“That was a real “pinch me” moment” - Joëlla Jackson interview
Joëlla Jackson is a DJ and producer from Amsterdam with her own distinct take on house music. She earned her stripes in the Dutch scene that birthed ANOTR, Chris Stassy and Toman, and has played across clubs and at festivals such as Music On. Since then, she’s taken flight, bringing her eclectic house and tech house sets to venues internationally, establishing Ibiza as her spiritual home. Turning her hand to production in recent years too, she’s released on labels such as Moan and Cecille, crafting a sound on record that’s as intoxicating as her live shows. Joëlla played the DJ Mag Number 1 Club in the World, [UNVRS], earlier this year and is returning to play elrow on Saturday 09 September.
We sat down with Joëlla Jackson to talk about the Amsterdam scene, the art of going with the flow, how she became a DJ by accident and what we can expect from her upcoming set.
Hi Joëlla. Did growing up in Amsterdam shape your musical journey in any way?
It really shaped my journey because we have a really big scene here. It’s really normal to go out to big festivals and stuff like that when you're young. That’s what got me into the scene.
Was it mainly house music in Amsterdam at the time?
PIV was really big, and they are good friends of mine. Tech house was not so big here but it came after a few years. House music, in general, has always been here.
Before you started clubbing, were you around music growing up?
There was always music played in my house. My mum always used to listen to soul music, Latin music, reggae. Those types of music played a really big role. My father was a big fan of Michael Jackson, maybe that’s because of the surname [laughs]. A lot of people actually think Joëlla Jackson is my stage name, but it's my actual passport name.
Were there any specific clubs that were important in your story?
I started my journey quite young in terms of house music. That was mainly because of DJ Chuckie and his parties. Then when I was a bit older, 18, I went to Thuishaven a lot. That’s a club where in the summer they have the outdoor parties and then in the winter they have it indoors, in circus tents. It was really fun. It has a small festival vibe.
Were there any artists that you took inspiration from when forming your sound?
One of my inspirations was The Martinez brothers. They’re just so cool. They really mix up multiple types of house music and then also with influence of Latin music and music from Detroit and the New York sound. They taught me that you don't have to stick to only one sound.
When it comes to your own productions, tell us about your approach to making music.
Production for me is still new. I am still learning. At first I started in the studio with other people and just made music for fun. Then eventually when I got confident enough I set up a little studio corner at home. I don't really have a certain way I do it, it's just whatever comes out, really. Sometimes you want to make something specific and it turns out to be something really different. So I don’t stick with a certain plan, because it never works out that way anyway.
What’s your relationship with Ibiza like?
The scene is really different from home but it's only a two hour flight away. You can have two types of vacations there. You can have a chilled-out beach vacation, the island on its own is super beautiful. You can have a really nice holiday and discover the small beaches and stuff like that. Or if you like the music you can go out to the clubs a lot. I didn't go to Ibiza when I was young but when you eventually go there, you want to go back every year!
Do you remember your first visit to the island?
Yeah, it was mad. It was just with friends, and we rented out a villa, and partied a lot. I remember seeing Marco Carola, Luciano, and Jamie Jones. There's not one single day that you cannot find a nice party in Ibiza. That blew my mind. We partied every night. We needed a holiday after the holiday [laughs].
That sounds about right! You played [UNVRS] last year and in July this year at Paradise. What’s it like playing at the venue?
Well, the first time I walked in I was like, what the fuck is this? This is huge! Then I thought, oh my god, I'm gonna play here. That was a real “pinch me” moment.
How do you adapt to playing in such a big room?
I just go with the flow.
You played at elrow on the 15 August and you're coming back to [UNVRS] to play for them on the 19 September. What’s your relationship with elrow like?
I played a couple of times here in Holland, at the festivals, also one time in France, and one time at ADE. elrow is just fun. It’s chaos. I remember the first time going to elrow Town in Amsterdam. There were all these floaties on your head and confetti, it was just a lot of fun chaos.
What can people expect from your set on 09 September?
I don’t prepare too much. There’s no track on my USB that I don't like, so I always stick with that. I’ll just go with the flow again. I’ll find some nice build-ups to a confetti moment. They always have these big confetti moments at elrow so for that you want to have a good drop.
What’s your favourite song to open your set with?
“Time To Get Physical” by NiCe7. That's really a nice track to start off a set with, I love it.
Great track. Is there another song you love playing in your sets at the minute?
It's unreleased, but it is such a good track from Omari from the UK. It's called “Trouble”. I've played it a couple of times and every time I get such a crazy response to it.
Where is a good place for people to check you out online?
I have some live streams on YouTube, from Music On Festival here in Amsterdam. I always get a really good response on the 2025 one.
What else is going on for you at the minute?
I released “Attention”, a collaboration with Nick Curly which is out on Cecille. I’ve got a remix coming out on 4th September too.
And finally, what do you love about DJing?
I DJ because my friends told me I’d be crazy if I don’t do it. So I'm doing it! I’ve always been busy with music and I always wanted to show new tracks to my friends, whether it was house music or like R&B or whatever. It was just a side hobby for me, then when I was at my friend's house party and someone was DJing. I just walked up to him and he said, “Do you want to play?” I told him I have no idea how it works. In two minutes he showed me the basics, and then I played the whole night. Everyone came up to me and said, “What the fuck? I didn't know you could do this”. I said, well I didn't know either!
I had touched a mixer only three times before somebody put me on a lineup. I shit my pants, but the set went so well! I didn’t really see how it could be a job but I had so many big DJs around me. People like ANOTR, Toman, Chris Stassy, they were really close friends of mine back in the day.
It seems like quite an organic entry to DJing, rather than setting out to make it your career.
Yes, super organic. I never really wanted to be a DJ, I just really liked to be busy with music and searching for good music.
You didn’t choose DJing, DJing chose you. You had no choice.
Exactly!
Joëlla Jackson plays elrow at [UNVRS] on Saturday 9 September. She’s on the lineup with Bora Uzer, De La Swing, Rendher and Wade. Tickets and VIP tables are available now.