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Jacco@Work [Interview]

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The latest edition of our label manager series welcomes Jacco@Work who runs LuPS Records. This week the label celebrates their fifteen year anniversary with the release of a special East Cafe Remix Collection.

Progressive Astronaut caught up with Jacco to discuss all things LuPS. Enjoy!

Hi Jacco, thanks for sitting with us today! What is your current mood and what was the last piece of music you listened to?

Yes thanks. Well my current mood is positive. Happy and honoured that I can have this interview. Regarding the last piece of music I listened to I can tell you that this was the Agustin Pietrocolla Remix of Jacco@Work & Rockka - Save The Light. An absolute mad remix.

How has your start to the year been and what are your plans for the week?

The start of the year was a bit hectic because I had a lot of to take care off regarding the transition of the back end of the label to my extra pair of eyes and hands Marina Gerardi. As she lives in Argentina we had to discuss all through Whatsapp and work our self a way through all the back end work a label is carrying with itself. We had to invent a workflow. The plans for this week are showing up at my daytime job as youth worker, pick up the campervan from it's winter residence and prepare everything for the 15th anniversary release (still waiting for two masters to come in).

Tell us more about your story. How did you discover electronic music?

I'd discovered electronic music at a very young age due my dad. I think i must have been 10 years old or so. My dad used to play records and cd's from all those synthersizer pioneers like Jean Michel Jarre, Vangelis and Giorgo Morroder. Also there was an infamous radioshow on Dutch national radio called For Those How Like To Groove presented by Robin 'Jaydee' Albers. I'd never missed one broadcast.

How has growing up and living in the Netherlands contributed to your passion for electronic music?

Well I think over here in The Netherlands we are blessed with a rich and big scene of electronic music producers in almost each genre. Growing up in such environment is like living in a candy store. In the early years the scene was just one family but when the years moved on the scene got divided in many different styles of electronic music.

At which club or event did you experience electronic music for the first time and what memories have stuck with you from that moment?

Well that must have been in my own town at local club (Fame) hearing the track Fierce Rulling Diva - Rubb It In. That synth sound at the start of this track is so intense at high volume and combined with the screaming vocals it simply makes you go insane. After that I went to Nighttown (a big nightclub) in Rotterdam and there I discovered Lemon8 behind the turntables playing his remix of his track Model8. Still goosebumps and flashbacks when hearing this track. This moment made me decide that I wanted to start DJ-ing too. Which I eventually did.

Can you name five tracks that were influential in your own personal musical development?

I sense that this is a very hard question for me to answer but I will try.

Atlantic Ocean - Waterfall (Original)

Made by Rene van der Weijde and Lex van Coevorden. Rene is originally from Dordrecht (my hometown) this track conquered the world. This track actually was meant for a b-side and made in two hours. It is quite unique and can't be compared with any kind of house track.

Three Drives - Greece 2000 (Original)

The reason and actually only reason that this track is in this list, is just  simple. The bassline. Simple but effective and combined with the catchy synthlines which are following the bassline (an old trick) it became an old time favourite track. On top of that this track has been made (as far as I am informed well in my own hometown Dordrecht in the basement of the club where I first discovered electronic music)

Lemon8 - New York New York (Original)

The incredible energy in this track and that huge wall of sound which is rolling over you is just breathtaking. Also the complete arrangement is perfect from start until the end.

Sarah McLachlan - Silence (DJ Tiësto's in Search of Sunrise Remix)

The breakdown section in this remix is still causing me goosebumps and for me this type of breakdowns are what makes a track outstanding.

Sander Kleinenberg - My Lexicon (Original)

The melody lines in this track are still doing it's magic when hearing it. They are so lovely and the way they are developing during the track are just perfect. At the time this tune was the perfect floor filler. Looking back upon above list of 5 tracks I realize that these tracks are all have been made by Dutch producers. Must say something I guess.

What led you to start LuPS Records initially? Was that your first foray into running a record label?

