Als Ashore im Jahr 2011 laufen lernte – und mit einer wahnsinnig schlecht besuchten Party in der Panke erstmal direkt auf die Nase fiel – war Jonas Lion schon dabei, als Gast-DJ und Freund. Inzwischen hat der Belgier auf diversen Partys von uns gespielt – und uns im Gegenzug mehrfach in die Zomerfabriek in Antwerpen eingeladen. Dort wohnt Jonas und ist mit der lokalen Musikszene bestens vertraut. Deshalb sprachen wir nun mit ihm darüber, was in seiner Heimat gerade so geht und was ihn eher stört. Wo man am besten Platten kauft und was ihn sonst gerade in Sachen Musik bewegt.
Obendrauf gibt es einen wunderbaren Ashorecast von Jonas Lion, der dank Tracks von Ross From Friends, Baba Stiltz, Mood Hut und vielen mehr bestens als Warm-up für eine Partynacht oder einen Tag am Strand geeignet ist. Dabei kannte man ihn früher für eher härtere Klänge…
Jonas, your dj style reaches from bass heavy music to house, techno and even R’n’B. How would you describe you own musical journey and development as a selector during the last couple of years?
That’s a tough one. Basically I started out as a dubstep DJ, leaning more and more towards that hybrid UK sound that the genre was evolving to around 2010-2012 (I’m not gonna use the horrible term ‘post dubstep’). This whole scene got me into house and techno for a good while – but then I got a little bored. When most of my peers were really getting into either disco or techno from that point, I turned to things like hip-hop, R&B, dancehall, dembow and baile funk. I personally feel that there’s more innovation and excitement in those areas at the moment. So even though I’m a tougher sell to promoters now (just imagine me saying “I can do deep house sets, as well as accessible R&B!”), I just play whatever I feel like, in a very diverse range of venues and events. And I’m happier than ever before with that.
You hail from Antwerp, Belgium. What do you like about the city, what would you like to be changed?
On a personal level I love this city: it has got all the advantages of a big city, but it doesn’t feel overwhelming at the same time. Despite the current deteriorating political climate, it’s still very good living here. But when it comes to music we have known better times. Many small and mid-sized venues are closing down and it has become a lot harder to put up events if you want to keep things a little more alternative. That said, the house and techno scene is stronger than ever, there’s new creative talent around every corner, and there’s a very healthy interaction with other cultural strongholds like Ghent and Brussels.
What are your favourite clubs in Antwerp and Belgium. And where do we have go to find the best record store in Antwerp?
There have been some stellar additions to the club scene in Belgium recently. Ampere in Antwerp and Kompass in Ghent dominate every weekend with a constant flow of big room international house and techno names – and have become valued competitors for long standing Brussels-based techno institute Fuse in the process. In the same city Bloody Louis is the best place for a good hip-hop night. But when it comes to more alternative venues, Het Bos in Antwerp offers more and more exciting underground acts.
When we talk dance music record stores, every of the major 3 cities in Belgium has its own institute: Ghent has Music Mania, Antwerp has Wally’s Groove World and Brussels has the newly founded Crevette Records, which is my favourite – not just because the founder is one of my close friends, but also because they just have the tightest selection of house, techno and disco records of any store I know and they have all that sweet-looking DJ equipment you can’t buy anywhere else.
What can you tell us about the idea behind your mix for Ashore?
As I said earlier, my taste is quite diverse. So I wanted to take this opportunity to make another dancefloor oriented house mixtape. It has been a while since I’ve made something like this. It’s not all new cuts – but just some of my faves that kept on creeping in my crates during the last one or two years. It’s nothing too serious – just something to put on when you’re in a good mood and getting ready for the party tonight.
What are your plans for the rest of 2017? And is there any chance you gonna play some gigs in Germany anytime soon?
I’ve been taking a break from music recently – but I’m back now, starting with a series of shows in Bali and Singapore (I’m actually writing this down in the airport as we speak). I’ll be back in Belgium after that, with some really exciting stuff lined up for the rest of the year: a couple really cool DJ gigs, as well as throwing more events with my Untitled! and Home Alone crew. I’m already planning the next string of international shows, although Germany is not on there yet. Maybe you guys should book me again?
Tracklist
1. Quavius – Love The Way
2. Untitled Gear – It’s Wonderful
3. Computer Graphics – Prospekt
4. Jim E-Stack – You Are Not Alone
5. Super Fun Bumper Edition – Merge
6. Ross From Friends – Bootman
7. Mood Hut – Better
8. Lockah – Bike Tracks (Dub)
9. Lukas Nystrand von Unge – In My Heart
10. DJ Sonikku – Sand Oasis
11. Jacques Greene – Real Time (Drumapella)
12. Roland Things – Eyes Closed
13. Baba Stiltz – Born2Live
14. Jim E-Stack – Dreamt
15. E. Meyers – Hate
16. Edmondson – Diamond Life
17. Luis CL – Bass Dreams
18. Neue Grafik – Sorcier
19. Bwana – Choice & Consequence
20. DJ Heure – Outsider Resource
21. Doc Daneeka – Never Wanna Lose You
22. David Futers – I Care
Jonas Lion kann man bei Soundcloud, Facebook, Twitter und Instagram folgen.