South London-based artist and producer Electric Jackal blends cool electronica and playful indie on his new single, ‘Islands’. Led by thoughtful guitar hooks, driving bass lines and characterful vocals, the song explores themes of isolation, the search for inner strength and exploring new spaces to find ourselves. Ahead of his next single release, I had a chat to Electric Jackal to find out more about his writing process, why he’d love to work with David Byrne and why he chooses to wear a mysterious mask…
Words by Annie Rew Shaw
Discovered via http://musosoup.com
Annie) Hey James! How’s it going? Can you give our readers a little background on how Electric Jackal came to be?
Electric Jackal) It’s going grand, thank you. Electric Jackal was a name I toyed with years ago when I was in the process of setting up an agency. Consequently I went down another route but something about it stuck, then I wrote the songs and found the mask and it was the only way to go. Hiding my identity also means I can avoid gigging over the winter months. Basically, I don’t function well in the cold!
Your new single ‘Islands’ has a great vibe. What was the inspiration behind the song?
Originally I wanted the song to have more of a disco feel to it but when the lyrics started taking shape it became more serious. Admittedly, I like to try to keep the meaning of a song and the lyrics cryptic as I love the idea of people making their own interpretations of what it’s about – but ultimately this is about how different people cope with stress and change.
What’s your favourite and least-favourite part of the production process?
My least-favourite part is the recording. I produce all my own stuff and can get caught up in a note being hit or sounding a particular way. This means it could take me two whole days just to get one hook right. I guess the good thing is that everything sounds just how I want it to… even if I have lost weeks of my life.
You’ve worked with a pretty cool list of people. If you could collaborate with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?
There are a lot of people I could name, but it would have to be David Byrne. I saw his American Utopia show last year and it was a game changer. He’s a little bit nuts, a little bit eccentric but generally a proper pioneer of the industry and one of my all time heroes.
What’s the best advice you’ve been given as an artist?
It was pretty simple and pretty bluntly delivered but it would have to be: “Never compromise on your creative vision.” Saying it out loud makes It sound kind of harsh but I have to do this in my day job a fair bit, so when it comes to Electric Jackal I work hard to communicate everything I see in my head and bring it to life as accurately as I can.
What’s coming up next for Electric Jackal? Is there more music on the way?
I have a new song and video coming out on Monday 18 November called ‘Be Still’ and I’ve also started work on another EP called ‘White Heat’. I’m aiming to share over the Christmas holidays but if a note isn’t sounding right, it could be next spring.