JUICE!:
Hi Chris, first of all we welcome you to Juice! and if you're up for it,
we'd like to do a little interview so people know a bit more what to expect on 06-06-2008 in Brussels.
The first thing people might want to know is ...
Who exactly is Unbalanced Jack & where/when did it all start?

UNBALANCED JACK:
Unbalanced Jack is Chris Pope & Rob Groves, Manchester UK who met in Manchester in 2002.
Chris' long standing Sourpuss parties have been pushing breaks & jungle & dubstep for over 8 years now.
We are a production & DJ team aiming to make progress with the breaks & dubstep genres and the bits inbetween that I have fun DJing with.

 
JUICE!:
Can you describe us the musical style of Unbalanced Jack in productions & dj-wise ?

UNBALANCED JACK:
We have chosen to steer clear of samples, ensuring that our beats are all totally fresh. Anyone can lift a sample or a drum kit from a track and make their own,
through use of real modern samples and hot vocal talent we are pushing bounderies in breakbeats and hip hop.
Breaks-step would be the closest way to describe the sound we are pushing!
Expect a journey through basslines with ragga as standard.


JUICE!:
How does the combination of Breaks & Dubstep work on the dancefloor?
Do you experience differences  in, for example,  your area (Manchester) and London or other places ?

UNBALANCED JACK:
I like to work with halftime edits to make people drop it down a notch.
Makes the room groove a bit till the full breakbeats come in again.
Haver always been confident with my sets of both genres mashed up.
Didnt know what to expect in places like Helsinki and Romania but people rewinding tracks from the other side of the decks is always a good sign that you are playing the killer tracks.
Good music is good music, you aim to please the crowd at the end of the day.


JUICE!:
Are you (Chris) always the one behind the decks or do you sometimes mix together
with Rob, the other half of Unbalanced Jack ?

UNBALANCED JACK:
Just me that DJs although Rob is my Leroy Thornhill (Prodigy Dancer) in a dark mask.


JUICE!:
When reading the bio, we see a couple of different monikers/projects you use for dj'ing.
When performing, are there any differences with Unbalanced Jack or does it all melt together in a way ?

UNBALANCED JACK:
It all blends together really. Cheeky Munky was/is my nickname & DJ name for years now.
Unbalanced Jack is what we release music as...
Im just Cheeky Munky from Unbalanced Jack.
I'm also starting a jungle project with DJ Fibre (www.drummusic.org) who I run Crash clubnight in Manchester with.


JUICE!:
As Juice! is mainly focussed on breaks, we'd like to know your opinion on how breakbeat tracks sound today,
influences and the way it progresses since you've discovered this style. Also, how do you see the future in breaks ?

UNBALANCED JACK:
I think nu skool breaks lost its edge for a bit but some of the tracks coming out in 2008 are smacking it!
Labels like Broke, Hardcore Beats, Passenger & Supercharged are properly stepping up the game.
Lots of different influences from different genres have been creeping in for years now I think the production values are at a much higher standard now although the market seems to be flooded with lots of tracks, some of which don't stand up,
just as the Drum & Bass market exploded with releases 4 years ago.
 
The new Broke 'Ends Of The Earth' album is set to drop in June this year.
It will be a triple CD with Autobots mix of all the album tracks with some edits and older Broke releases on;  a singles CD with the album tracks on and a remix of Broke classics on the third disk.
This will all be available with full artwork (check out the singles if you haven't seen them) for the price of a normal album, around £8. I have to encourage people to buy the vinyl still...

There are loads of strickly breaks artists & DJs that are hugely talented and
will keep breakbeat tracks in the charts and people's record boxes.
For me 'new' sounding breakbeat music is crossing over into dubstep and hip hop.
Fear not though....Ill rock some of the freshest breaks you have ever heard in Brussels.


JUICE!:
Talking about future, what is it bringing for Unbalanced Jack & Broke ?

UNBALANCED JACK:
Broke album release for June 2008, with current sampler no. 1 from
Unbalanced Jack & The Autobots on the flip - Flaming Tongues / Attitude out now.
So many amazing tracks on the album! Watch out...
We are currently working on an Ep for Tayo's Cool & Deadly label and
have some remix work in the pipeline for Deekline and Wizard.
Remixes of Fresh Air & Flaming Tongues to be unveiled soon too....& MORE BASS for the future!!!!


JUICE!:
Something else now... when someone speaks to you about Belgium, does it make you think of anything and/or ...have you ever been here before  ?

UNBALANCED JACK:
Never been there before. Am really looking forward to it...
Love meeting new party people and seeing what clubbing experiences are about elsewhere!
Belgium makes me think of Jean Claude Van Dam (my hero :op), Beer, a border to Hollands legal treats and my birthday that lands a few days before I arrive.
I hope the free party vibe at Juice! makes for a rinse-out summer night/morning!
Let's have it big time guys...


