Following the success of their recent single, ‘Teeth’, which won vital support from the BBCR1 family, alt-electronic duo Jacana People is back with the emotive ‘Awara’. On the new cut, the duo continues to showcase their penchant for storytelling across mood-switching soundscapes, encompassing rhythmic drums and nuanced percussion to create a warm immersive experience; teasing ambient elements, while hinting at the hope of euphoric times ahead.
The release comes off the back of a busy few months for the duo, alongside joining Porij on a UK tour, they recently performed at Printworks and opened for Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs with a blistering set at Manchester’s New Century House. Collaboration is always at the forefront of the project, not only with each other but with friends including Barry Can’t Swim, who commissioned them for remix duties on the track ‘Some Day I Will’. Releases including ‘Teeth’ and ‘Myna Cycles’, a collaborative EP with Neil Cowley, have seen them gain critical acclaim and support from the likes of Tom Ravenscroft, Mary Anne Hobbs, Nemone, Steve Lamacq, and Jaguar, positioning them at the forefront of rising UK talent.
EG caught up with Jacana People to learn more about the release of ‘Awara’, their eventful summer, origins, their creative process, the state of the scene, and more.
EG: Hi guys! Welcome to EG. It’s a pleasure to have you here with us. Where are you based right now?
Jacana People: Hey EG! We’re currently at our studio in East London where we’ve been hunkered down writing some new music.
EG: So, what has your summer been like? Any particular highlights?
Jacana People: Summer has been great. Playing at Lost Village was a massive highlight – the energy at that festival is mad. We also just finished a run of shows with Porij on their UK tour and supported George Fitzgerald and T.E.E.D, as well as playing our Printworks debut. This was our first full summer out playing live as Jacana People – being able to connect with people in that way has been euphoric and really joyous.
EG: Sounds like you guys really enjoyed it. Congratulations on the release of your new single, ‘Awara’! What has the initial reception been like?
Jacana People: Cheers! We’ve actually been opening our sets with ‘Awara’ on this recent run of live dates and it’s really set the tone for our shows. It’s got this atmosphere that seems to connect with people. We hope it resonates now it’s out there in the world!
EG: You have been making a lot of waves in a relatively short period of time, gaining support from the likes of Tom Ravenscroft, Mary Anne Hobbs, and Jaguar in the process…Is this something you guys envisioned from the offset?
Jacana People: Honestly, no! This project really just started as a way of getting out of our heads and being creative. We had no real idea of where it could go, or how many people it could reach, so it’s still huge for us to hear our music being played by the likes of Jaguar or Mary Anne Hobbs on the radio. We’re so grateful for these kinds of figures and what they do for our scene (shoutout also to Sian Eleri and Jack Saunders). Generally speaking, anytime anyone reaches out and lets us know that they’ve enjoyed some music or a show, it really gives us the energy to be ambitious and push this project further.
“Forming Jacana People and pursuing this kind of music felt like a natural progression to us. Most of our early material came about during lockdown, so in a lot of ways, the project originated as our own personal therapy and escapism over that crazy period”
EG: So, what can your fans expect to find on ‘Awara’? Is there a particular concept powering this piece?
Jacana People: ‘Awara’ for us represents a real feeling of joy and togetherness. It’s a track we were working on for a while and just couldn’t get right until Rob found the vocal sample. That’s when the track came alive to us and started getting us excited. It has this fizzing energy that we hope people will gravitate towards. Like our last release, ‘Teeth’, ‘Awara’ has this thread of new life and hope, that helped define this new phase of writing and creativity we feel we’re coming into. We’re maybe drawn to that kind of energy at the moment, given how turbulent things are in the world around us at the moment.
EG: How did you guys meet? Was there an instant connection? When and how did Jacana People come about?
Jacana People: We’ve actually known each other since school and have been making music together for about 10 years, in various forms. We really started working on our production in late 2019, around the time a previous project ran its course, so forming Jacana People and pursuing this kind of music felt like a natural progression to us. Most of our early material came about during lockdown, so in a lot of ways, the project originated as our own personal therapy and escapism over that crazy period.
EG: What is your creative process and chemistry like? Do you guys have ‘defined’ roles by now?
Jacana People: Because we’ve known each other for a long time, our creative process feels very second nature. We understand each other’s rhythms, whilst giving each other the space to try new things. We have similar ideas about the direction our music should be taking, although we like to try different approaches as to how we might get there and as a result, we make it part of our process to always change what we do in the studio. A common thread with our writing is that we like to find an initial piece of inspiration; it could be a sample, melody, or even something visual – a piece of art or a photo. This process keeps us moving; challenging ourselves and hopefully landing on something new each time.
EG: What are your thoughts on the current state of the scene? What would you like to see more and less of?
Jacana People: The scene is thriving in loads of ways with so much incredible music at the moment, but across the board, there needs to be more diversity and inclusion throughout the industry. We are lucky to be around so many amazing creatives from all different backgrounds and even though things are moving in a positive direction, there’s still a long way to go.
Our friend Jaguar released an eye-opening report titled ‘Progressing Gender Representation in UK Dance music’, regarding the lack of inclusion of female and non-binary individuals in electronic music and it just highlights some key ways in which the scene can be evolving for the better.
On another note, it’s been interesting this year to see people start to call out the toll social media and self-promotion can have on musicians. Ultimately, we’re all in the same boat trying to be creative and get our work out there, so it’s been great to see more dialogue on this.
“We have similar ideas about the direction our music should be taking, although we like to try different approaches as to how we might get there and as a result, we make it part of our process to always change what we do in the studio”
EG: What’s next for Jacana People? What particular milestones are you looking forwards to now? Where can your fans catch you next?
Jacana People: Well, we will have more music out in the world before the end of the year and then into 2023 there are some exciting collaborations coming as part of a bigger project which we’ve been working on for a little while! Beyond that, we have really big ideas of where we could take our live show after getting such a taste for it this year. We’d love to play in Europe or the US and have some places in mind that we’ve always wanted to play. Next up, we’re DJing at The Jazz Café, London on Nov 25th with Godford and Elle Clark, which should be a big one!
EG: Thank you so much for your time, guys! We wish you all the best for the future.
Jacana People: Thanks so much, great to chat!
Jacana People’s new single ‘Awara’ is out now. Purchase your copy here.
Follow Jacana People: Facebook | Instagram | Soundcloud | Spotify
