Tailor Jae is East London from end to end; a relentless devotee of all things soundsystem, from garage and bassline to jungle, grime and all manner of amorphous sounds stacked with bass and indebted to the hardcore continuum – all feeding into both his DJ sets and his own productions.
She has spoken in the past of having a grime MC for an older brother, and has been largely left to her own devices when it comes to figuring out her own musical identity. Channel U, Limewire and 90s dance classics formed the foundation of her tastes and by the late 2010s, Tailor Jae was already finding her identity as a selector and proving her mettle to the world. She names a 2018 El-B club night as a formative experience in this regard and the same year she won a contest to secure a set at XOYO. A year later, she was on every list to watch with a record released on LCY’s SZNS7N with Trace.
As for 2022, Tailor Jae’s calendar is heating up nicely. Tomorrow, February 25, she leaves for Grounds in Brighton for the Bacchus party alongside North London via Leeds DJ/producer Bakey, then next month she hits Printworks as part of AVA London Festival for a massive line-up that includes George FitzGerald, Maribou State, Mala B2B Kode9, Roman Flügel, Jaguar, Fauzia and many more. Before all that, we caught up with her for a multi-genre masterclass on bass weight pressure for the latest edition of Complex sessions. Press play below and enjoy.
Tell us a bit about your selections in this mix.
I spent days trying to figure out what kind of mix to make. I had a few different lists of tracks I wanted to use, tried different versions, and it just didn’t work. I was really stressed, so I decided to play live a bit and choose random tracks from my USB [laughs]. As usual, there’s a bit of everything here; 127 – 160 BPM.
What was the one track you absolutely had to include?
“Press Trigga” by ZJ. It’s pretty exclusive right now – from my homie, Zac, who’s a sick Manchester producer. I think the track kicked off the mix perfectly.
Are there any tracks that just missed the cut?
“Murder Them” by Ryan M Hughes, featuring Warrior Queen. It wasn’t on my thumb drive at the time and after remembering it I couldn’t figure out where to put it. Wrong track, and should be out soon. Pay attention.
What’s the first single or album you bought?
Actually, I don’t remember, but it was probably something from Calvin Harris. I was a big fan in my youth.
What is the last physical disc you purchased?
D&D Pick Me Up (The Remixes)I think.
What do you want to see happen musically in the next 12 months?
On a personal level, for me, I guess I make more trips to play away from London. I love London, but I would really like to start exploring new scenes outside of London and the UK, and see where my sets resonate. I just want to connect with new audiences.
What trend or scene absolutely needs to die right now?
The whole music scene has to die, to be honest. And be reborn [laughs]. It’s a mess! Let’s bring the soul back into the music; let’s bring back thinking for ourselves and don’t wait for platforms to tell us what’s cool, who’s cool; let’s create art for art’s sake and stop trying to box everything. Let’s celebrate talent instead of relying on social media… Big demand, I know.
List of tracks:
1. ZJ – Pull The Trigger
2. Doug Willis & Joey Negro – Dougswana (Audiowhores Beats)
3 DJ Polo x NKC – Hammerhead
4. Roska – Count Me On Family
5. El-B x Roxy – Get Down
6. Ida Dillan – Nude Project
7. Lyka – Crosstalk
8. Denham Audio – Colt Turbo
9. Flowdan – Horror Show Style (Yoosee Dub)
10. Akul – Warm-up
11. Coco Bryce – Change of Heart (Sam Binga Slow Rmx)
12. Time – OK
13. Sirius – Grumpy
14. Corporal F – Gunner
15. Hypho – Times Unknown
16. Wascal – Think Again
17. K-Solitaire-Softie
18. Parts Project – Defense
19. Dust – Jah Two
20. Tik x Borrow – Badda
21. Fench – Grill Pon Dem
22. Ternion Sound x Vandull – Watch
23. Concept – Jack & Play
24. DJ Purpur x Giuseppe – Chunky sneakers
25. Mani Festo – Night Driving
26. A Fruit – The Party Is Inside (Instrumental)
27. DJ Pop Shuv – Feel Real
28. Cimm – You Fooled Me Once
29. Arma – Wray & Ting
