Jura Soundsystem

Radio Raheem did a 1 hour Isle Of Jura Special including an interview with yours truly covering the reissue process, background to the label and some picks from a selection of tracks from the catalogue.

The next release on Isle Of Jura is the first official reissue of Yvonne Archer’s ‘Ain’t Nobody’ 12″, a reggae disco cover of the Chaka Khan classic. Its the first time the 12″ club mix has been available since the original release in 1983 (unless you want to part with £100 for a copy on Discogs) . I play a lot of Reggae and Dub at my weekly gigs so doing some reissues has been something i’ve wanted to do since starting the label back in 2016. Its really a question of the stars aligning when it comes to licensing and through a mutual connection was fortunately able to link up with producer John Rubie and license a number of songs, the first of which to see the light of day is ‘Ain’t Nobody’.

I did two edits, a main edit pulling back on the electric guitar in the original and a Dub using some subtle delays and sparse use of the vocal to let the killer groove work its magic.

New chart now up for Juno featuring the latest Isle Of Jura reissue from Zann, an eclectic leftfield gem originally released as a private press in 1990. Having tracked down Udo Winkler the main producer behind the project over a year ago its a pleasure to finally see the record out along with new artwork from Bradley Pinkerton.

My Skylab Radio residency continues with a deep dive into movie soundtracks and ambient. The 90 minute mix was inspired by ‘Chill Out’ (of course!) and features movie dialogue, soundtrack scores, ambient soundscapes and some special DJ tools that will feature on future releases. Listen here, tracklisting below:

Brian Eno ‘Saint Tom’ / Tashaki Kokubo ‘Symphony Of Glory & Wind’ / Isle Of Dogs ‘Taiko Drumming’ Ghost In The Shell ‘Ghost City’ / Meitei ‘Ike’ Love Theme From Chinatown / Meitei ‘Seito’ / Anthony Naples ‘Alto’ / Dark Star Dialogue / Satoshi & Makoto ‘Untitled’ / Sound Voyage Interlude / Emerald Forest ‘Burning Of The Shabona’ / Emerald Forest ‘Main Titles’ / The Deer Hunter ‘Struggling Ahead’ / Rainforest Spiritual Enslavement ‘Flytrap Exotica’ / New Zealand Birds Of The Forest / Johnny Jewell ‘Nightmare’ / Johnny Jewell ‘Requiem’ / Morgan Fisher ‘Gnossienne #1’ / Sad City ‘Stream’ / Rex Illusivi ‘Dream I’ / Jura Soundsystem Lucid Dreaming Tool / Blossom Dearie / Jeff Bridges ‘Feeling Good’ / Theme From Spartacus / Batman ‘Thaws Mr Freeze That’s The Way The Ice Cube Crumbles’ / X.Y.R ‘Lost City’ / 28 Days Later ‘Abide With Me’ / LSD / Vangelis ‘Tears In The Rain’

My remix for Detroit Swindle is Out Now on Heist alongside other re-rubs from Sterac, Cinthie, Matt Karmil and Gari Romalis. Its the first Jura Soundsystem remix and is a Boogie-Balearic take on ‘High Life’ featuring Lorenz Rhode. Thanks Juno for the review.

I’m doing 3 shows for Melbourne’s Skylab Radio over the next few months, the first of which aired earlier this month:

Presenting a deep dive into the musical inspirations behind lauded Australian reissue label Isle Of Jura from founder Kevin Griffiths aka Jura Soundsystem. The Skylab residency will cover Dub & Reggae, Ambient & Soundtracks and Proto House & Leftfield Disco. Part one canvasses Griffiths’ extensive digs and influences in the realm of Dub & Reggae and their respective lineages.

Available now on Bandcamp the next release on Isle Of Jura is the first official reissue of Bella Vista’s ‘Mister Wong’. Originally released in 1982 it’s a pop oddity that sits between French Synth Pop and Leftfield Disco, the 12” includes the sought after Disco Dub. The Dub always felt too short to me so I’ve extended the length on my edit and added some live percussion.

The debut Jura Soundsystem remix of Detroit Swindle’s ‘High Life’ is out at the end of July on Heist Recordings, all the details are on RA.

A 60 minute more club orientated mix for Condesa Electronics, makers of the world’s finest rotary mixer based here in Adelaide.

Resident Advisor are premiering ‘Carafe Denim’ from the current EP.