To be honest it was the reason that I got feed up with signing tracks and remixes to other labels and never saw any penny in return. The only exception was Bellarine Recordings ran by Ewan McArthur. His approach and commitment and honesty was inspiring. I am not in the music scene for the money, but with the experience of not receiving royalties I thought that it should be different. From the very first start of the label I have paid all the artists their royalties even when the sales where low. It was a real nightmare to count all the royalties and extract them form huge Excel sheets delivered by the INgrooves at the time.

In terms of DJs and artists who would say are the biggest sources of inspiration for LuPS?

I think each artist on LuPS delivers something unique and true from the heart. This makes it inspirational in any kind of way. In the early years of the label Matias Chilano have been a big source of inspiration for LuPS. He signed many Original tracks and did plenty of remixes. The same with artist like East Cafe, Kay-D, Ewan Rill. All these producers became Prog House veterans nowadays and besides inspiring the label I think they have inspired many others to start making music.

If you had to pinpoint a few tracks that you released which were crucial in the development of LuPS, what would they be and why?

LuPSRec 004 Matias Chilano - Long Experience (Original) This was Matias his second released track ever on a label. At the time I instantly recognized the true skills he had in creating superb rhythms. They sounded really natural. We became good friends for years and he signed many Original tracks to LuPS and did countless remixes. His talent really helped the label to grow in the early years.

LuPSRec 023 Kay-D - Without Delusion (Original)

At the time I was really over the moon that I could sign this track with Kay-D. He was a very promising upcoming producer and his tracks where capturing the sound and quality I was after for my label. I remember that I had to talk like a mad man to get this track signed to my label but in the end I managed to get it signed. This track was remixed by several artist but the Phonic Deep remix is still one of my favourite versions of this track. Many years later (in 2019) Simon Firth made stunning remix of Without Delusion as well.

LupsRec 045 Simon Firth - Circles (Trim The Fat Remix)

This track is insanely good and sounds still fresh after all those years. It is so funky and at the time this track could be found in many setlist.

LuPSRec 081 Tim Robert - Launch Angle (Shane Remix)

This remix was a exchange project between me and Shane. I did a remix for his label Jetlag Digital and he made this one in return. It became a remix which found his way into many record boxes.

LuPSRec 120 Napalm & d-phrag - 43 (Ewan Rill Remix)

This have remix have been one of the crucial tracks in the history of the label. At the time all the artwork for the label got made by d-phrag. Out of the blue he send me this collab track with Napalm. They called it 43, referring to the age of d-phrag. As far as I remember Napalm made this track for d-phrag his birthday. d-phrag also arranged all the remixes for this release which turned out into 2 EP's with 7 remixes. Amongst them was Ewan Rill with a superb remix (which I still use in livesets and stood high in many charts). This remix was the debut of Ewan Rill on LuPS and this turned out that he appeared on LuPS with many remixes and even 2 Originals (Ewan Rill & K Loveski - Navigante EP) Without this release and the help of d-phrag the label wouldn't be what it is now.

LuPSRec 230 Robert R. Hardy - Aesthetics (Original Mix)

This is also a crucial track in the history of LuPS. After several remixes from Robert, I managed to sign an Original with him. Robert was a highly respected producer at the time who delivered quality stuff. I was really pleased and honored that I could sign this track knowing that it would help the label further. Together with a few solid remixes from Mistol Team, Sebastian Schetter and LoQuai this release became a big one.

LuPSRec 247 Billy Alex - Sparkle (Ezequiel Anile & Nicolas Petracca Remix)

Before EANP became famous the joined the label in an ealry stage of their career with this remix of Billy Alex - Sparkle. It went down really well alongside another highly anticipated remix by Nicolas Rada.

LuPSRec 250 East Cafe - Sonnenlicht (John Cosani & Julian Rodriguez Remix)

This another crucial track for the label. This remix was the winning one in the remix competition I'd organized with East Cafe. Nowadays this track is still a top 10 selling track on Beatport!

