Bass music luminary J.Sparrow has been a key figure in the UK’s electronic music scene since his 2006 debut, steadily building a discography that spans a who’s-who of forward-facing imprints such as Tectonic, Deep Medi and ZamZam Sounds, and his own label Navy Cut.
When he’s not disrupting the dubstep scene with exploratory productions that test the limits of the genre, the artist better known as Jack Sparrow DJs in clubs across the UK, Europe and Asia, threading inspired selections together with his own material in sets that have rattled crowds the world over. On top of recording guest mixes for BBC Radio 1’s Mary Anne Hobs and Annie Nightingale, he’s been invited to hold residencies at the legendary Sub Dub in Leeds and Croatian bass music mecca Outlook Festival. Sparrow holds close ties with the Sub Dub crowd, having grown up in Leeds and spent his formative years in the smoked-out environs of The West Indian Centre, letting dub, garage and DnB become a part of his DNA.
Sparrow rose to prominence with a series of releases in the late 00’s that drew the attention of Tectonic label-head Pinch. Making a stunning debut on the label in 2009 with the full-on sonic assault that is “The Chase”, the producer followed up in 2010 with his debut album Circadian. Receiving rave reviews from Resident Advisor (4.5/5) and Mixmag (4/5), it was described as “a dubstep album that doesn’t compromise.” The success of the record led to an invitation from dubstep royalty Mala to release through his scene-defining imprint Deep Medi. The two 12”’s that followed, “Afraid Of Me” and “Hold And Pull”, confirmed Sparrow’s position as a commanding presence within the genre.
“For me, when I made my first album on Pinch’s label [Tectonic Recordings], I wanted to show the relationship between what I got into music for and also show that dubstep, techno, and drum and bass all fit within the same realm.” Jack Sparrow is a busy man. Together with his solo releases, the producer has been invited to remix tracks from Skepta, Photek, Birdy, Mumdance and XXXY, alongside working as one half of production duo Author – an experimental take on his usual sound that inspired a live show and a global tour.
Founded in 2016, his label Navy Cut – an imprint centred around sound system culture – has been behind ten releases to date, with the latest outing seeing a limited 12” of two J.Sparrow heaters.
In 2019, Sparrow is set to release further EP’s, an album for Deep Medi and remixes, splitting time between the studio and the decks, steadily solidifying his reputation as an authoritative force in electronic music.
