UK artist Lee Malcolm, professionally known as Jinjé, has been making and releasing music for over a decade, but 2018 saw him take a step into the realms of public consciousness. His attention has long been focused on Vessels, the five-man live techno band originating in Yorkshire, Northern England, but he’s now committing more time to developing himself as a solo artist, as a producer and a DJ.  

Having delivered his track “Big Skies” to nd_baumecker, Malcolm was pleasantly surprised to hear that the Frankfurt artist had included the cut—with its crisp drums and expertly chopped vocal samples—in his final Panorama Bar 07 mix for Ostgut Ton. “He was in Panorama Bar whilst I was tweaking the EQ on it,” Malcolm recalls. “I was sending him a tweak and he’d play it through the rig and then suggest little changes. Awesome way of working. Not exactly something you do every day!” The track accompanied a string of others dropped through Malcolm’s Bandcamp page, among them “Solace,” which made it into our Best Tracks of 2018 list. 

Malcolm will soon return with a new single, again via Messers. Kick & Drum Records. In support of the release, he’s composed a mix for our podcast series, a taster of the kind of melodic, dancefloor-ready techno that has been pricking his ear of late. “The theme is imagining a club full of happy, smiling people and making them even happier,” Malcolm explains. You can grab the mix via the button below, and stream it via Soundcloud. 

What have you been up to recently?

Well, the big news is I’m about to be a father so we’re hunkering down at Jinjé headquarters. My wife, Anna, is due in the next week or two so I’m trying to write as much music as possible before those sleepless nights arrive.

You had a big 2018, with “Big Skies” on nd_baumecker’s recent Panorama Bar 07 mix. What’s the story behind it?

Ah yes, this was a cool thing to be part of. Baumecker is one of my favorite DJs and I don’t know if you’ve heard Barker & Baumecker’s EP Turns, but it’s a great record. Anyway, I met him a while back whilst I was playing a Vessels show at The Kantina. He’s been really supportive of us for ages and I tend to throw tracks at him every now and then just to get his opinion really. “Big Skies” was one of those tracks. He was in Panorama Bar whilst I was tweaking the EQ on it. I was sending him a tweak and he’d play it through the rig and then suggest little changes. Awesome way of working. Not exactly something you do every day!

When and where was this mix recorded?

I recorded this last week at home. I have a half decent DJ setup in my front room so I smashed it out whilst my heavily pregnant wife danced around.

Is there a particular theme or idea behind it?

The balance for me is always “good on headphones and good on a dancefloor.” Beyond that, the theme is imagining a club full of happy, smiling people and making them even happier.

How did you choose the tracks that you included?

I spent last week wandering around listening to a shortlist of about 40 tracks on my headphones trying to figure out the vibe. Some of them are things I kept reaching for in DJ sets at the end of last year and some are recent finds. There was a couple I just had to get in there. Max Graef’s “Itzehoe” for one, and Lindstrøm’s “Closing Shot” for another. Massive tunes. Sometimes two or three tracks are enough to anchor a whole mix and, in this case, once I knew they had to be in I knew where I was going.

What’s next on the horizon?

I’m preparing my live set for the Panorama Bar show in March which I’m hugely looking forward to. I’m trying to incorporate my modular rig in a way that adds a unique flavor to the vibe. Apart from that, I’m putting the finishing touches on the debut Jinjé album and gearing up for the festival season. Good times ahead. 

Due to issues regarding the GDPR, EU readers can download the podcast here.

Tracklisting

01. Cocktail Party Effect “Black Snow”

02. Zepherin Saint “Take You There” (feat. Diviniti)

03. Max Graef “Itzehoe”

04. Frits Wentink (feat. Loes Jongerling) “Nevertheless” (club edit)

05. Jitwam “WhereYouGonnaGo”

06. Hugo Massien “Alien Shapes”

07. Audiojack “Turya”

08. Hot Toddy “In The Genes”

09. Mathew Jonson “Typerope”

10. Goshawk “Get Up To Get Down” (Art Of Tones dub)

11. Lindstrøm “Closing Shot”

12. Kink “Teo Techno”

13. Avalon Emerson “One More Fluorescent Rush”

14. Jinjé “Childish Hope” (unreleased, from forthcoming album)