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Discotech's Jordan Diston provides new mix
Next up on the Future Stars series we have discotech founder, Jordan Diston. The UK based DJ, producer and promoter slipped under our radar due to his tireless work with the discotech brand, delivering high quality events around the UK and Europe for over a decade. Along with the discotech team he also handles stellar A&R with the label, sourcing in music for the vinyl and digital imprints from artists such as Jay Tripwire, Alex Arnout, Kepler, Monika Ross & more. He digs deep into his collection with the latest mix on the series, moving between vibes and genres showcasing various influences from his journey so far…
Hi Jordan, thanks for chatting with us today. How has the start of the year been for you?
Hey guys thanks so much for having me on the series! This year has been great so far. I've used it as a chance to regroup a bit after a busy 2023 and get fit, healthy and well rested ready for touring. We’ve also been hard at work getting some showcases planned for discotech over the year and our 6th vinyl release with Jay Tripwire and Alex Arnout has finally hit the stores!
Thanks for recording a mix for us and being a part of the Future Stars series. Can you tell us what we can expect when we dive into the mix?
It’s been a long time since I've recorded a podcast so I wanted to put something together that really represented where I am at musically right now. It was recorded with love on my home set up with a pair of Technics 1210s and a Xone 92. There’s a couple of tracks from our new discotech release from Jay Tripwire in there as well as some bits from some of my favorite producers / artists such as Jack D, Duowe, Liquid Earth and many more.
You've recently just shared your first output in terms of production, is this something you have been working on for a while? Do you see this being the next step for you as an artist?
First and foremost I am a DJ. I’ve spent the past 14 years collecting records and playing music. It’s my true passion.. Producing tunes is something that has come slowly to me. That being said, I have had a lot of inspiration over the years. It would be a shame to waste that! It seemed like now was the right time for me to start pushing myself to get into the studio.
I’ve really enjoyed learning something new and starting to create and refine my sound. The past couple of years I’ve been working closely in the studio and making music alongside discotech Resident Elliot Hollins. The guy is a wizard in the studio and very talented and has been the perfect guy to teach me along the way.
We will be releasing some more of our music on discotech later this year and hoping to also start releasing some of my own music in 2025 across other labels.
On the label side of things you also recently dropped a mega EP from two of the best to do it, Jay Tripwire and Alex Arnout. How does it feel to release the music of artists with such longevity and influence in the game as those two?
What can I say? It's a real honour. I’ve been playing records by Jay and Alex since day dot pretty much. Both as producers but also selectors they are a huge inspiration to me.
I remember my first trip to the legendary Below in Birmingham and Alex was going back to back with Adam Shelton and he completely blew my mind with his record selections. We’ve actually had him play for us as a discotech as well over the years.
Jay is an absolute legend in the game and I own so many of his records. They’re timeless and I'm very happy he agreed to work with us. The guy is a producing machine!
This EP is actually from some old DAT tapes in the early 2000s that luckily he had stumbled across just before we approached him. His classic sound of that time and something I was all over when he sent them to me.
Your discotech brand has been operating for 12 years already. That is quite some time, where did it all begin for you as a DJ and how were the early days of discotech looking?
I grew up as a kid listening to a lot of Rock, heavy metal. My parents loved AC/DC and Guns and Roses so I was around it all the time. I'm really into my Hip hop, Jazz, Drum and Bass, Dub, Funk and Soul, Disco … anything if it’s well produced and made with love I can appreciate and listen to it.
My musical journey has really progressed through so many genres… I think that’s important though to get a real understanding of music and to gain inspiration for producing it has really helped.
Anyway I started DJing when I was 17 at first on a controller then CDJs - playing at after parties with friends. We absolutely lived and breathed music and playing on the decks - 3 day parties just having fun and mixing all the way… there was no off button - We were also going to a lot of raves in and around Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield from the likes of DiY Sound system, Smokescreen and Wireless and they absolutely blew my mind - unreal music in the middle of warehouses, quarries, woods and they would just go on for days. Full of so many different people from different backgrounds it was magical and really taught me what I want to look for in a party. Everyone was there for the love of the music and the DJs were still to this day some of the best I've seen - Digs and Woosh (Grace Sands - Adonis), Simon DK, Inland Knights … safe to say I really caught the house music bug.
At the time there wasn’t really anything in Derby in venues that were playing the sort of music we were enjoying playing and we thought why not start our own night? At least then we would be able to play out… It was a perfect idea. It was always a party for us and our friends to enjoy ourselves and that ethos has stuck - were a family. The dance floor is a family that has continued to grow.
When we moved to a venue called Shakespeare that’s where things really came into their own. I helped run the venue and all of us were playing weekly. That’s where I really learnt to DJ. I played every Saturday for 4 years. Discotech was monthly and we really came into our own. All that mattered then was parties and after parties and we created such a family of regulars at the venue and our nights - that was the basis for the amazing community we now have.
