7 Sides of Just Her (Interview & Mix)

This weeks interview & mix comes from Just Her.

Selector AfterDark – Just Her by The Selector on Mixcloud

Introduce yourself and tell us about the part of the UK you’re from?

Hello! I’m Just Her, also known as Claire, and I’m from Leicester. There is not a huge amount happening here in terms of underground music, although Nottingham and Birmingham are pretty close by, which have some good nights. On the plus side, we have recently discovered that King Richard was buried here! And with it being right in the middle of the UK it’s also the perfect base from which to travel to gigs.

Can you tell us a bit about what you’ve been working on recently?

My most recent release was an EP on Suara that contained 3 original tracks and an amazing remix from UK producer Dubspeeka. They were melodic tracks, with two different vocalists involved too, so a lot of work went into the EP as a whole and it got a great reaction. But lately I’ve been putting most of my energy into launching my own record label Constant Circles, which kicks off on 3rd August with my own track ‘Silence’ that you can hear in the mix.

And can you talk us through the mix?

I guess I wanted it to represent what I stand for musically – a lot of feeling and emotion with strong melodies and vocals. But I also wanted to go on a bit of a journey, from some deeper and melodic tracks at the outset, building into the more energetic dance floor tunes as the mix develops.

Nice, talk us through the British music featured in this mix? Which British artists are you most excited about?

There are two tracks in this mix from an up and coming UK artist called Kris Davis. He has some huge releases in the near future and I would say he is one to watch. His track ‘Relentless’, which he has made in partnership with Yost, will be the second release on my label, with an absolutely killer remix from Martin Roth and it’s already turning heads. I’ve also included a really nice track from Akase, which is a new collaboration between one of my favourite UK producers, Midland, and singer Robbie Redway. I’m really excited to see what else this project brings. The mix ends with a track from exciting UK electronica duo Maribou State, which has had an incredibly dynamic dancefloor rework from London producer Tom Demac.

Cool, tell us about some of your British musical Heroes and influences in general?

My all time heroes are obviously people like Pete Tong, Carl Cox and Sasha, who I grew up listening to. I’ve also included a track from my British Techno hero Alan Fitzpatrick in my mix, who I have been a fan of for a while now. More recently, as I’ve moved towards the deeper house sounds, I’ve had huge admiration for Maya Jane Coles and Laura Jones. I guess I have double respect for them being female – although it shouldn’t be an issue, there is no denying that they have made it to the top of a very male dominated industry.

Great and what’s on the cards in the immediate future?

In the next two months I have original tracks coming out on Stil Vor Talent, Motek and Save Us Records. Then as well as putting together the first few releases for my label, I’m working on lots of new original music at the moment, including some new material with a vocalist called Kieran Fowkes who is incredibly talented. I’m also working on remixes for Comport Records, Blindfold Recordings, which is Pete Oak’s label, and my own label too, plus hosting my bi-weekly radio show on Bloop London. Super busy but I love it!

And finally, where is the best place in the world you have performed and why?

My favourite place so far has been South Africa. Everything was awesome, from the scenery, to the food, to the amazing crowds, especially at Truth in Johannesburg, which was the best gig I’ve ever played by a mile. In the UK, I love playing at Egg in London. It was the first ‘proper’ club I ever played at outside of my hometown, many years ago! I still play there regularly now and it’s always such a good vibe.