M&A #01: J Biscous

J Biscous, aka Joe Hilton, may have only started DJing as recently as a year ago, but he has already taken the Cambridge scene by storm. Having played at OOX, Slipped Disc, Bunker and Queue The Music, it is highly likely you’ve danced to his selections before. Normally known to go for a disco and house vibe, here he shows a different side to his taste with a high-energy hour of tuneful breaks and techno.

How did you record the mix?

I have a 4-channel controller with a turntable plugged into channel 3 (I am saving up for a second one at the moment), then all recorded through Serato. Get Dumb and I Feel This Way I have on 7” s and so I played them through the turntable into the controller.

What were you trying to do with the mix?

The mix is a collection of records I’ve always wanted to play out and share with people. It’s high energy and hops genre a lot in, from breakbeat techno through to acid and hip-hop house. I think the concept of Milk and Alcohol is a fantastic one and I’m incredibly grateful to you for providing such a great platform to share music through. I’ve included plenty of breakbeats, inspired somewhat by Eris Drew and Octo Octa’s face melting set at King’s Bunker last term - a fantastic booking by Khem Rogali. Their b2b set really got me listening to a lot of new music, which is something I always find very refreshing.

I’ve used this mix as an opportunity to experiment with new techniques and styles, which is always the best way of learning and improving. Intricately planned and rehearsed mixes don’t always portray the character and style of a DJ, so I’ve left this in the state it was when I first recorded it, rather than hone it to perfection. I wanted the mix to be quite captivating and dynamic so I’ve jumped around the tracks pretty quickly.

Some of the older records I play are produced much quieter than newer digital tracks and the audio input from my turntables comes in at a different gain to the digital files from my controller which caused a few issues with levels. Mistakes are an important part of DJing and it’s valuable to share them with each other. It’s how people can learn and it’s something to be aware of, so I’ve left the mix how it is, albeit a few issues with the gain. 

When did you start listening to dance music/collecting records?

I’ve always been into music. I learned cello from a young age and I played bass in a band in sixth form – pretty standard really.  I sort of caught onto house and disco music towards the end of sixth form, but I didn’t start DJing until Uni. My record collection started last year and has grown rapidly since, putting a hefty dent in my overdraft. Often if I’m ordering one record of Discogs I’ll try get a few more to make the shipping costs worth it, which sends me down a long rabbit hole of digging around. It’s a dangerous game when exams are close.

So where’s you’re record collection got to since then?

I’ve filled about half the shelf in my room. There a lot of world music and African compilations, which I got really into last summer. Also a ton of classical records which were lying around in my attic, a ton of Mussorgsky and Prokofiev. I think it’s a shame very few nights in Cambridge provide turntables – there are so many tracks I’ll never get the opportunity to play out.

Who is your favourite producer/DJ at the moment?

I think Soundbwoy Killah is definitely one to watch at the moment. His 2-hour set at OHM from a few months ago is spectacular and his new record on O’Flynn's Hundred Flowers label is already receiving a lot of attention. I also saw Hunee for the first time at Printworks a few weeks ago and was blown away by how easily he jumped genres and bpms. He’s the sort of DJ you could see again and again and never get bored.

What was your favourite party you’ve played?

I’ve had a lot of fun nights this term. I did a live set at Art in the Dark with Tom Joashi accompanying on saxophone, which is something we’ve been wanting to do for a while now. The atmosphere was great and it’s definitely something I hope to do again. Warming up for Special Request at Mingle in first term has to be a highlight of this year for me, especially since I got to play b2b with Kalvin [Schmidt Rimpler Dinh, Student DJ], someone I have a whole lot of respect for. I remember being pretty nervous for that set actually, mostly because I didn’t want to make Kalvin look bad, but it was a lot of fun and the sound system was ridiculously good.

How do you go about preparing for a set?

