Jura Soundsystem

There’s a new 6 track EP on the way titled ‘Morning Star’ which is now up for Bandcamp Pre-Order (the Vinyl should ship 3rd July). This is my first release since 2022’s ‘Return to the Island’ and was quite a tricky one!

In all honesty i sent myself crazy with this release and the final 4 originals (with 2 Dubs) were picked from around 25 completed tracks from the last few years. I’m quite a slow producer so this was a lot of work. The original idea was another LP, but it never felt finished so i kept ploughing on trying to make very specific tracks. In hindsight this is not a great way to produce (for me anyway) and i was definitely getting in the way of the creative process. So in Jan of this year i totally stopped making any new music and also stopped listening to the tracks. With a 2 month total break, this EP revealed itself in about 5 minutes, it just wasn’t the right time for another album.

It can be hard when you’re the artist and label, I was basically A&Ring myself in the studio which is a recipe for disaster. Music making needs to be fun with a sense of freedom and i slowly ended up doing the opposite. When you’re also making the decision about what to release, it’s hard not to get caught in the over thinking trap, but its a killer when it comes to creativity, breeding self doubt and insecurity about the work. The focus becomes the outcome which definitely affects the magic of the creative process. Time away restored some perspective and put me firmly back in touch with my creative intuition. The break from hearing them was key as i’d reached the stage where my ears were playing tricks on me and I’d also exhausted the dopamine i was getting from checking them too frequently. So for the next batch, note to self………

1. identify the vibe for this period of music creation

2. 100% finish each track and move onto the next one

3. do not succumb to the dopamine pull of listening to finished tracks

4. when the folder has 15-20 tunes take an ice bath

5. brew some strong coffee

6. pick the release

I’m now back to jamming out ideas and enjoying getting into the flow state, one of the reasons I love producing. I’m trying to be a bit more disciplined with my time and do short bursts of work, rather than allocating days to the studio where it’s easy to overwork things. What i’ve been doing is writing on the move with my Groovebox (the brilliant Roland MC101) when visiting the UK recently and on a week away in Port Elliot (a beautiful spot on the coast in SA) and also whilst just lounging around on the sofa at home. This is a very relaxed way to work with no pressure. The Groovebox only has 4 channels so thats usually drums, chords, bass and one lead, so at most they are sketches, but there’s enough there to know if the idea is worth pursuing.

I just got myself the MC707 for the studio, so i’m now completing the tracks on the big brother machine that has a lot more capabilities and 8 channels. I’m also just using these 2 machines, minimising the stress of too much choice. It’s great owning a bunch of synths, but the choice is overwhelming at times so right now my approach is a lot more stripped back. I packed all the other toys away, so I’m also learning the MC707 inside out, and using one bit of kit also helps when it comes to musical consistency.

This EP being another 6 tracker feels like the final part of the trilogy alongside ‘Monster Skies’ and ‘With You’ on Temples of Jura and i feel proud of it. I’ve been doing the Jura Soundsystem project for nearly 10 years now and this does feel like the end of something, certainly when it comes to my approach so we’ll see what comes next 😀.

I recently had a chat with the Outer Frequencies shop about all things Isle of Jura for their ‘Labels We Love’ feature. Dive in here.

A new track features on the next Jahtari label compilation ‘Jahtarian Dubbers Vol 5’. The album is a collection of all new Outsider Dubs, Dancehall bangers and lots of cosmic low end, marking twenty years of Reggae oddness from Leipzig. Buy the Vinyl and download here on Bandcamp.

My debut artist LP titled ‘Return to the Island’ (2025 Edition) is out now on IOJ offshoot Temples Of Jura. The album was very much influenced by the tropical birdsong heard in my garden studio here in Adelaide, field recordings of which made it into many of the tracks. The album traverses some of the styles that influence the label with a backbone thats’s rooted in Balearica with shades of Deep House, Nu Disco and Ambient along with some leftfield samples picked up on my digging adventures. I view music production in an almost meditative way, i love to get lost in the process, which is liberating but also dangerous as hours and days can easily be lost. In truth, releasing the music is my least favourite aspect of the process, but its necessary to justify the time to my wife that i spend in my studio! Its also good to get it out there so i can move onto the next one. I hope you will enjoy it.

Instrumental Dubs #3 is out now in all good record stores and in stock on the IOJ Bandcamp, another deep dive into the Dub version and beyond. Side one explores the axis of UK Street Soul and Reggae with the opening two tracks produced by Howard Hill and originally released on his Passion Enterprises label in the late eighties. Both ‘Versions’ have a machine lead rhythm section paired with a reggae skank and snippets of soulful vox. The Proto House of Protek’s ‘I Love to Dance With You’ featured on a Jura Soundsystem DJ Mix for Planet Trip, a one off single from the now sadly deceased Errol Parkes that’s been re-edited with love by The Nightlark from Edinburgh.  The B side features The Cool Notes ‘Natural Energy’, which isn’t strictly speaking a Dub Version, but it has that vibe with a primarily instrumental backing track featuring sparse vocals and spacey FX. The album closes with a secret weapon of Ilija Rudman ‘Dub 4 Love’ that pays homage to a famous track from Acid House’s heyday. Pressed on 180g Heavyweight Vinyl with full sleeve jacket design by Bradley Pinkerton.

‘Freediving in the Tropical Zone’ features on the new Cafe Del Mar Chillout mix which you can stream here on Spotify. I remember buying the first Cafe Del Mar CD compiled by Jose Padilla that i played endlessly in my bedroom, it was a classic for me (Cafe Penguin Orchestra’s ‘Music for a Found Harmonium’ still gets me emotionally every time) so to appear on one of the albums in the series feels great.

New playlist for Test Pressing‘s new series. Dive in here. Consistently one of my favourite music blogs, always on point with reviews and recommendations and Paul ‘Apiento’ Byrne is an absolute don.

I contribute an extended Dub mix of ‘So Hot’ on the next D.D. Mirage 12″ single which is released next week. The 12″ is available to pre-order here.

As part of Vermelho Wonder’s Vinyl 12″ debut single I contributed a Special Version of ‘Se Voce’, dubbing out the vocal parts and adding some fills and reverb. A 300 pressing which is very nearly sold out, the last few are on Bandcamp.

My Selects playlist is refreshed on the first Friday of the month with 25 new tracks. The playlist features 100 tracks in total with the new ones added at the top, its an eclectic selection of Ambient, Reggae, Dub, Disco, House, anything i’m vibing off in the office. Spark up an incense and dive in here.