image: Ryan Dinham
From exciting beginnings in the industry, operating powerful lasers at some of the biggest events of the 90s, Cole Jonson turned the foot in the door that he got through meeting influential rave promoters into a solid career as a producer and DJ.
Initially alternating between jungle and house music, spinning at big ticket events like Peach, Club UK, Labyrinth and World Dance as DJ Logic, Cole began to concentrate on his house gigs and productions, leaving behind the moniker that had become well known on the dancefloors of London and establishing himself as an artist under his own name, which would eventually lead to international recognition and guest slots across the UK and beyond, playing such far-flung and notorious events as the pool parties at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
In recent years, Cole’s career has developed in leaps and bounds. He’s signed tracks to heaps of labels including Toolroom Records, Hotfingers and Vamos Music, scored credits on numerous high-profile mix compilations – perhaps most notably Umek’s Toolrom Knights 2.0 with ‘Sneak Out’ – and won residencies at clubs such as The Egg, Pacha and Ministry of Sound.
Now running his very own record label, Influential House, Cole’s schedule is busier than it’s ever been, but he kindly took a few minutes out to give us the lowdown on his career to date, how he got here and where he’s headed next…
Hey Cole, how’s it all going at the moment? What have been some recent highlights?
Well, 2013 has been such an amazing year for me. My label, Influential House, has gone from strength to strength, working with some amazing producers, both up-and-coming, as well as some more established names. Personally, there’s been many highlights, especially in terms of production – signing contracts with Hotfingers, Toolroom, Vamos Music, Natura Viva, PPMusic, Phunk Traxx and many more has been fantastic.
How did you get your start in the industry? What aspect of your career came first and how did it lead to where you are now?
Ha! Well now I’m gonna show my age… I first started working in the industry for a laser company in the early 90s, operating lasers almost every rave in the country – Telepathy, Jungle Fever, Vision, Raindance, London Astoria, Orange, World Dance. Obviously I got to know all the promoters and this was the opening I used to get into DJing. I started playing both jungle and house, depending on which rave or club I was playing in. So at Club UK, Gardening Club and Peach Camden Palace I played house, and at Labyrinth, Orange, World Dance and so on, I played Jungle. My DJ name in those days was DJ Logic… Wow! What crazy days they were! I did this for many years but left everything behind until a few years ago when I couldn’t live without being involved so I started back up again.
What is it like being Ministry of Sound’s official resident and getting to play on that amazing system?!
Playing Ministry of Sound every six weeks has been a true honour. The place is deep in my heart – I’ve been clubbing there since it opened, so to get to play and have a residency icon next to my name on the flyer has been truly inspirational to me and something I’m extremely proud of. If you’ve ever been to MoS, you’ll know that the sound system is incredible. In my opinion it’s the best system I’ve ever heard and to play on it is amazing. If the tracks you are playing have been produced well enough, you can hear each element so clearly that it makes the whole experience one to remember. Who knows what the future will bring for MoS but the place will be part of me forever.
What’s the London house scene at the moment? How is it developing and who or what do you think are the driving forces behind it?
The London house scene is still going strong and, in many ways, it’s getting stronger, but it’s changing and has been for quite a while now. Many of the old venues, especially the larger venues, have gone and now its Ministry’s turn to fight for survival. It such a shame we’ve lost Turnmills, The End, The Cross, Astoria and others from the scene, but with this change has come a new breed of events that have almost taken things underground again, with smaller venues thriving, which is a good thing. The audience and the music are thriving, too, and the scene keeps evolving. Considering it’s 25 years old or more, its incredible to think how strong it still is. I hope it continues for many years to come.
Tell us about some of your influences – artists who have helped shape your sound, perhaps some you’ve already had the honour of working with or would really love to work with in the future?