LuPSRec 250 East Cafe - Mondschein

Another key track in the development of LuPS was Mondschein. East Cafe handover this track as a bonus track to put on the Sonnenlicht EP. Funny thing was that Hernan Cattaneo picked up this track and played it for months in his live sets.

LuPSRec 335 East Cafe - Meridian (Subandrio Remix)

The Original was a gesture from East Cafe for the long term friendship he and I have. This remix is a result of an unexpected meet with Subandrio during ADE. We talke about LuPS etc and during this conversation I told him that I was looking for one more remix for an East Cafe release. The subject came upon a remix from his hand. A few days after ADE I'd send him the track for review and the answer was a yes. The result became a remix which got hammered by Hernan Cattaneo in many livesets and even nowadays this rmeix still sells copies. This track marked another milestone and generated much attention and traffic towards the label.

LuPSRec 403 Kay-D - Space Flow (Dowden & Gux Jimenez Remixes)

This release have been released last month and received extremely good feedback from big name DJ's like Weird Sounding Dude, Subandrio, Nick Warren, Nicolas Rada to name a few. My senses are telling me that this release is a turning point for the label and for me it proves that the way LuPS took is bright and clear.

You’re celebrating fifteen years of LuPS this week with a new East Cafe Remix Collection. Tell us a bit about the release and why was it important for you to commemorate the anniversary with this particular project?

Well as it might be clear, East Cafe has been one of the key producers on the label. He joined the label from the first start and submited 7 Original tracks over all these years. Without these Originals and all it's remixes the label wouldn't be what it is right now. So as a reward I came up with the idea to make a special Remix Collection of all the released East Cafe tracks on LuPS. Therefore I'd ask a few respected artists in the scene to make a re-interpretation.  They all agreed instantly and you will find remixes by Callecat, Around Us, Rikken, Rikk Earth, Hobin Rude and Apste.

How has running a label 15 years ago changed to what you are doing on a daily basis now?

Running a label is time consuming. It still is and there is no difference compared to 15 years according to the investment of time. Only difference is that with the switch over to Proton as distribution company, it became far more easier to run the back end of a label. The interface Proton uses (SoundSystem) with the integrated automatic calculation of royalties and generating of contracts is every record label owners wet dream. Also over the years Proton developed many new features which to lower the workload. Compared to this it is a 180 degrees angle to what I did myself when I started with the label. At the time I had to upload all the tracks, artwork myself to download portals and also calculating the royalties where a nightmare. I was lucky that days that my dad appeared to be an Excel wizard. Without him it wouldn't have been possible to pay royalties.

LuPS seems to be going through a renaissance period this year. Have you experienced a renewed enthusiasm for running the label this year?

Yes this is true. Actually this renewed enthusiasm appeared around February 2022 when Gavin Griffin aka GMJ send me an email out of the blue. Before this email, Gavin was an out of reach producer for me. We had a quick conversation during ADE back in 2019 but that was all. In the email Gavin send me, he told me that he started working for Protion and that Proton formed a team of people who where free to choose a few labels each they feelt keen to talk to & looking towards organizing a recurring video call to catch up to talk about how the label is going and some ideas & strategies that hopefully would be helpful & of benefit in the labels growth. I decided to accept the invitation. Gavin and I had a very constructive conversation in which he told me that he picked out LuPS Records because of seeing the potential the label has and because of the fact that he was following the label from the beginning. It might sounds innocent but I was flabbergasted. I'd never expected that answer. I always had looked towards my label as a tiny player in the scene giving young starting artists a chance to release their music and mix this up with upcoming producers. A long story short. This conversation made me realize that I could achieve much more with the label then I thought what was possible. So instead of organizing a label night to celebrate the 15th anniversary I decide to invest the money in attracting remixers that will raise the labels profile and generate traffic. So last year I worked on a release schedule for 2023 in almost complete silence. On top of all, Marina Gerardi joined LuPS back in January this year. Marina is just as long in the business as I am. Together with her husband Nicholas van Orton she runs BCSA and she works for several other labels. She really knows the drill and I experience the same commitment I have in getting things done and fixed.

