In Conversation with Janaway

If anyone is fluent in genre-fusing bangers it’s Janaway. Renowned for his bass-driven tracks infused with rackety breaks and soulful melodies, the upcoming producer has been making serious waves in the jungle scene. Janaway’s hit tune ‘Till Dawn’ demonstrates this, with captivating melodies and vocals, it’s no surprise it’s become one of his most notable tracks so far. Going back a bit, the vinyl and digital release of his Inna The Dance EP on Sub Code Records in 2023, followed by an EP on N4 Records in 2024, generated considerable hype in the underground scene. Additional releases on his label, Brazen Records, include collaborative EPs with Worselyy and Cheetah, plus a heavy-hitting remix of Cheetah and DJ B’s ‘Addicted’. Beyond these releases, the Bristol-based producer/DJ has received widespread recognition from the likes of Nia Archives, Tim Reaper, and Sherelle.  

It’s safe to say that 2024 was a remarkable year for Janaway. We saw an exciting collaboration with Cheetah on the remix of DJ Sofa and Tim Reaper’s ‘Helsinki to London Connection’ featured on FutureRetro’s FR036 EP. Debuting at Glastonbury, Boomtown, and Outlook Origins with the Singularity UK crew, he established himself in the underground and commercial circuits. This year, he’s set to return to a sunny stage at Outlook Origins festival with Guido YZ and Da Bass Injector.

However, Janaway decided to launch a new project last summer, self-releasing Vol.1 of his Jungle Funk series. Rooted in a ‘junglist mentality’ combined with classic baile funk samples, this latest project has become the perfect platform for experimenting with his blend of UK dance music and traditional Brazilian rhythms and vocals, reflecting his dual heritage. 

After two successful Jungle Funk releases, Janaway’s third installment just released on March 12, continuing to reinforce his avant-garde approach to cross-cultural bass music. Seamlessly blending his multicultural influences with forward-thinking production, this release delivers some of the finest 150-160 BPM-infused tracks, encapsulating modern bass culture at its best. The soundsystem-ready opening track, ‘Dança’, perfectly embodies this cultural and sonic fusion, sampling Brazilian funk lyrics layered over heavy grime and electro-inspired rhythms. This is followed by the infectious ‘In Ur Eyez’, which samples the iconic lyrics from Ciara’s 2000s R&B hit ‘Get Up’ ft. Chamillionaire. The fusion of unique cross-genre sampling with rave-infused bass and breaks makes it a standout and defining reflection of the current underground club climate.

Your recent productions draw a lot from your Brazilian heritage. How has that influence evolved?

Throughout my childhood, I visited my family in Rio quite often. But after going a few years without visiting, it felt important for me to return—especially to experience it musically as an adult. I’ve always wanted to incorporate my Brazilian heritage into my music, and these trips helped inspire that.

I’ve always loved DJ Marky and DJ Patife—the bossa nova-infused drum and bass sound and my mum would always jokingly play the rhythms of samba on anything she could find in the house. This meant I was always looking for a way to blend Latin influences with jungle, but it wasn’t until I went back that I realised this fusion was already happening, just from a different perspective. In Brazil, the music is deeply rooted in Brazilian culture while also drawing elements from UK sounds like grime, garage, and dubstep. It was truly eye-opening.

You’ve just come back from your trip to Brazil, how was it?

I went with good friends Guido YZ and P.A.B MC, but it was a coincidence. I was initially just visiting family, but since they were heading out there as well, we decided to make a trip out of it. We hit up São Paulo, which has such a great music scene. It was also such a cool experience to check out some of the radio stations there. Big thanks to our friends Gustavo and Tiemi, whom I met on my first ever trip to São Paulo last year. They run +55 Radio Show, a radio show based in Brazil, which we did a set for on Veneno Radio, it was wicked. They got a monthly show on Veneno, which is also broadcast on Mode Radio London, so it also reaches the UK. I got to do a mix with them last year too, which was broadcast on both shows. It’s great to see the connection between Brazil and the UK and how that influence flows between the two.

Oh, sick! 

Yeah, I also got to play at a wicked venue and street party back in 2023 (shouts to the Grau & UDUB420 crews)—it was amazing to see how the scene operates out there and how community-driven it is. Honestly, São Paulo is such a great city for music and art—it’s an incredibly vibrant and diverse place. I met some amazing people out there who helped create inspiring and beautiful memories.