JUICE!:
The last one ... what can we expect from your set and why should people come to Juice! on the 6th of june ? 

UNBALANCED JACK:
Energy, smiles, basslines, scratching, good vibes, ganja smoke, baggy pants,
lots of unreleased tracks to annoy the DJs amongst us & some carnage after the gig! Unbalanced Jack inna de area!!!!!
Come introduce yourselves at the DJ booth & the dancefloor.
Big up to all the party people in Brussels, come down to this one.
It's a special free event.
Make it worth my travel over - make it a roadblock event for me & our friends @ Juice!, you will get 100% musical love in return.
 

JUICE!:
Thanks for taking the time to do this interview and may we all meet on 06-06-2008 in Brussels @ Juice!

UNBALANCED JACK:
Yamman, no worries. Will be seeing you for some Gemini Steppa business on the 6th June. Bless up
 

Juice! : Hello mr Mekka, we @ Juice! are very honoured to have you here as our next edition. As "breakbeat" (or "breaks") in Belgium is still relatively unknow as a style and ignored by many, Juice! believes it’s about time to do something about it. Now, what would be better than inviting one of the hardest working players in the scene to let the people experience what’s happening today in the world of breaks.
Therefore, we ask you to be prepaired to participate in this interview, so people who don’t know about you or breaks in general, have an idea what to expect @  Juice! on the 2nd of may 2008.

So let’s start with the most obvious question of all, "JMekka"... just a name or does it hide something religious?

J Mekka : Nope is nothing religous... My real name is J (initial) Meca (surname), i just edit it up a bit and came under that name.
I’m actually one of the least religious persons i know.


Juice! : Your bio says that you’re into "breaks" since the late 90’s. What was it that got you interested in that particular style ?

J Mekka : Yes, defenitely... Old-school hardcore, 90’s prodigy, and chemical brothers... you know proper rave style!...
Was total freedom to work with music.


Juice! : Today, "breaks" has become a style wich hosts many sub-genres like progressive breaks, hardcore breaks, techfunk, etc... and "close relatives" such as dubstep, UK garage, bassline & electrohouse etc...
Do you have a specific taste in breaks or how far does it go ? Also, how does that reflect on your productions & dj-sets ?

J Mekka : I consider myself as wide minded when comes into music. I kinda like all kinds of good music regardless of the style.
My own spanish background adds some different notes to the influences of the past. You can probably hear some of these influences in my productions. Dj - wise, I just take care the party goes off... and normally does!!


Juice! : As mentioned before, you’re in this scene since quite a while now, what’s your thought on the musical development since then and how would you describe "breaks" to someone who has no idea what we’re talking about here ?

J Mekka : Breaks is a dance music subgenre where basically mash ups and non 4x4 bits are present. All kind of influences go into this style, from funk to electro. Even though today there are quite a lot of exceptions for any rule, we can see breaks is a genre that really cares about beats, both in the arrangement and the power.


Juice! : Now that people have some kind of idea what this music is about, it’s time to change the subject and ask about your other work for the scene. iBreaks.co.uk (online radio), iBreaks recordlabels & Breakbeatonlne.com (the record & mp3 shop). How did it all start, what does it stand for today ?

J Mekka : Every single aspect of my relationship with the breakbeat industry has happened pretty much organically. One thing lead to the next, and so far ended up as a whole range of sections dedicated to each of the sides of the industry. Although is a bit hard to keep up with everything, I’m pretty happy about how things are going so far. At the end of the day it’s all about dedication.


Juice! : You’ve just returned from WMC Miami 2008 where you played & partied for about a whole week long. How did you experience all that ?

J Mekka : Well WMC 2008 was a really good experience. There’s a million people to meet and other million hands to shake. DJ wise is pretty hectic also, no time at all to rest... just from one place to the other...Anyhow, I really recommend a visit to WMC, we’ll surely run another party next year @ WMC 09


Juice! : When someone speaks to you about Belgium, does it make you think of anything and/or ... have you ever been here before  ?

J Mekka : Yes been there before, I kinda drive around europe and already made a trip from London to Belgium, been in Brussels and Bruges amongst other places...
Beautiful places and the best beer in the world.. you got it all!!


Juice! : The last one ... what can we expect from your set and why should people come to Juice! on the 2nd of may ?  

J Mekka : FUN... Djing is one of the ways I feel more confortable to express my music ideas... So I really get interactive and flow along the set goes... can’t miss this!


Juice! : Thanks for taking the time to do this interview and may we all meet in Brussels @ Juice!