Belfast native Jordan McCuaig is one of the young pioneers leading the fresh talent that we see constantly emerging from the city. Home to the likes of firm favorites Bicep, as well as Ejeca and Phil Kieran, Belfast is fast becoming a huge player in the underground dance music world. With the return of the AVA Festival and Music Conference in June, Jordan told us himself what makes the city so exciting.
The most obvious factor in this in my opinion is the raw energy from our dance floors. We don't have heaps of clubs and festivals to choose from, we don't have late night openings and loads of bars, so what we do have – we make it count. The majority of the underground club scene here is headed up by grassroots promoters and DJ's who a genuine passion to make things happen. Twitch, Inside Moves, Beat BBQ and our own Night Institute party. It's people taking risks to excite people in a small city with an even smaller, but dedicated community. The birth of AVA Festival is one of the first instances of the 'scene' as such being represented on an international scale, with the likes of Boiler Room broadcasting the increasingly infamous atmospheres globally, and bringing industry stalwarts to one place to discover the talent we have here.
Jordan's latest release, the 'No Love Lust' EP on his very own Nocturne imprint, is a real work of art. Three creative and original stompers by the man himself plus two edits by tag team Gerd Janson and Phillip Lauer going by the stage name of Tuff City Kids, these dancefloor ready tracks scream originality and capture Jordan's unique sound – as well as the remixes providing a unique spin on the entire EP.
Essentially as an new artist in a market so oversaturated with digital music you really have to work to get your music heard. The labels which I admire are naturally overwhelmed by music from established artists so I understand that they physically do not have time to listen to stuff sent to them by new artists. So I thought why not do it myself? I'm a bit of a control freak anyway, so it gave me the opportunity to represent myself alongside artists I admire and would love to be recognised alongside at some stage. It's artists I play in clubs and artists I respect, generally with an electronic, machine twist.
With this epic EP ready to roll out May 5th, Jordan's arguably biggest achievement and greatest honour to date is being involved with Boiler Room. If you know your underground electronic, you know Boiler Room. Home of perhaps some of the biggest sets to grace music lovers ears, Jordan is up to the challenge in June, representing AVA for Boiler Room and bringing some of his magic to the coveted brand.
It's one of the benchmarks these days isn't it, it's such a global phenomena and to be asked to represent AVA Festival at it is an honour, especially considering the constant growth of both Boiler Room and the festival itself. I love the Spencer Parker Boiler Room… Sheer energy. I had him play in Belfast to 80 people once actually. He delivered then too. And of course I always have a re-watch of the Belfast ones to get myself dead excited about June…
'No Love Lust' is out Friday 5th May on Nocturne. Jordan plays Boiler Room at Belfast's AVA Festival and Conference this June – www.avafestival.com
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