Jumping Jack - The Austraian DJ



Jumping Jack has been a regular within the Australian dance scene for almost 25 years now. From playing raves as one half of the infamous ‘Flow Motion’ to super slick city clubs, the boy who played his first set at the now defunct Daily Planet Night Club in Sydney back in `91 has firmly cemented himself as a permanent feature of the club circuit.

Paul was first drawn into the dance world after going along to one of the huge indoor dance parties that used to be held in Sydney’s Horden Pavilion. It wasn’t long before he developed himself a cult following, having punters eager to get a hold of any mix tape he happened to release. His career saw him follow the rave scene from underground warehouse venues and backyard parties to big name clubs that decided to cash in on the hard sound, going wherever the music chose to take him.

Between his time behind the decks, his time as an instructor with DMC, co-producing trance radio shows and renovating his house, I thought that I would ask Paul what he feels could be improved in the Sydney scene. “I’d really love to see some new clubs opening up, Sydney does seem to be lacking in venues. Sydney needs a dedicated trance night where each DJ plays longer sets and it’s not so broken up throughout the night. Don’t get me wrong, I love variety, but just not that varied. Not one extreme to the other if you know what I mean. The night should flow probably starting with progressive trance and then building up throughout the night.” Since speaking with Paul, he recently headlined at the inaugural Trancetribe event in Sydney, which is undoubtedly the kind of ‘trance only’ event that Paul has in mind.

Paul’s time on the scene also means that he has seen fads come and go, as well as developing a strong feeling for where it is headed in the future. With many international DJs now openly admitting their dislike for vinyl and going towards CDs, I was keen to hear Paul weigh in on the debate. “The reason so many international DJs are so into CDs are because they get all the new stuff given to them on CD by the labels. For anyone starting out I believe that it’s best to learn the basics on turntables first. From there you can move into other areas, but learn the fundamentals first. Once you have learnt how to mix on turntables it’s really easy to mix using other methods.”

Having been a regular on the Australian scene for so long, and having his name billed alongside big names such as The Prodigy, Carl Cox and Sasha, are JJ’s fans’ in any danger of having their favourite DJ undergoing some sort of mid-DJ-life-crisis and maybe leave mixing behind for, I don’t know, investment banking perhaps? “I truly believe that I will still be spinning tunes for a while. I still love it and until I get sick of it, I can’t see myself giving it up. Hopefully I’ll have a few big tunes under my name as well as getting the opportunity to play overseas more often.”

In an industry that has new names coming and going every weekend in the hope of some quick fame, Paul’s long term dedication has seen him become one of the many rocks that has kept the Australian scene upright. He’ll no doubt be here to see it continue.. 

Followers of Mark Armeni