Premiere: Jonah Considine - Shotcrete

Music

Though many of you may associate the name Jonah with something a little more biblical than R$N, our minds went straight to the Beano character that our grandparents used to wax lyrical about. However, we're going to have to start updating our references as there's a new Jonah in town and this one is anything but a jinx. In fact, he knows his way around the aural world pretty well indeed and he's just about to release a new single in the form of 'Shotcrete' which we're bringing you right here, right now.

To make things even better, we've asked him a few questions to help gain an insight into the world of the man reclaiming the good name Jonah;

Who are you?

Jonah Considine

Where does your love of house, disco and techno come from?

Growing up I was always exposed to house music but in particular there was a CD compilation of Hacienda Classics that belonged to my dad, that was what I would say was my first time hearing that kind of early acid house and techno. Aside from that, once I was a bit older it was stuff like disco edits by Late Nite Tuff Guy and Rayko as well as labels like Italians Do It Better that I was into, that sort of thing is very referential to the history of dance music and from there I just dug deeper and researched but I think it made a lot of sense to me given the exposure I had to it from a young age.

What does your new track say about you?

I would say that I made this track entirely from a DJing perspective. I’d like to think it would work quite well as a tune to warm up a club with or give the crowd a breather. So basically I would say that the track reflects my own thoughts on the dynamics of DJing.

After your multiple residencies, what pushed you to release a single?

Ableton had been something I had installed on my computer for years but had never really made the learning curve with. I had always had an interest in production but found the whole thing daunting, especially as generally speaking I would say I was quite incompetent as far as computers are concerned. However, I just found that It was something I was applying myself to more and more and with a lot of help Neil Parnell aka Tronik Youth I began to suss out the program over the course of the last year or so.

What are your favourite genres to mix?

There’s nothing I like more than playing a well timed, off the wall Italo tune at peak time.

You studied (are still studying?) a film degree: is this something you would like to include in your music? Some kind of visual-music combo?

Yes absolutely. I love exploring the combinations of music and visuals, I’ve done visuals for club nights before but would definitely like to start producing more permanent stuff such as music videos. In fact I am starting a collaboration with my good friend and animator Ola Arent in which we work together to make non club music to accompany her work and installations.

Your first residency was at the sweet age of 16! How did that come about?

Tronik Youth ran a party called Wayving in Dalston in 2012 and by clandestinely avoiding any questions from the door staff, I was able to learn the craft of warm up for DJs like Nancy Whang, Classixx and Daniele Baldelli.

Who is your musical idol at the moment?

Ron Hardy and always will be.

What does your diary look like?

This weekend I’m up at the Cowbell all dayer at the Antwerp Mansions in Manchester sharing a bill with a bunch of good friends and idols of mine. Next Sunday I’m at the Jaded after-hours at Corsica Studios with the Sprung Records collective. After that we have the Freudenthal record release party in Katerblau, Berlin. Then over the next coming months there is France, Tokyo and Amsterdam for our Nein night at ADE with ALFOS.

You are a bit of a musical entrepreneur, do you always like to have your fingers in so many pies?

I wouldn't say I was an entrepreneur at all but I am just passionate about all elements of the culture, whether that be promoting, DJing or producing. For me they are all connected and I am interested in contributing to all of these fields.

You're the brains behind Contradisco, will it be up and running again in the future?

Right now the Contradisco night is dormant thanks to a lack of a suitable venue. There isn’t any actual established bar or club suitable for it in Northampton at the moment so we are reliant on alternative spaces. We had to cancel our last one with Mark E three days before because it emerged that there was licensing issue with the brewery where the party would be. So basically Contradisco is very likely to return at sporadic periods, space permitting!

Who are your top 3 favourite artists and why?

At the moment, my favourite is Hunee. His new LP is off the chain. Jeff Mills is probably who I respect most from a production stand point. I’m gonna have to throw my favourite band in Throbbing Gristle for good measure!

If you were to have a dinner party, who would be sitting at your table?

Nein Records crew and family.

You have a serious record collection so Ransom Note has heard, care to share your favourites?

That’s a hard one. One of my favourite records is my copy of We Got the Rhythm LP by People’s Choice as I had loved a lot of tracks of it for years and it was one of the first records I picked up in a record shop when I first moved to London. My favourite record I’ve bought recently is probably Cruising the Streets by Boys Town Gang, found it by chance for one pound about twenty minutes after having a conversation about it.

Is there a place in the world you would dream to play in?

After finally getting to see it for myself and how it lives up to the hype, I would have to say the Panorama Bar. It was so refreshing to see a dance floor stay so open minded and unbound by genre.

How should we listen to your new track?

In the dark.

How was your new record recorded?

In the seclusion of the Northamptonshire countryside.

What is your set up like?

My dad fortunately has an interest in hardware so when I’m back in the family bosom I have a bit more at my disposal. However, when I’m at my own place its just VSTs and a cheap midi keyboard.