UK house Music veteran Jason Herd has twenty-five years of DJing and producing under his belt and has contributed hugely to the scene over the years with releases on top labels from Defected through to CR2. Heâs recently re-launched his own label Weirdo Recordings with some stunning releases coming out from the stable.
6AM goes in to dig deeper with the main manâŠ
Hi Jason, itâs a pleasure to chat with you today, please start by tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into making music.
I was DJing back in the day and we used to go to Eastern Bloc in Manchester, UK to buy our vinyl and there was a DJ called Big Danny who used to ask me to go to the studio all the time, I just thought I wouldnât be able to do it as when I asked to learn piano at school, they said no as I wouldnât grasp it even though I really wanted to, that always stuck with me! Anyway one day I said yes to Danny and got the bug, day one I bought the studio’s old brown Mac with Logic on and devoted every last minute to it.
What goals have you set yourself for this year and what do you hope to achieve?
To put out a high-quality release every month on my Weirdo label and get my name back out there.
What was your first release?
Jason Herd ‘Turn It Up’, I loved it, yet no one wanted to sign it but I still thought it was amazing so I got 2000 vinyl pressed up and made a video (What a bell end!). I sold about 100 copies and learned a massive lesson. To be fair Graeme Park and Danny Rampling played it on their radio shows, so that was an absolute buzz which kept the fire burning.
How would you describe your sound?
Classy Soulful and funky house with cool underground dubs. Iâm doing whatever I feel and not following certain genres or label anymore.
You run your own label Weirdo Recordings, howâs that going?
We have just relaunched the label with a Michelle Weeks track called âBe Realâ, which did really well and now we have the new DSC release. The next track in the pipeline is full on disco house track with amazing vocals, live instrumentation, etc – think Glitterbox on steroids.
Youâve just released your new single Deep Sea Cosmonauts Feat E-Man & Acantha Lang ‘In Came Youâ, which features remixes from your good self, what can you tell us about the release and how it sounds?
Davos one half of DSC does keys for me sometimes and played me the song in a session, I loved it and talked him into signing it to Weirdo. The original is such a catchy soulful song, and Iâve beefed it up with a few different remixes to open it up to different dance floors. They are very happy with the results and I love it.
You also record under different guises, please tell us a bit about those?
Well when soulful and funky house took a hit, I had to recreate myself to keep on working, to be honest. I created Juan Kidd and the first track I did with Yousef called ‘Poison Dwarf ‘got released on Azuli, which was a label you wanted to be on at the time, the second on Defected went to number one on Beatport for a few weeks. I took advice from management to go more EDM for America and that fucked that up, I just didn’t love the sound. I then started a project called Pirate Copy with Lee Spence, but we decided to part ways and started a guise for my more techy output called Cabarza which is going strong with releases on Circus, Kaluki and Area Remote to name a few. I love Tech House and making it so Iâll never stop doing that.
Your music has landed on labels such as Defected, Subliminal Azuli, Toolroom, Moody, and CR2, have you got a personal favorite release or remix and which was the biggest labor of love to create?
Its Herd & Fitz ft Abigail Bailey ‘I Just Canât Get Enough’ on Subliminal, just last night I got videos of people dancing to it after 15 years, we created a classic for many people and that sense of achievement is what it’s all about to me. Itâs the same with my Juan Kidd & Felix Baumgartner ft Lisa Millet ‘Now Your Gone’ on Defected. That’s why I am only making music I really love now, as you can hear that genuine love and passion in a record.
Any plans for a Jason Herd album?
Maybe, I would love to make an album! I have been working with the most talented musicians in Manchester and we have a project called 161â and the next release is on Weirdo. I am going to start working on that soon as we have 8 backing tracks, but need to nail the vocals, so watch this space.
Youâve seen the music industry change a lot over the years since you first started out, how does it compare to now and what needs to change for the better in your opinion?
It’s just different, the image seems to be more important nowadays with social media, etc and it doesnât seem to be about the music as much. I think good records always do well when on the right label, but the biggest producers arenât necessarily the biggest DJs and the biggest DJs arenât necessarily the best DJs. There’s so much throw away music now itâs digital. Itâs too easy to put a record out now which does have its positives rarely.
Who else should we be looking out for on the current Manchester scene?
Well Solardo, Pirate Copy are killing it on the Tech House scene, but as far as house is concerned, Iâm not sure to be honest. I need to reconnect with that scene, but everyone’s about tech house at the moment.
Youâve played some pretty spectacular events over the years, including Global Gathering, Creamfields, Space Ibiza, Pacha Ibiza, and Amnesia Ibiza. What’s been your most memorable gig to date and where would you most love to play in the future?
Ooh One Love and Stereosonic in Australia were amazing, I used to love it over there. But I guess Subliminal at Pacha was the one, pure music and great vibes, they are the days I want to recreate. Iâd love to play Glitterbox or Defected again, Simon Dunmore has been at the forefront for me since he was at AM;PM, I have so much respect for what he has done and love how he creates a family and not fads.
What can we expect to hear from a Jason Herd DJ set?
Well, ideally I like to start off soulful house then just keep building the energy with loads of personal edits loops and acapellas and plenty of driving basslines. Depends if the warm-up has been a bell end or notâŠ.
Which dance track holds the most precious memories for you?
Oooh, well thereâs three which are memories from early raving. Xpansions ‘Move Your Bodyâ which reminds me of Quadrant Park, Sandy B ‘Feel Like Singingâ which reminds me of the Hacienda on Saturdays and Orbital âChime’ of the Hacienda on Fridays, great times!
Do you remember your first clubbing experience and who was playing?
It was Quadrant park in Liverpool, it was rough as fuck and as a Manc you didnât feel safe, but when you got in the music was unreal, Xpansions ‘Move Your Body’ came on and that was it, I was out raving every weekend. No idea who was playing at the time, but KLF were on live at the after party, it was the best day of my life!
Finally, please tell us a secret nobody knows about you?
No secrets, but I can tell but I was a paramedic for 10 years. Iâm just glad there were no camera phones in my early days.
‘In Came Youâ will be released on March 15th on Traxsource
Full release March 29th, 2019 on Weirdo Recordings
