When it comes to legends of the drum & bass/jungle scene, they don’t get much bigger than this man. With his first release coming on Lemon D’s Planet Earth Records at the unbelievable age of just 14, it’s no wonder the boy once known as Dexxtrous went on to become the household name of jungle that is J Majik. A string of massive releases throughout the 90’s on Goldie’s Metalheadz, as well as his own imprint Infrared Records, cemented J Majik’s position in the dance music history books before the turn of the century. Now, 22 years after the release of his first and only album, James returns with the 10 track masterpiece ‘Full Circle’. We caught up with the man himself to have a little chat about the past, present and future of J Majik.
So it’s been 22 years since we’ve seen an album from J Majik and I read that this new project was inspired by a set you played at Rupture! Were there any other factors led to the new album?
Yes 22 years since my last solo album, it feels like half that time honestly. I have always enjoyed making all styles of dnb but for me the early 90s was the golden era where music seemed timeless and I feel creatively you can go anywhere on a record. In 2016, a good friend of mine Lee Harmony and myself set up a label called Deep Jungle to put out unreleased gems from the 90s that have never seen the light of day. We began going through all our old DATs and contacting some of the biggest names who were responsible for a lot of the early classics. Coincidentally, Mantra who runs the Rupture nights got in touch and asked if I would play a jungle set at Rupture in 2017. Seeing that reaction at the club; I guess it took me back to the mid 90s and gave me a new inspiration to get back into the studio and just make music I love.
So it’s been 22 years since we’ve seen an album from J Majik and I read that this new project was inspired by a set you played at Rupture! Were there any other factors led to the new album?
Yes 22 years since my last solo album, it feels like half that time honestly. I have always enjoyed making all styles of dnb but for me the early 90s was the golden era where music seemed timeless and I feel creatively you can go anywhere on a record. In 2016, a good friend of mine Lee Harmony and myself set up a label called Deep Jungle to put out unreleased gems from the 90s that have never seen the light of day. We began going through all our old DATs and contacting some of the biggest names who were responsible for a lot of the early classics. Coincidentally, Mantra who runs the Rupture nights got in touch and asked if I would play a jungle set at Rupture in 2017. Seeing that reaction at the club; I guess it took me back to the mid 90s and gave me a new inspiration to get back into the studio and just make music I love.