We were absolutely buzzing to have had Jan Hammered contribute a 1hr mix to our monthly radio show on Reform Radio this month. We’re even more buzzing to hear that the London-based DJ has a second and maybe even a third instalment on the way. Watch this space!
Ian Williams, aka Jan Hammered, has been on my radar since around 2006/7 when he released his somewhat legendary mix titled ‘Airport Airport’ and over the next few years posted a string of stellar mixes on Test Pressing. I knew very little about the man behind those mixes, but it turns out he’s an absolute gent and he very kindly agreed to put together an hour of down-tempo, low-slung grooves. It’s masterfully mixed and the tune selection is top drawer – an instant classic.
We chucked a few questions his way to find out a little bit more.
Cheers for taking the time to answer a few questions. First up, for those not in the know about Jan Hammered, can you give us a bit of an overview of your DJ résumé?
Hey Dan! I started buying dance music around 1990 and went on to play in and around Manchester in the bar and club scene…later holding several residencies with Balearic Mike when we both still lived in Manchester.
Where are you from and where are you currently based?
From Standish, Near Wigan. Manchester for a few years and now East London
What’s going on in East London at the moment?
There’s plenty going on here and I’m really looking forward to getting back in the game!
We spotted you played a Claremont56 party at the back end of last year – what’s your connection with the label?
I met Paul (Mudd) around the mid 2000’s when he played the Aficionado party in Manchester. I was doing a lot of photography then and I ended up covering his first festival…which led to the photography for the amazing Claremont Originals compilations. We had some great times travelling internationally for those and have been good mates ever since. Though I’m still gutted I didn’t shoot the Japan one!
Your 2006 Airport Airport mix was a firm favourite with me and my pals in my Manchester days – it still sounds fresh today. What do you think it was about that mix that resonated so much with so many people?
Yeah that one somehow hit the right spot. I spent a lot of time putting it together to sound right so hopefully that shows through. I really enjoy the programming side of a mix, finding that one track that knits two disparate tracks together etc. We were finding so many unknown tracks back then and I had balearic heavyweights Mike and Moonboots blowing my mind on a weekly basis.
You went on to contribute mixes regularly to Test Pressing – how did that come about?
I probably met Paul (Test Pressing) at the Sunday party Phil Mison and Steve Terry used to do in Cafe 1001, Brick Lane. I’m guessing it arose from that but some of those memories are pretty hazy!
You’ve got a few amazing edits up on your Soundcloud page from many years ago. Was this just a dabbling phase, or did anything get released?
Thanks! It was dabbling but I’ve still got a bunch of tracks to do…when I find the time. There were plans to release the the ‘you are my love’ track through the Soft Rocks boys but I think someone beat us to it with a slightly different edit.
You’re a carpenter, graphic designer and photographer by day – do you still make time for finding new music?
Absolutely. I’ve got the speakers cranked up in the studio listening to the new stuff, making notes, going down rabbit holes! On a side note…although I’ve done some graphic design I’m in no way a graphic designer. I actually studied fine art hence the creative lean to my day jobs.
Do you hit many physical record shops, or is your searching done online?
To be honest I never make it to a physical record store these days. I’d say 90% of what I buy is digital too. I miss having someone like Danny Webb from Piccadilly Records in Manchester who’d pull all sorts of bits out that you’d have never come across but always hit the mark. I guess in some ways the blogs have replaced that.
Are there any recent finds should we know about?
Everything on the mix! I’m really enjoying finding mostly new music at the moment. I feel like it’s such a good time for our kind of music and they need our support more than ever! There’s some great people making careers digging and unearthing the old gems so they’ve got that side covered.
Which producers are doing it for you at the moment?
Falle Nioke, Periodica label, the guys at La Volta Ros, Andy Meacham, Mudd, Idjut Boys, Payfone, anything Richard Sen is involved in, Phil Mison / Cantoma. It could be a very long list!
How’s the gig calendar looking for 2022? Anything planned up north?
I’ve got a new (monthly) night planned with Conrad (Idjut Boys). We have a venue but are waiting on the legal side. It’s a small intimate space in East London so I’m pretty excited about that.. No plans up north just yet
Can you tell us a bit about the mix you recorded for us?
Some bits I’m really feeling right now…an hour wasn’t really long enough so part 2 and maybe 3 will be up next. It’s basically going to be a slow builder from 80 right up to 130!
What setup did you use?
My home set up is 2 x Technics 1210’s, 2 x XDJ700’s, Allen and Heath mixer into an Apogee Duet
Can we give it a classic Jan Hammered mix title?
Forget Me Not!
Any final words of wisdom for our readers?
See your friends more
You can listen back to the full Reform Radio show and find the track list for Jan Hammered’s mix on the Reform website – https://www.reformradio.co.uk/show/yet-another-w-jan-hammered-8th-march-2022/.
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