DJ Maya Jane Coles tells Apple Music about her new Hip-Hop inspired song ‘Wow’, Nicki Minaj, and the resurgence of Dance music
British producer, engineer and DJ Maya Jane Coles sits down with Zane Lowe on New Music Daily to discuss her song ‘Wow’ (featuring CHA$EY JON£S), incorporating Hip-Hop influences into her new music, how it felt when Nicki Minaj sampled her on the song ‘Truffle Butter’, and how she feels about the current resurgence of Dance music.
Maya Jane Coles tells Apple Music about incorporating more Hip-Hop influences into her new song ‘Wow’ featuring CHA$EY JON£S
For me, a lot of people might not know this already, but my background in production actually came from hip hop. My world as a teenager was all hip hop. I started producing when I was 14, 15, and it was purely that. It was in my late teens that I got more into the house and the club stuff and that was my route into actually releasing music because as an unknown, faceless producer, it’s a really difficult journey to even get your stuff out there.
Also, just to be taken seriously as a young teen producer too, it’s difficult to be in a room and people be like, “Okay, I’m going to release your music.” So I got into stuff as an unknown artist through the club world and it made sense for me. But then I got sucked into it with the DJing and stuff, touring, and always felt like I neglected the early side of my music. It’s only more recently that I’ve reconnected with the sound that I started as a teenager making. So this track for me is super exciting. I think it’s the first time I’ve merged my two worlds together.
On working with longtime friend CHA$EY JON£S
Yeah, so we’ve been friends from age 11, which is crazy to think. We were making music together when we were 14, 15. Literally at school. So yeah, we have a real creative history together and it’s only recently in the last few years that we reconnected. We’ve always been friends, but just on an actual creative journey side of things, reconnected. There’s so much more to come with our project. So yeah, it’s one of the things I’m most excited for next year.
ADVERTISEMENT
//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
I mean there’s nothing really better feeling than making music with someone you are super close to and have a friendship history with. Everything we do just flows really well. It’s really effortless. We’d never come into a session and not come out with at least three, four new ideas.
On what it meant for her career when Nicki Minaj sampled her on the song ‘Truffle Butter’
For me, that was a really, really pivotal moment in my career personally and just a real iconic moment. A lot of people didn’t know that background for me too. But also just for me to be recognized in a completely different scene with what I did without really, there’s never been a compromise in either side of my work for myself. But just on a more global perspective, it was just nice to get recognition in a different world for me.
On the resurgence of Dance music
Zane Lowe: But the data is telling us that Dance music in all of its forms, in all of its diverse gentrification is over indexing, it’s going through the roof. You’re seeing this and you’re seeing big artists doing really authentic moments in this era. I just played Beyonce. What she pulled off with that album is incredible. As a Dance music producer and someone deep in this scene, I’m sure you recognize that she ticked the boxes, right? She did the math. So how has it felt for you this year feeling like quite a pivotal year back into your world, back into what you do, not just individually, but as a member of the society of Dance music?
ADVERTISEMENT
//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
Maya Jane Coles: I think there are definitely two sides with this story. Some people are really anti what’s going on at the moment. I’m super pro what’s happening right now because I think there’s nothing better than… Dance music has forever been a very underground world compared to the pop world and the big a-list radio stuff. I think for the more underground house scene to get recognition in the pop world, it’s only for producers like myself opening more doors and allowing the sound to reach more ears, new listeners and stuff. That’s only ever a good thing in my opinion. So yeah, think it’s a really exciting time right now. I do see both sides of the story, but I also think that music, all genres are forever evolving, growing, shrinking. Stuff moves, and you have to accept and be happy with what’s going on. If stuff expands, it’s because more people want to listen to it and that’s never really a bad thing. You get different movements through that, other smaller things grow or you find new scenes of much more niche genres and stuff that end up having their world. So yeah, I don’t know. I’m always for evolution of everything.