There’s been so many influences in my music, from old school artists like Frankie Knuckles, Mr. Fingers and Chicago house in general, to labels like R&S, the techno movement back in the day and guys like Robert Leiner, who were true pioneers of their time. More recently, I’d say Umek, Fat Boy Slim, Sonny Wharton, Dubfire, Mark Knight, Jay Lumen, Rene Amesz, Jamie Jones and many others have all inspired me. I don’t get caught up in the whole genre debate – I like house music. In fact, dance music, therefore I like it all, so I take elements of it all to make my sound. In the future, I’d love to work with Umek; he’s an awesome guy, amazing producer, top DJ and his label, 1605, is one of my favourites, so that would be a dream.
You’re signed to a whole host of great house labels, but one that certainly stands out is Toolroom Records, the goliath of a label that it is – what did it feel like to join that camp?
That’s an amazing story actually. The signing was incredible, since it was Umek that signed it to the label. He picked up my track and smashed it for six months around the world, then had a compilation coming out on Toolroom and he actually contacted us and asked if he could use it on the album. Well, you can imagine what my reaction was like – I jumped at the chance! The rest is history.
How did you come to start your own label, Influential House? Is there an ethos behind the label?
I’d been thinking of doing it for a while, then I had the opportunity to take over an established label, which was Influential House. With artists like Futuristic Polar Bears, Ted Nilsson, Danny Quattro, Hysteric Ego, Oliver Lang, Dainty Doll, Anti-Slam & Weapon, Etienne Copse and many others, I’m extremely proud of where I’ve taken the label, especially over the last year. The ethos behind it is the same as my overall outlook on dance music – if the music is good then Influential House is the home for it. If I’d play the track out, then it fits the label.
Which kind of qualities do you try to bring out in your sound, whether you’re playing at an event or making your own music?
When playing out, my whole outlook on what I aim to do is entertain the crowd. If the crowd enjoy what you do, then you are doing a good job as a DJ. Of course, you have your own sound, but you also have to read the crowd and base what you do on how they are reacting. These things go hand in hand to make the night.
You mentioned that you’ve got a whopping seven unsigned tracks ready and waiting. You must work long hours in the studio – do you think this is key to your success?
I don’t think its long hours that brings success, I think quality rules over quantity. There’s no point producing 100 tracks that don’t represent you or aren’t individual enough. Of course, hard work does pay off, but you have to concentrate on making your tracks as good as they can be, rather then rushing out tracks just to get them finished.
Can you tell us about some of your upcoming releases? What kind of direction are you heading musically?
I have a whole host of tracks coming out over the next few months on labels like Hotfingers, Phunk Traxx, Incorrect Music, Vamos Music, LIP Recordings, Influential House and Recovery House. As you can see, the sound might range from bouncy tech house to techno and deep tech, depending on the label. Again, I don’t conform to just making one sound, I make dance music, so my ethos is variety. Exciting times ahead, though – very exciting…
What setup are you using to DJ at the moment? What are your reasons for these choices?
I use WAVs on USB and CDJs mainly. I still use some vinyl for old school nights, but for pure ease of transportation, especially abroad, USBs are just the way forward. I never use things like Traktor or anything like that, I try and keep it as close to vinyl as possible.
How about in the studio? Is there much crossover in terms of the way you work live as a DJ and in the studio?
There’s massive crossover in terms of how I mix live and how I make music, yes. When I play out, I basically automate each track live and mix them using the filters, gains and equalisation on the mixer, essentially in the same way I work in the studio. Becoming a producer certainly has helped my DJing and how I think about mixing. Maybe I should invest in more toys to play with!
Who’s throwing the best parties at the moment?
There are some incredible parties out there at the moment. I’d say that the nights run by labels such as Toolroom and Defected are amazing. Pukka Up are slamming it at the moment, so big up to them. Secret Party Project, Swankys and Paravana Project are three brands that are going places and quickly – watch out for these in 2014.
What’s next for Cole Jonson?
Next for me is just more of the same really – make my productions bigger and better, work with more artists, both up-and-coming and established, work on my label to improve everything about it… I have some amazing tracks coming on some amazing labels, so I couldn’t be more excited about the future than I am right now.
Thanks Cole – best of luck for what looks like a big 2014. Check out one of Cole’s latest tracks, ‘Muse’, below…
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