Organic House has become a trendy sound in electronic music these past couple of years, do you think this genre has become a bit over-saturated? And what is your opinion on the current state of the genre?

Organic House is very easy to access genre in my opinion. It has a certain easy going and feel good flow. Like Progressive you can dance on it or sit at the bar and have a drink with a conversation. In my opinion it is a timeless genre. I don't know if it is over-saturated as I don't pay much attention to this genre to be honest.

And to add to that, with the emergence of Organic House, has the Progressive genre suffered to some extent?

Well music develops. I think there is a niche for each kind of genre. I don't think that the Progressive genre is suffering from the emergence of Organic House. In fact I think it even could be blend up or being an asset to eachother.

Are you solely responsible for the A&R on the label? And if not, who else contributes to what gets signed or is helping with the weekly duties?

Well regarding to the label I did all the work myself for 14 1/2 years (until December 2022). The only help that I had until then, came from a close friend who is taking care of the Social Media and the radioshow mixes (Locked up Progressive Sounds) on Proton Radio. For the mastering I hired a couple of people of the years but since 5 years F-act is taking care of this. Since January 2023 I am receiving help from Marina Gerardi. She is responsible for the A&R and she is helping me with the daily/weekly duties of running the label. This really makes a different. I now have more time for checking out for example SoundCloud to find artists for remixing. Marina crossed my path due the help of Gavin Griffin aka GMJ. He recommended her. It was one of the best things happened to the label in years.

Do you have someone who you get a second opinion from when it comes to signing tracks? A significant other or close friend perhaps?

It might sounds strange but I don't make advantage of someone who gives me a second opinion. I sign the tracks myself based upon my years of experience as DJ, radio DJ, Producer, my own taste and as follower of the electronic music scene. After singing a track I sometimes show them to my close friends Around Us, but actually not for a second opinion.

When you get to a point with a track or set of tracks where you’re close to committing to signing them, what can push the decision one way or the other?Being clear and honest is think what works best. The push of the decision to sign a track with LuPS could be that I always try to be personal and as clear as possible to the artists in terms of remixers I work with and have in mind for a remix of the upcoming signed track, the royalty share, estimated date of release, promotools I use etc. Also I quite often ask the original artist to do a remix for LuPS. This works well.

Do you have a special spot to listen to demos? Outside of the studio I mean, a place where your mind resets a bit, and you have fresh ears in a way.

I'm listening to demo's always at the same spot. If I tell you the spot you might be surprised. It is the huge oak wood table in the dinning room. Most of the time I am listening to demo's at night when the house is still and the kids are sleeping. As during the day, with 4 growing up kids running around the house, there is always something going on and to take care of.

What advice do you have for artists hoping to get signed to LuPS?

If you are in getting your track signed to LuPS please make sure it is a proper sounding demo or pre-master. I prefer listening to it via SoundCloud. Also avoid submitting it to other labels at the same time. Furthermore I am always in to work together with the artist who wants to sign his track to LuPS. Who do you have in mind for a remix, or do you have friends who wants to remix it? Something else what helps is that you have already fixed the remix pack (wav - midi, bpm and key) for your track. This speeds up the process significant in getting remixers interested.

Is big DJ play a factor in signing something? From someone like Hernan Cattaneo or Nick Warren for example.

Well big DJ play is important and getting into setlists, spotify playlists and charts is important also to gain some attention and to generate traffic to the label. However for me it is not the main focus by signing a track to the label.

You generally do remixes on most of your releases so what is your thought process behind remixer selection on a given project and how many is too many in your opinion?

Regarding remixer selection I always try to find artists which are capable to add something extra a remix. IMO a remix shouldn't be a simple remake of the Original version, but actually a new track with the original elements returning in the arrangement completed with additional sounds, melodies etc. For a release I try to stick to two remixes alongside the Original.

