Out of Northern Ireland come Loco & Jam, the production pairing of Lloyd Reid and James Peoples, set to blow up the stage at Earth Frequency 2018 with their self-proclaimed style of 'stadium techno'.
Established in 2007, the past decade has seen Loco & Jam claw their way into top-tier status and become global techno travellers.
In February, their journey will bring them to the leafy surrounds of Earth Frequency Festival in South East Queensland.
Serious question: which is of you is Loco and which is Jam?
[Loco] I am Loco (with the glasses) and James is Jam.
Was 2017 a productive year for you guys?
2017 has been an amazing year. We have had many amazing tours and shows all over the globe from Australia to South America and everywhere in between, not to mention releases on great labels such as Monika Kruse’s Terminal M, Christian Smith's Tronic and Coyu’s Suara to name but a few.
What is 'stadium techno'?
Haha. This was the term we gave the type of techno we wanted to make when we first got in the studio together back in 2007. We had the idea to make every track as big and powerful as possible and imagine it blowing the roof off any stadium. It’s kinda our own, little unofficial genre.
And what does that mean for your Earth Frequency set? What can we expect?
You can expect us to go right for the jugular from the start. Festival sets are usually shorter than club sets, so we don’t usually like to f*#% around. It’s gonna be full of energy from start to finish with a lot of new, unheard Loco & Jam tracks in there also.
Will you have the chance to hang out at EFF and soak up the atmosphere?
Yes. We asked to stay an extra day exactly for this. After our set, we're gonna let our hair down and smash some beers with you guys for sure.
Have either/ both of you ever had a truly embarrassing moment onstage you wouldn't mind sharing with us?
Not onstage to this date (thank f#*%!). But one time back stage we were playing Umek’s Dan Elektronike Festival in Slovenia back in 2010 I think. I was speaking with Christian Smith and he had a bottle of Jack Daniels in his hand and offered me a drink.
James at the time didn’t know what Christian Smith looked like and thought he was a bar man, so ended up trying to send him up to the bar with a massive drinks order. Anyway I took a proper Redner and apologised, but all good in the end. We are all friends now and a regular on Christian's label.
If it came down to it, which of you would win in a fight?
It would be a double KO! LOL. No on a serious note we have plenty of arguments and disagreement, but thankfully it has never come to blows so that’s an open question for now that I hope never gets answered.
What's the hardest lesson you've had to learn after 10-plus years in the techno game?
The hardest lesson that we have learned is don’t trust anybody until you build up a trusting relationship first. That involves promoters, agents, managers, record labels. I’ll just leave that there.
What are your plans for 2018?
We have some amazing plans already. We have upcoming shows in Ireland, France, Spain as well as tours in the US, Australia and back to South America again. Also we have new EPs on the way on Tronic, Terminal M as well as remixes for Dave Seaman, Uto Karem and The Southern to name but a few.
Loco & Jam Tour Dates
Fri 16 Feb - Brown Alley (Melbourne)Sat 17 Feb - Boat Cruise (Sydney)
Sun 18 Feb - Earth Frequency Festival (SE QLD)