2024 was a busy year for you, what was it like playing at Boomtown, Glastonbury and Outlook Origins for the first time? 

It’s something I’ve always wanted to do since starting music, especially at Boomtown as it was a hugely inspiring festival for me when I was younger. I’d been playing regularly around the UK and Europe, but last year was my first run at festivals like Boomtown, Glasto, and Outlook Origins. It was particularly special to share the stage with such incredible talent in the scene—shout out to Michael (Cheetah) and Ariel (Da Bass Injector). It felt like a full-circle moment for all of us. 

How did your relationships with Singularity UK evolve to the point where you’re now sharing stages at these festivals?

I feel like Singularity UK always comes up among our generation when talking about UK rave music. I remember Ariel hit me up, back in 2021. At that time, their SoundCloud was mostly popping off with drum and bass. They released my tune, ‘Junglism’, on Demolition Squad—a proper ruff-n-ready jungle track that gained some traction. Eventually, they asked me to play at one of their events in London after lockdown ended, with that set being my first time playing outside of Bristol.

It was great to build a relationship with them through that. I already respected what they were doing, so it was great to be part of it—especially since they’ve always pushed against the grain and rejected the status quo of the scene. What stood out to me was that they were doing all of this from such a young age and just how influential they were & still are for many new-age artists. Over the years, we’ve travelled pretty much everywhere together—including many long car journeys to Amsterdam. 

Amsterdam Sessions, I mean those parties are something else! You’ve got Singularity UK x N4 Records x Percy Mingle all in one space. What is it like to play amongst such company? 

I’ve been lucky enough to play at all three of them so far. Honestly, that space is incredible. And the people are even more amazing. It wasn’t my first international set, but I can speak for all of us when I say that the first party at Het Groene Veld was definitely a massive lightbulb moment. It was completely packed, we had 4am Kru for the first one, and it was rammed. Everyone was just like, “Wow. Okay, damn”. What makes it so special is the venue’s historical link to free party raves in the ’90s, staying in such a communal living space—there’s such a deep-rooted connection, and it’s still going strong. 

How did collaborations with Tim Reaper, DJ Sofa, and Cheetah come about?

I first got into jungle through listening to the old school tunes, but when I got older and started hearing Tim Reaper’s stuff, it completely changed my perspective on how to produce jungle. I love melodies, and his tracks really resonated with me in that way. His prolific output and label inspired me so much that it motivated me to start my own label, Brazen Records.

In terms of the FutureRetro remix—Cheetah, Tim Reaper, and I did a two-hour B2B last year at Venue MOT, it was an honour to play together. Right at the end, Tim played the Soeneido remix of ‘Helsinki to London’, then turned to us and said, “You guys want to remix it?” Of course we said yes, and that’s how it came about. Collaborating with Cheetah over the years has been great, I think we’ve influenced & helped each other a lot.

How did you develop such a close relationship with Cheetah? 

I was playing at Electrowerkz in 2022 for a Singularity UK event when he came up to me and said, “Let me send you some tunes.” The next day, on the coach back, I listened to them. He was moving to Bristol in a couple of weeks, which led to a lot of meetups and collaborations on new tracks. We talked about how, in Bristol, there were so many people making jungle, but it felt a bit out of reach for us since we’d only just started. I think collaborating pushed us to make more music as it was a constant exchange of ideas and tracks that kept us motivated. Over time we’ve become great friends aside from the music.

How is it to be part of the scene in Bristol? 

We started with small events at The Crown, where Brazen and Kafka Radio were some of the first proper dance music nights at the venue. Those times at The Crown were wild. Over time, the venue has become a key hub for the music community, making it a great place to host events with both familiar faces and bigger names.

The turning point was our Brazemania event at Crofters Rights, which has since closed. The support that night was incredible, proving there was a space for these events—where we didn’t just play pure jungle, but also rough n’ ready hardcore and happy hardcore. There’s a clip from that night, where the venue is still packed when the lights come on at the end—it was a very special moment. We had Louise Plus One, Hughsee, and DJ B, who produced the Brazemania EP on the label alongside Cheetah.

