In only a few years Jase Thirlwall has made a firm footprint on the global dance scene, he exploded into the scene in 2010 with his diverse and energetic sound and is now a well-established name amongst the scene.

As a performer Jase doesn’t hold back, expect mass emotion, surprise and an abundance of energy behind the decks. His forward thinking & cutting edge sound has seen him warming up dance floors for some of the biggest and most respected names in the scene including Paul van Dyk, Eddie Halliwell, Mauro Picotto and Showtek.

Natasha had the chance to interview Jase in the lead up to his tour Down Under which kicks off in Adelaide this Friday! Read the complete interview below.

Australia Tour dates:
Adelaide – Friday August 1st, Lava Adelaide
Sydney – Saturday August 2nd, The Civic Underground
Brisbane – Friday August 8th, Deluxe
Melbourne – Saturday August 9th, Manhattan Lounge

INTERVIEW 

Your track ‘Sicko‘ (Mental Asylum Records) has been receiving massive support from Armin Van Buuren, Mark Sherry, Bryan Kearney and many more – what was your inspiration to create such a high energy, dark and raw track? How did you come about naming the track ‘Sicko’?
‘Sicko’ has had a fantastic response, certainly one of my darkest tracks, hence the name! I wanted a proper “heads down let’s get sweaty” track, lots of emotion and a kick drum big enough to floor an elephant! It’s been a really powerful track in all my sets recently and as you said the support has been fantastic, double play on Armin van Buuren’s A State of Trance radio show and major support throughout the scene. Xgenic absolutely nailed the remix, I nearly wet myself when I heard it on a big system. I’m a big fan of all Xgenic’s tracks so was really happy when they accepted remix duties.

What was your reaction when you found out Armin van Buuren and John O’Callaghan included their mash-up of ‘Freaked’ in their sets. Some producers dislike having their tracks mashed up – do you include them in your sets?
‘Freaked’ was insane, it still is, released well over a year ago and still I see it on a lot of tracklists. To be honest, I was overwhelmed when I heard both Armin van Buuren & John O’Callaghan had mashed the track up, seeing videos of it played to over 60,000 people is just f**king mental, such a buzz! I play John’s mash-up often, guaranteed a great reaction; I think it will be a key track for me in Australia this next couple of weeks…

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For many people, trance is an escape from everyday life. For you being in this industry, what would your escape from trance be?
Techno, I find myself listening to it a lot, it’s a break from trance and I f**king love it! I love the whole humbleness about it. I find myself integrating a lot into my live sets also, it always goes down well, I think the odd techno track goes down well in a trance set, it’s fun and keeps the crowd interested, some people frown upon the fact you drop a techno track in a trance set, i say “f*ck off!” I’m really digging some of the guys sounds like Joseph Capriati, Alex Di Stefano and Mark Greene, they’ve all got a great sound going on and I try and keep up with their productions and sets. Catch me partying at any festival and you’ll usually find me cutting some serious shapes in the techno tent, sweating!

How did you know that producing and DJing is something that you wanted to do? What gave you that push and drive to want to be heard by the world?
Like most artists I’ve had an interest in Electronic Dance Music (Can I still call it that?) from a young age, think I was around 13, still at school, we use to listen to mix tapes from guys like Carl Cox & Lenny Dee. I guess things just progressed from there, I had my first belt drive turntables at 16 then as time moved on I bought CDJs and started taking things a little more serious, played some really cool birthday parties and annoyed a lot of neighbours on the way haha. I’m really happy doing what I do now, its humbling knowing others as far afield as Australia enjoy my work also, too that end I’ll keep doing what I do.

Do you believe it is difficult for a Trance DJ/Producer to be original and to be noticed in the scene nowadays? Do you have any tips or advice you can offer to aspiring DJ’s and Producers Down Under?
That’s a tough question as I still see myself as finding my own way, it is tough though, it’s a tough scene to break, competition is crazy, for me trance is evolving, some of the production techniques and sounds I hear are amazing, long may it continue! What I hate is when peoples egos overtake them, people become rude, arrogant and negative. My advice would be, be yourself, work hard and network lots. It’s tough and not always a fair scene to break into! Oh and remember the three P’s…. Productions, Persistence and ehh Pies (I f**king love steak pies!).

What do you feel sets you apart from other trance artists?
I am amazing, at cooking.

Is Producing and DJing a full time job for you or do you have another job to support you? If so, what do you do for work and how do you juggle time in the studio, travel and everything that comes in this industry as well as working full time?
No, I also work full time as an Engineer, I do find it hard at times, I do manage to keep on top of it all though, only f**king just at times! The prospect of leaving the day job sounds grand, it would free up a lot of spare time for me to work on music, radio shows and all the really exciting things that go on in the background (punches self in forehead, hard), it will happen, just not quite yet!

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There are more and more organisations and support groups arising on the internet for example like ‘The Trance Project’, who stand up for the solidarity, support and existence of Trance. What do those organisations/groups mean to artists like you?
Groups like this are great in my opinion, they strive to push the scene, I’ve done some shit with a few groups/movements recently and I’ve really enjoyed working with them, they push and promote a lot of breaking artists which is always good to see.

What do you like doing in your spare time?
Eating.

What is your favourite tune at the moment?
Can I have two? nice one, I’m loving Denton & Flynn feat Audrey Gallagher – “Say my name”. I can’t get enough of this at the moment, for me this is the perfect uplifting vocal track. I’ve been supporting Paul Denton’s productions for a long time now, guaranteed he’ll have a bright future in the scene if he carries on battering out anthems like that. I’m also seriously digging Will Atkinson’s – “Eternally”, such a talented young sausage! I can see both tracks being in my Cd wallet for a long time.

Which trance artist has inspired you the most along your journey and which newcomer do you feel will become a huge success?
I’ve had a lot of inspiration throughout my career, artists like Randy Katana, Mojado, Marco V, Fred Baker, I could go on forever, and they’ve all played a part in my sets or productions at some point. I spend a lot of time listening to Mark Sherry, Bryan Kearney and Simon Patterson, all at the forefront of their game I spend a lot of time going through the archives listening to the older trance, the techy gear, the original sound that got me into trance, I try to take elements from that to use in my current productions.

There are so many up and coming artists and DJ’s I try and keep up with now, a lot of the guys pretty much nailed their own unique sound. I’ve already mentioned Paul Denton, Allan Morrow is another – nice guy and productions are clas. I’m looking forward to playing B2B with him at Amsterdam Dance Event soon.
I’d really like to see Stephen Kirkwood get a lot more recognition – he’s easily Scotland’s most underrated DJ with a back catalogue of great productions, nice guy too!

Thank you again for your time, I know you’re a busy man! Australia looks forward to seeing you in the upcoming weeks and I wish you all the best during your tour. Any last words for the Trance & Progressive scene Down Under?
STAND BY.
STAND BY.

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