What is your biggest pet peeve about receiving music for the labels?

Well my biggest pet peeve is that a producer sends his demo's to several labels at the same time without telling the labels.. When you show interest it turns out that a track already got signed. I think it is more transparant to a label and the producer himself to send a demo to a single label and wait for an answer. If they reject your track then go on to the next label.

Looking back over the LuPS discography, which one of your early releases / tracks still puts a smile on your face when you listen to it now, and why?

This is a hard question for me to answer. Actually I have a connection with all the releases I did on the label, but the ones which are still put a smile on my face are all the Ewan Rill remixes I have released of the years. Ivan is so talented and his productions are so well produced but above all, out of a dozen tracks, you can easily pick out his productions by hearing it. On top of these I have to add also the Subandrio Remix of East Cafe - Meridian. This remix is a true timeless gem and Subandrio managed to add so much energy into this remix that people are still going wild even it is almost 4 years old.

Who do you see as future stars in Progressive and Organic House?

Regarding the Progressive scene I think there is alot of potential coming from Sri Lanka and India lately and of course Hungary is still a country to keep an eye on. A producer I really like is Rockka. He is rapidly making progress lately and his style is developing into an own unique one. Also producers like Gux Jimenez, Dowden, Hobin Rude, Around Us and Callecat do have a bright future in my humble opinion. Besides that I think the Argentinean Progressive scene will bring forth many talented future stars. Producers like Massimo Lasso, Agustin Pietrocola, Nicolas Benedetti, Nicolas Rada, John Cosani will sure keep the scene going in the upcoming years. Regarding Organic House I think Sonai from Germany is a one to watch for.

What advice would you have for new or potential label owners out there?

Dare to be different and go your own way. Believe in what you are doing. Be kind to artists. Respect them and stay professional. In my case for LUPS it is also for the love of the music and not for the hype (or money).

If you could set up an event with a line-up of five artists of your choice, who would you book and what set times would you ascribe to the artists?

Well that is a nice question. If I ever could set up an event with a line of 5 artists then it would look like this:

23.00 - 00.30 hr East Cafe
00.30 - 02.00 hr Rockka b2b Subandrio
02.00 - 03.30 hr Around Us
03.30 - 05.00 hr F-act b2b Allan McLoud

Actually there are 6 artists but with smuggling (b2b sessions) it should be good.

The venue will be ClubNL in Amsterdam.

What’s a book you’ve read or film you watched that has left an impact on you, and why?

Hmmm. You know, I actually don't read books or watch movies, simply because I am always busy with things for the label, my family or my other hobby (car tuning). So the answer remains; I don't know.

Apart from music, what makes you happiest?

Well there are a few things which are making me happy apart from music. I own an old Volvo 850 T-5 (1996) which i maintain myself and which I have tuned into a faster version then originally. Working on this car and driving it is awesome. I like to visit car meetings inside Holland and Sweden. Also going away with my family with our 32-year old camper and stay in the woods is what makes me happy. Cooking on woodfire is something that can't be beaten.

What can we expect from LuPS for the remainder of 2023 – any special releases we should be looking out for?

There is much in store for the upcoming months but I don't want to reveal to many of the release schedule. One of the releases to look out for will be my collab track with Rockka called Save The Light. I made this track more then a year ago after the sudden death of my father. I'd send it to Rockka for an opinion and he proposed to make a collab track out of it. The result is a massive track on which I am really proud of. This release will come with several remixes released over two EP's. On remix duties are Michael A. Hobin Rude, Agustin Pietrocola and one more remix which I'll keep secret.

Furthermore there will be releases with tracks from Gux Jimenez, Fabri Lopez, Mike Hiratzka, Allan McLoud, F-act, Levitone, Maximo Lasso and East Cafe to name a few.

'The Remix Collection' is available now via LuPS Records: https://bit.ly/3mIPS2X

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