head and maintain credibility and integrity. 

We caught up with the duo as they prepare for Fridays at Egg: Origins with Josh Butler, Mark Jenkyns, Audiojack... 

You’re both just off the back of tours in both the US and India, how did they go? Do you find there is a difference between the energy of American and Indian crowds compared to London or the UK? 

Rich - Yeah we started May in Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad, then played Minneapolis, San Diego, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Denver and Dallas over the last two weeks so it’s been pretty intense, but fun too. 

It’s crazy how little time is left over in each day when you’re on a DJ, sleep, travel, repeat cycle. Globalisation is making the world a smaller and more familiar place, but there are still local cultural differences which affect how people behave. Nowhere else do people get quite as inebriated as in the UK. 

In India, they’re culturally a bit more reserved. American’s are more outwardly encouraging of the coming together experience. All generalisations of course. 

What are your tips for staying focused in the midst of such an intense touring schedule which jumps from extreme time zones, climates, airports and everything else that comes with being on the road? 

Jamie - Your focus is directly proportional to your health, both physical and mental, and when you’re on tour it is important to maintain both. The physical side is more obvious but still easy to let slip by getting carried away. 

Eating healthily makes a huge difference as it gives your body the tools to heal itself and keep your immune system strong. We try and go for Asian food like Thai or Vietnamese for our pre-gig meal because even the most basic forms are generally nutritious and healthy. 

If you’re indulging on your gig night try and drink a bit of water, even downing a bottle once between shots can make all the difference the next morning, and when you have four gigs in a row in four different cities, hangovers can really do you over and spoil the enjoyment. 

Getting exercise can really help too, both to metabolise heavy food, booze and whatever else you’ve put in your body, but it also leads on to the next point which is maintaining your mental health which affects many touring artists as has become more apparent in the media recently. 

Exercise really helps to alleviate stress and anxiety and clear your head, even walking rather than taking cabs when you can. The manic schedules you have to deal with can throw up lots of variables and things that can go wrong such as delayed flights, rides to the airport not turning up, equipment failures and so on can all be stressful but its important to remember that if these factors are out of your control then worrying about them can’t change anything and you just have to keep your chin up and crack on. 

You recently dropped a debut EP on Knee Deep in Sound, how did you guys meet Hot Since 82? 

Rich - We met in the backstage area of DC10 in Ibiza, but me and Daley are actually from the same small town in Yorkshire so know a lot of the same people. His missus grew up on my family street. I was puzzled when we first chatted about it, as this is in the middle of the countryside where everyone knows everyone, and I couldn’t picture them. Then I remembered two pigtail clad little girls riding around on bikes with stabilizers, and suddenly felt quite old. 

Is there a particular theme behind the EP?

 Jamie - First Flight doesn’t have a theme per say, it was just the result of a live jam that was recorded in one take, which you can feel from the unorthodox arrangement and lack of linearity in the automation. Warehouse definitely had a theme which was a throwback to the old hardcore records we grew up with in the 90s. We’ve seen a few comments flying around that it sounds like a hard house track but the elements of hard house from which these parallels are drawn were regurgitated from acid house and hardcore.