You can’t really plan a set, as such. What you choose to play is so dependent on what the vibe is like on the night: how busy it is, what the room is like, what the DJ before you played, what time it is, etc. I always try and plan a few specific moments of a set, e.g. a specific song to start or end a set with, or a rogue selection I’d like to include at peak time. I think it’s those rogue selections that stand out from the rest of a set and leave people with a good memory of that night. I’m a big fan of using vocal clips in my sets, especially familiar samples from films or pop songs, as it allows me to decorate an instrumental track. It’s exciting hearing familiar vocals over an unfamiliar beat. Often, I’ll also pick out about 100 tracks that fit the music description of the night, e.g. rare funk and disco stuff for OOX, hard hitting disco-house for Slipped Disc, and have those in a separate file on my USB to jog my memory.

Do you have a go to banger to bring a party up?

Hold Your Head Up High (Julian Jonah's Bad Boy Mix) [1997]- Boris Dlugosch

What is your music guilty pleasure?

Sexy bitch ft. Akon.

I’m not sure how Akon settled with sexy bitch when trying to find the words to describe this girl without being disrespectful. Nonetheless, with its thumping 8-bit style bass line and hard 4/4 kick the song is an undeniable banger. I am waiting eagerly for the opportunity to drop it in a set.

What was the last song you listened to?

Como (Esa’s Havana Synth Mix) – Esa vs Daymé Arocena . I stumbled across this the other week and have had it on repeat since. The production is suburb and it balances with Daymé Arocena’s vocals perfectly.

You mentioned you were influenced by Eris Drew, including her track Hold Me (T4T Embrace Mix) in the mix. She is a vocal advocate of electronic music culture being true to its routes, centring on escapism and fostering an environment where people don’t care about gender, sexuality, race or disability. Some say the scene has evolved into being about ‘being seen’ or, a classic complaint in Cambridge, the idea of ‘edginess’. Where do you think the Cambridge dance music scene fits into this? Does it retain the idea of freedom of expression and music as a tool for happiness and release (of work or social tension), or can it sometimes be guilty of being too socially performative?

I think the Cambridge music scene is pretty diverse and can’t really be treated as an individual thing. We are all united here by the fact we live in the same town and all have a fuck ton of work to do, so to that extent I guess it means that when people go out, they’re out for a good time. Some people might perceive certain nights to be ‘intimidatingly edgy’ and feel like they might not fit in. I think this is particularly ironic as so many nights in Cambridge, most notably Playtime, a night started last year by Hattie Hammans, are based upon inclusivity and not leaving any person or group unwelcome. Sometimes people have perceptions of a night without having been to it, and this can give false impressions.

I do notice a slight divide between the people who are in it for the music and the people who are out because all their friends are, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing: clubbing, after all, is meant to be fun. I certainly have noticed it’s always the individuals who truly love the music that hang around till the end and often the best parts of a night for me are when there are only 10 people left in the club dancing their hearts out.

What’s up next for you?

I have a few gigs at the start of this term and a set at KA during May Week which I’m pretty stoked for. I’ve got tickets to Houghton festival this summer, which I’ve heard very good things about from friends who went last year: the line-up isn’t out yet but last year’s was class so I’m hoping for big things. I’m also looking forward to the rest of the mixes on this series, I’ve seen the list of DJs and I know there is plenty of quality content to come!

Joe’s Track List

[min] Title - Artist

[00] Tokyo Breaks - Gnork

[06] Move on (Let Go) [De-stress Mix} - Octo Octa

[09] RIP Groove (Cirez D mix) - Double 99

[12] Get Dumb! (Original Mix) - The Crew

[15] Flash Drive - Dance System & L-Vis 1990

[20] Beam Me Up (To the Goddess Mix) - Octo Octa

[26] Myrmidon - Chris Moss Acid

[31] If You Believe (DJ Disciple Believe Mix) - Progression

[36] I Feel This Way - M&M feat. Rachel Wallace

[39] Way In My Brain - SL2

[42] Wake Up (Acid Mix) - Posthuman

[46] Woody Dunked - Jamie Trench

[48] Kick it - Oli Furness

[54] Hold Me (T4T Embrace Mix) - Eris Drew

[58] Jump Trax (125 Bpm’s to 107 Bpm’s) - Duane Thamm, Jr.