Known for her versatile sounds, dark selections and flair for blending old school with the new, South London’s Just Jane is a newcomer not to be ignored. Making her mark in dubstep and grime, alongside her MC ‘Limmz’, she had been shelling it across the UK in the last few years.
We chatted about the pressures of posting on socials, staying sober in a world that loves to party, breaking barriers as a female selector and how meditation saved her mixing…
Broke Magazine: So, what is it like being a girl in something which is still very much a ‘boys’ scene’?
Jane: I mean I want to start by saying that I am in a position of privilege as a white young woman – I could never understand the difficulties of being a woman of colour in this industry. But I would say it’s complicated, especially in production – 97% of tracks are produced by men. I think the main thing is just working with a lot of guys, I don’t have a problem with it but issues arise. I have had times when I don’t know whether guys want to work with me and rate my music or they are just trying to move to me.
Broke Magazine: How do you navigate knowing whether someone has good intentions with your music?
Jane: I don’t want to throw shade but it is hard to know people’s intentions and I think a lot of women face that in every industry. Whereas if you’re a guy, that’s just their bredren, they don’t have to figure these things out. For example, this Saturday I went to DJ alone, no friends, no nothing and I was SOO anxious. It is such a vulnerable thing being at a rave alone as a girl, no matter the circumstance. It is hard for all female DJs because inevitably you are going to have to go to work alone and gigs are late at night, so even getting there and back is a bigger deal. Also, the grime and dubstep scene is a lot more male-dominated, you could speak to any girl and they will have a story of a guy being weird at a rave.
Broke Magazine: Yeah it is alwaysss harder for women. What coping mechanisms do you have to help with your anxiety?
Jane: I have struggled with anxiety in bare different ways, like I know a lot of people have. I navigate it by really valuing a healthy lifestyle, I meditate and go to the gym a lot. I am also always sober when I play, I haven’t touched substances in years and that has helped so much. I would not be doing music without meditation. I study neuroscience and I find the brain so interesting. I think people should know more about it, especially how emotions work. Sometimes I see people who are successful and I think it is not because they have more talent but it is because they are more emotionally stable. I could have started mixing when I was 18, I have a lot of friends who started then but subconsciously I had limiting beliefs. Meditation made me self-aware and allowed me to realise that I was holding myself back from pursuing things that I wanted to, just because I was too scared to start them.
Broke Magazine: I think a lot of people can relate to how scary it is making those first moves into music. What advice would you give to someone trying to break into the scene?
Jane: Play what you want. I always play what’s authentic to me, there are certain sounds like speed garage which is popping right now but I don’t enjoy it so I won’t play it. Don’t play something you don’t want to play just because it’s popular. If you’re playing what you want that will come through and it’ll create something unique to you, it’ll create your brand. Also if you’re vibing, then people will vibe!
Broke Magazine: I know you don’t smoke, butttt if you did, who would your dream blunt rotation be?
Jane: I want Subtract – he’s a sick producer, also Sampha (I love his music and he’s also just so elusive) and finally someone in grime, like Ghetts.
Broke Magazine: I love how they’re all people in music, where did your love for electronic sounds and grime come from?
Jane: I started raving bare young, I would take my sister’s ID and go out to all sorts of raves; garage, drum and bass, jungle. I fell in love with electronic music, I was obsessed with it. In terms of grime, I remember when Skepta’s ‘Blacklisted’ album came out in 2012, I was 11 and had it on repeat.
Broke Magazine: Most people say you need social media to make it in music these days. I know you’ve used socials to grow your brand, was that by choice or did you feel a pressure to post?
Jane: I mean TikTok especially has been huge for me. It’s majorly helped me get more opportunities but I 100% feel the pressure to post. When I first got booked three years ago, I’d only been DJing for six months and had no presence on socials. I am not a social media girl, I never rated it. I don’t really like showing my face but now I’ve grown bigger I have had to be active. I try and post consistently and I think unfortunately there is
no other way. I had a moment where I deeped that, like – if I wanted to do this I don’t have an option, you
NEED to be posting – you need to play the game.
