100% India Jordan: the producer with forward-thinking, conceptual club bangers

Last year was a turning point for India Jordan. They scooped up DJ Mag​’s Breakthrough Producer award and their feel-good banger For You was selected as one of Resident Advisor​’s Tracks of the Year. ​“I was like, OK, I need to start believing this now,” says the 30-year-old, who started DJing in university and has since steadily built their music career. ​“There’s always going to be an element of imposter syndrome.”

Now, Jordan is celebrating the release of their new EP Watch Out, their debut release with label Ninja Tune. It’s a high energy dance record that ranges from explosive rave to sun-kissed house, inspired by physical and conceptual movement. Opening track And Groove mimics the rhythmic motion of a train, while You Can’t Expect The Cars To Stop If You Haven’t Pressed The Button also feeds into the transport theme, featuring field recordings from pelican crossings in Dublin and Peckham.

Jordan has created some of their best work while on the train. ​“It’s a really inspiring place to make music. There’s an excitement and anticipation about where you’re going,” they say.

With real-life raving (hopefully) around the corner, India Jordan will be getting stuck in straight away – first with a sit-down, Covid-secure headline gig in Hackney on 22^nd May, then with a bunch of festival dates from August, including Field Day, Brainchild and Eastern Electrics.

Get your ears around Watch Out and lap up your 100% fill of India Jordan below.

10% : Where were you born, where were you raised and where are you now based?

I was born and raised in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. In Donny, everybody escapes. It’s not for people like me. I was growing up queer and, in Donny, you’re just asking to be bullied. It wasn’t a safe space. At the time this comes out, I’ll be residing in Crofton Park in South East London.

20%: What’s a piece of advice that changed your life?

My good friend, who’s now my music manager, told me to just make club bangers while we were in Corsica Studios about five years ago. This is what’s happened!

30%: What kind of emotions and experiences influence your work?

Music feels quite retrospective to me. I don’t realise until after I’m out of it that it’s connected to a part of my life. I think a lot of it is self-exploration and figuring out who I am – that’s been happening over the last couple of years. It’s come at a time when it’s been quite cathartic.

40%: At what point did you realise you’d be able to do what you love for a living?

I don’t do it for a living just yet, but I’ve always been into music my whole life. Fingers crossed it will happen one day.

50%: When did you find your confidence as an artist?

I think it will be a continuous process, as I’m [still] building confidence in myself and understanding my identity.

60%: Break down your typical day at work…

I work at King’s College London. I wake up in the morning, do some yoga and then I will meditate. I’ll open up NTS and drink my green tea listening to the Do!! You!!! Breakfast Show. I check my emails, check my MS Teams notifications. I write quite a lot of documentation. My role is an equality, diversity and inclusion consultant, and yesterday we delivered trans inclusion training. I often work on music in the evenings. Over the last year, I’ve also tried to dedicate Sundays to music making. Before lockdown, I used to make music on trains as well.

70%: You rule the world for a day. What’s going down?

I would destroy wealth, redistribute it and then build everything from scratch again.

80%: If you’re cooking food to impress someone, what will you make?

I quite like making tahini, peanut butter style Sichuan noodles.

90%: What can artists do to help save the world?

Use the power they have in the industry to make it better for people who don’t have the privilege.

100%: What can you tell us about Watch Out?

The running theme underneath it is physical and conceptual movement, because movement is very much tied into who I am as a person, and how my music is both made and received. People listen to it while exercising and I made one track on the train to Hull. I’ve also moved a lot as a person in the last year. It’s been a time of me understanding myself and my own gender identity, and the EP is sort of connected to that too.