Over the years you have been playing and taking the discotech brand all over. Touching down in the likes of Ibiza, Bulgaria, recently New York and much more. Was this always the vision from the start? What were some stand out trips for you? Anywhere in particular you are looking to tick off?
For me I think it came with just being active in our community - going to other cities, parties and meeting like minded people. We were meeting promoters, venue owners who had the same ethos as us and we wanted to work together. Certainly when we first started this wasn't our aim - we were just happy to be playing music to our mates… as the years have gone on we’ve had some amazing opportunities. I absolutely love meeting new people, experiencing different cultures, hearing different music and discovering new DJs so to be able to do all this whilst taking discotech around the globe and traveling with my mates is just an indescribable feeling really. It’s awesome and we’re very lucky to get to do it.
Ibiza will always be a special place for me. We used to play for the guys at Zoo Project every season - they were one of the first parties to give us a chance outside of Derby really and I have such admiration of the team behind it. Such a lovely group of people. Every time I played there it was just amazing as well as all the things that come along with going to Ibiza. When I was in my early 20s it was just nuts to say the least. 4-5 day parties, villa’s afters and more afters, plus everything else on the island. Just the best memories. In recent years we’ve also started working with Game Over / One Night Stand. We met Jeremy Weeks at one of their events and he has since released a record with us and is a good friend of discotech. They’re absolutely killing it on the island holding events at DC10, Privilege, Amnesia and this year they have a weekly event at Eden. We can’t wait to go back this year.
New York again was a proper pinch myself moment. It’s my favorite city on earth. I've been lucky to go a few times as a kid / in my teens and to get to go back and actually play out there and dig for some records was amazing. Archivo is such a sick store and the records they get in are just gems. Safe to say i'll be grabbing a lot more when I return at the end of this year!
In terms of future plans I have my bucket list of places I would love to play already this year. I have ticked some big ones off which I can’t wait to replace. As long as we keep working with like minded people I’m always happy :-)
How integral is it to you to bring music and events to Derby, your base? Forthcoming you have the 12th birthday at Electric Daisy, how is it shaping up to be?
I always say there’s no feeling like playing in your own city. You know the dance floor inside out, know the people. There’s always a special atmosphere. It’s a very personal experience. Derby is my home and I absolutely love this city and the people in it.
It’s the people who make the party. In fact without the people there is no party. You can have the best location in the world, the best DJ, unbelievable sound but if you attract an awful crowd who aren’t into what you’re doing or creating not a nice atmosphere that vibe spreads right through the dancefloor. An eager responsive crowd who is really there living in the moment goes a long way and we’re very lucky to have such a wicked community here. Most of us in the city are all mates through meeting at discotech or beyond - It's a special feeling to see us be a place where people can come together and form lifelong friendships. We’ve had couples who have met at discotech, who are now engaged… that have gone to have families. It's amazing to see.
For me having a music culture in any city is really important. We all need music in our lives. We have so many talented DJs, artists and creatives and I try to use discotech as a platform to showcase that the best we can. We’re a small city compared to London, Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester there’s not as much going on but that’s also a reason I make such a point of keeping trying to push what we do here. A city needs things going on and the people of Derby deserve it!
At the end of the day I owe all our success to our local crowd. It’s been a melting pot of great times, inspiration and allowed us to grow our party to go and play venues and countries I would never dream of doing when we first started.
The 12th Birthday is a brilliant example of where we’re at right now - picking a unique space and turning it into our own. We are holding the event in a community Garden called Electric Daisy welcoming our friends UNUM festival to host the party with us. Robert James (Body Movement, Paradise) will be on headline duties, this is an artist who is a proper DJs DJ with such a wicked record collection. He will be followed by our trusted residents - myself, Scott Streak, Angle and Jake Richardson along with some local DJs who have really inspired us over the years and been on our journey with us.
What else do you have planned for 2024 personally and as a label?
So from May onwards we kick off our 12 years of discotech tour. We have over 30 dates in the calendar at the moment across some unreal venues including UNUM Festival in Albania, gigs in New York, Berlin, London, Bulgaria, Ibiza with One Night Stand and many more. It’s our busiest year yet and some of the venues we have confirmed are real bucket list moments which I can’t quite announce yet. One thing for sure is it’s going to be a really special year for us and I can’t wait to see you all on the dancefloor.
In Derby we have some amazing unused locations. We will be holding parties and I am also working on a festival which we will be launching towards the end of this year and will take place in 2025. We’ll be welcoming
Label releases we have planned with Grant Dell, Kreature, Myself and Elliot Hollins, Robert James, Nail, Just Jam and a few others as well so it’s a really exciting time for the label as well. I feel very lucky to be working with some many talented DJs.
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