Broke Magazine: It’s mad how nowadays you can post one TikTok, it goes viral and you can reach thousands of people, but on the flip side, that is opening you up to so much more criticism. Have you received any hate?
Jane: Oh yeah, I have had hate, especially on TikTok. I don’t really care, at the end of the day, not everyone is going to like what you do. I mean I have had really funny comments like ‘The decks aren’t even on’ and stuff like that. Whenever you are doing someone creative people are going to chat shit.
Broke Magazine: I guess when you’re an artist the hate isn’t that deep because it isn’t about your character, it’s just an opinion on what you are creating.
Jane: Yeah, it is so much more detached. When I am posting about my music and something doesn’t do that well, I don’t care because it isn’t about me, it’s just the brand.
Broke Magazine: You’re most well known for mixing dubstep and grime, we’ve seen a huge surge of this in the US with people like Skrillex and Fred Again commercialising it over there, what are your thoughts?
Jane: They are making it big, like with their tune ‘Rumble’. Skrillex has a massive hold over the American dubstep sound, he is toning it down and making it more minimal for the US, as opposed to UK dubstep which is heavier with very grimy sounds. There are also producers like Hamdi who are always in America. It’s a super interesting time because there’s a huge fan base for it over there which is going to allow UK artists to skyrocket.
Broke Magazine: Let’s talk about the first time you played out.
Jane: OH MY GOD – it was sick! My first set was at Lab11 in Birmingham which is huge. I’d only been mixing for a few months at the point and my friend posted a story of me mixing jungle. A mutual friend of hers dm’d her – BIGUP Jonah. I sent him a mix and he asked me to come play for an event. It was crazy because when I started DJing I didn’t have any intention of going anywhere with it, I just loved electronic music. It’s so nice the way it happened so organically without any social media or anything. They booked me onto the opening set for Halloween at Lab 11 which is mad, I am still so grateful for that opportunity. The whole club was rammed, I was so nervous but it went really well. Also big up ‘TekTu’ because they got me so many opportunities after that and I owe a lot to them.
Broke Magazine: How did you meet your MC Limmz?
Jane: Originally we were playing at the same event in Bristol and I remember listening to him and being like – “this guy is SO sick”. We followed each other on insta and a few months later he dm’d me saying we should work together, we just instantly vibed.
Broke Magazine: Quickly, if you could go b2b with anyone, who would it be? And if you could headline at any festival which one would you choose?
Jane: I mean it would have to be Neffa-T, he is too sick. It’d be too much though, I’d have to let him do the mix and I would just watch in awe. For the festival, it would have to be Dour in Belgium. I went there when I was 17 and it’s just insane. I love it because it showcases so many genres and the vibe is so friendly. I prefer festivals that are abroad over the UK, I think there’s more diversity and just a better atmosphere.
Broke Magazine: I know you’ve been classically trained in music, do you think this affects your mixing?
Jane: So, I grew up in Sydenham and my primary school had so many resources for music. When I was 10, I was accepted into a Guild Hall scheme that gave me intense classical training, which then led to me getting my diploma in piano. That training 100% helps with my music, especially in my production. The melody is the foundational part of every tune and I feel like people who’ve not had the training may not see that. For instance, I can’t mix out of key, it doesn’t sound right to me, whereas for some they may not necessarily know the difference between a major and minor track.
Broke Magazine: You mentioned producing, what kind of stuff are you creating at the moment?
Jane: A lot of people know me for mixing grime and dubstep but I rate everything, like the first track I ever produced was techno. I would say now, I’m focusing on two-step garage. To be honest, I don’t know what kind of stuff I want to create I just make whatever feels right. I’m not trying to make a sound I just flow with whatever comes in my head. I am hoping to release things by the end of this year for sure.
Broke Magazine: What other exciting things do you have coming up?
Jane: I’m on BBC radio next week with Spyro on a very exciting guest mix. I have lots of different bookings up and down the country as well, my calendar is booked until the end of April right now.
Broke Magazine: Let’s finish by shouting out some other women who are killing it at the moment.
Jane: Shan, Urma, Klueless, Yemz, Jas, Cicely, milzy, aura, skesa, Phia500, mynx, qsermon and auracul to name a few up and comers, but there are SOOO many more!!