Just Her Interview & Exclusive Mix

Just Her's deep, melodic take on house and techno has been winning her fans across the musical spectrum, from Crosstown Rebels to Armada. Previously part of duo Him_Self_Her, with whom she scored the huge vocal hit 'Gone Too Long' (currently sitting at nearly 7 million plays on YouTube), her subsequent solo project has gathered similar momentum, aided along the way by her Constant Circles label and associated radio show.

A resident at bi-monthly techno party Sabajaq, after this weekend's packed party with Green Velvet she returns to its next edition on Saturday 22nd of October alongside Pleasurekraft, Jay Lumen and more. We caught Just Her, otherwise known as Claire Spooner, to chat about her current moves. She also recorded us an exclusive hour long mix, which you can listen to below.

Get tickets and more info on the next Sabajaq here.

Hi Claire. You're a resident at Sabajaq. What's your favourite thing about playing at Egg? Do you have any memorable moments playing there?

I’ve actually been playing at Egg for quite a few years now, for different nights under different artist names! But it has always been one of my favourite UK clubs to play at because of the incredible vibe on the dance floor. One of the standout memories for me over the years was playing a New Year’s Eve set on the main terrace and dropping Faithless 'Insomnia'. It was a dance floor moment that I will never forget. And right now I feel extremely lucky to be resident for Sabajaq, as it is one of the most cutting edge nights around at the moment, both visually and musically.

How much do you prepare your sets and how much are they spontaneous?

I usually try to be super prepared before a gig, but then as soon as I get to the booth, the whole plan goes out of the window haha! So I would say in reality, it’s a bit of both. I usually have key tracks that I know I will be playing at certain times and then I will fill the gaps around those based on the crowd and the flow. But I also like to spend quite a bit of time editing tracks and creating new versions or bootlegs to make my shows a little more unique, so from that point of view I do a lot of preparation.

You're flying solo now as Just Her. What happened to Him_Self_Her, which is the duo that a lot of people might have heard of you through, thanks to tracks like 'Gone To Long' on Crosstown Rebels?

Actually my partner in Him_Self_Her, Leon, had to take a bit of a step back from the industry for personal reasons, which is why I started to really push the Just Her project. And it has gone pretty well so far! But I was working by myself for a while before we became Him_Self_Her and it was always the plan to continue making solo material, especially to allow me to really express myself with the more song writing and melodic side of things. Plus we both felt that with the success of ‘Gone Too Long’ we were getting pigeon-holed a little musically, so going solo is a great way of starting fresh with the sound I want to make right now.

We saw a feature with you in the Leicester Mercury after your track 'Gone Too Long' was number one in the Beatport charts. You actually worked at Loughborough College and the vocal was from one of your students. What exactly did you teach and how has it helped your wider career?

I taught a range of subjects based around Music Technology, including DJing, Live Performance, Production, Events and Music Business, up until around two years ago when I decided to take a break from teaching to pursue my career as a producer and DJ. It was actually a great job and it definitely helped push my career forward – I think to be successful in this business you really have to live and breathe it, so to have a day job that is industry related is really important. Plus I had access to some brilliant training and development, and I was around talented and inspiring musicians every day, with the chance to work with them on my own material. At the moment I’m only doing a little bit of private tuition and some workshops for UK Music, but teaching is something that is in my blood and I’m sure it is something I will come back to in the future.

You originally taught sport, but clearly music is a bigger passion. How did you originally get into electronic music? And for anyone else thinking of chasing their dream, what inspired you to change course?

I was pretty good at both sport and music from a young age, but unfortunately the Music Department at my school wasn’t that great and I was encouraged much more strongly by the P.E Department to pursue my interest in sport - so I went in that direction and did a degree in Sport Science at Loughborough University and then went onto teaching. But I was always a music junkie and I taught myself to DJ in my spare time, then started playing local gigs at weekends and it grew from there, until eventually I realised that it was my calling! So I went back to University and did another degree, this time in Music Technology. I was working pretty much full time while studying and DJing at weekends – it was incredibly hard and took a lot of sacrifices and determination but I’m so glad I did it. My advice to anyone would be to follow your passion; even if it seems impossible it can be done, and it's never too late!

Your Constant Circles radio show was recently picked by Armada as one of their top five favourites, alongside weighty company Carl Cox and Adam Beyer. Can you tell us about the ethos and sound of the show and the label? What releases do you have line-up for the label?

Yes, I was majorly stoked to be ranked among such incredible artists! But I do put a lot of time and effort into the show, so it’s really nice to get some recognition. The idea is mainly to showcase the sound of the label, the artists I’m signing and upcoming releases, plus some of my own music of course! And music I’m recommending and playing in my sets. It encompasses a lot of different styles from electronica to techno, but it's always underground and as cutting edge as possible.

The label has really gained a lot of momentum in a short space of time and I’m super excited for where it’s going next! We have an EP from Slow Hearts about to drop at the end of August and after that I have the amazing Giorgia Angiuli on the label for an EP, with a remix from Marc DePulse. Plus there are some heavyweight remixes coming soon of my two tracks ‘Let Myself Go’ and ‘In The Dark’ with Kieran on vocals. Pete Oak, Konvex & The Shadow and Nandu & Moosefly are all doing their own incredible reworks and I cant wait to reveal those to everyone!

The Armada piece says that your sound is gradually crossing over to America. How is your international profile building?

It seems to be building all the time, which is great. I play a lot in Europe, I have a residency in Ukraine and I have quite a big following in South Africa, with two tours under my belt already. Planning for a USA tour is also underway and I hope to get across the pond pretty soon, watch this space!

What else is next on the horizon?

I have a couple of big releases coming soon, the main one being my track 'Follow You Down’ that comes out in October on the amazing Global Underground '20 Year Anniversary' album. I also have a track on Parquet and an EP on Einmusika that’s been causing quite a stir. In the studio I’m working hard on some new material with Kieran Fowkes on vocals to follow up our track ‘Let Myself Go’, which did really well. I also have some great gigs coming up in Dubai, Ukraine, Mexico and of course my residency at Sabajaq! See you on the dance floor…