What are your thoughts on the current state of the rave scene?

With smaller clubs shutting down, I think it’s crucial for people to rethink where raves happen. There’s the free party scene of course, which originally emerged from similar circumstances in the ’90s. But lately, I’ve noticed more raves popping up in already existing spaces—bars, cafés, even street parties. I think it’s hugely important to make use of any space where you can put on a rave or create a gathering, regardless of whether it fits the standard club setting.

If only the UK had fewer restrictions on outdoor parties. I think street parties and open-air events in cities are vital for every generation, especially now when people have fewer financial means and fewer free events to access. The idea of creative spaces that are publicly available to everyone is something we should be focusing on going forward—figuring out how we can sustain and push the dance music scene in new ways.

Let’s talk Jungle Funk. How did the idea for creating the series come about?

When I came back from São Paulo in 2023, my eyes were wide open. I was already making racket, big ups to Guido YZ and his label, Racket Recordings. But since I started producing jungle, this was the first time I was making something that wasn’t just jungle. It was incredibly freeing to get involved in this new sound. What really inspired me when I was there was the drive to be as creatively experimental as possible—it’s what everyone craves. The soundscapes and sonics were so industrial and almost jarring, but in an intriguing way that just makes you want to dance. 

I decided to self-release it because I wanted real creative control, to develop the concept and execute it exactly as I envisioned. A massive shout out to Dani for the artwork—she’s ridiculously talented. We worked together on the concept and design for the series. Three Jungle Funk releases in, this might be the third and final one. We’ll have to see! 

Tell us a bit about the recent release of Jungle Funk Vol. III. 

Apart from ‘In Your Eyez’, the whole EP is deeply rooted in Brazilian influence, especially in the vocals and rhythms. The ‘Dança’ vocal sample and lyrics reflect the classic Brazilian funk vibe, making it my favourite track on the EP. I created it after Full Effect from the previous Jungle Funk release, which was heavily influenced by electro. At the time, I was deep into heavy Detroit techno and electro, a phase that stemmed from seeing Detroit In Effect in Berlin last year—a truly inspiring experience.

A lot of the inspiration for this EP comes from old-school baile funk, which actually stems from Miami Bass in the late ’80s and ’90s. It’s a blend of influences—old-school funk is quite different from what most people associate with baile funk today.

Another influence on the project has been carnival season in Brazil – it’s made me really crave being there. The final track ‘What Da Funk?’ of the EP is my interpretation of that. While I’ve added my twist to it, carnival was the main inspiration. The melody and drums have a UK funky vibe, but it still carries its own distinct flavour. A lot of these tracks also reflect my desire for summer, almost as a form of escapism amongst the dark and grey months just gone.

SPEEDTEST x Singularity UK has just been announced, could you tell us what we can expect from this upcoming event? 

We’ve teamed up with Brazilian crew – SPEEDTEST to throw a party at The Distillery in London on Friday, 28th March. While electronic dance music is huge in Brazil, SPEEDTEST are definitely at the forefront of Brazil’s underground bass music scene. They came to Bristol as part of their European tour, and we met up with them to discuss bringing them to London. They’re also closely linked with The Brazil Grime Show, which has gained a huge audience on YouTube. It’s amazing to see the crossover between UK and Brazilian music being taken to all parts of the world. 

The night won’t be just Brazilian music, SPEEDTEST blends UK music with Brazilian sounds, but in a different way than we do it. It will be a mix of genres, with plenty of jungle and grime expected. It’s exciting to bring people from different scenes and backgrounds together. There will be a lot of B2Bs, and all the DJs are going in with the freedom to play what they truly want and experiment. I think these kinds of spaces are so important where artists should have the creative freedom to play fresh stuff without worrying about crowd-pleasing & commercial success!

SPEEDTEST X Singularity UK at The Distillery N17, London

What can we expect from you going forward? 

I’ve been in the studio a lot, experimenting with different sounds, incorporating jungle at the heart of it all. I think it’s inevitable and healthy for genres to develop, and I’m really excited to continue releasing lots of new music this year and continue showcasing my sound! In terms of sets, I’m playing in a few European cities in the coming months, including Istanbul, Barcelona and am gassed to be returning to Outlook Origins with the crew!