****Jel Ford (ELP)@Dolans upstairs Limerick Oct 12th**

badboyblast

Strutt and Dolans upstairs bring you:

Jel Ford (ELP )
Bad Boy Blast (Strutt)
Cian Frawley (Strutt)

Friday 12th of October
Doors@ 10PM

Entry is only 8 Euro before 12 and 10 Euros afterwards.

Strutt welcome back Jel Ford to the Dock road venue of Dolans upstairs this October after an excellent
night had by all last summer.

Upcoming@Strutt.

October dance weekender:

2 days of madness with House, Funk, Techno and reggae access all areas@Dolans complex Limerick

October 27th + 28th.

Green Velvet ( Relief Records)
Inland Knights (Drop Music)
Dom (Blood+ Fire)
Jazzman Gerald (Jazzman records)
Paul Tarpey (Cheebah)
A2DF (Funkshun)
Bad Boy Blast (Strutt)
Cian Frawley (Strutt)
Broken Funk djs.
Peter Curtain (Cheebah, Spin FM)
Paul Tarpey (Cheebah)
John Greenwood
Pa Mullqueen


Biog for Jel Ford:


Jel Ford has been a very busy man over the last 6 years. Having made over 20 releases for various labels now including his own imprints, Jericho and Platform as well as labels like Tortured, Rotation, Primate and ELP, Jel is now producing classic techno cuts alongside his own heroes who first inspired him to take up the production baton in the late 1990s. In fact alongside Oscar Charlie his Generation Gap, Pulp Fiction sampling release ‘Last Rites’ single proved to be one of Dave Angel’s labels biggest releases of 2004.

Add to that the fact that Jel has DJ’d the world over playing all styles of techno to massive festivals across Europe as well as more intimate clubland gatherings and you have one very busy man. He is equally at home in small UK based venues whilst also carving a reputation as a ‘funky techno’ dj on the larger, harder techno floors of Eastern Europe or Spain or somewhere like Holland’s legendary Dance Valley Festival where Jel could be found spinning alongside some of the biggest names on the techno scene – including Adam Beyer and Marco Carola.

Jel grew up on the outskirts of South-East London in Dartford, which he concedes was “like any other suburban town. Pretty boring and uneventful and I couldn’t wait to get away to London.” From an early age Jel found himself surrounded by music, as his father was a bass guitarist and part time musician. “I have very early memories from about 5 years old of being taken to see him play in his Country and Western/Rock and Roll band in pubs and social clubs,” he recalls. However as well as the more traditional instruments, the young Jel found himself in the company of reel to reel players, drum machines and amplifiers which were scattered about the house. It was this machinery that was to eventually have a more profound effect as a love for early 80s synth pop gave way to hip hop and electro.

“We tried to form a band at primary school but we were about 10 years old and all crap,” remembers Jel. “I was on the drums. When I was growing up it was Tears for Fears, Howard Jones, Michael Jackson and any good pop from the time.” However by 1987 Jel became fully immersed in hip hop, listening to early Tim Westwood and Dave Pearce shows and was digging rap acts like Public Enemy, Schooly D and Erik B and Rakim. Moreover, Jel was soon to start a new musical journey that was to take over his life. His older brother was getting into the early acid/rave scene in 1988 and Jel started to take an interest. “Eventually it just took over and the summer of 89 was my glorious entry into the world of dance music,” he recalls of his acid house baptism as he circled the capital looking for large scale raves such as Genesis and Energy to local club nights with his mates. “After that I was completely consumed.”

In 1995 Jel landed a job at Prime Distribution, which was to become the UKs biggest techno distributor and put him directly in contact with emerging producers like Adam Beyer, Cari Lekebusch, Marco Carola and Umek have now become some of the biggest names on the techno circuit. Since the company’s demise in 2003, Jel has continued to manage and work with Beyer, Carola and co. by setting up the UK office of German based production company - ELP, which he runs to this day.

“My biggest influence was Dave Angel,” he states. “When I first heard his records I thought – this is the first material I’ve heard which is completely suited to my taste and someday I would like to emulate it.” With producers like Frank de Wulf, 808 State and labels like R&S also forming a massive influence by 1997 Jel was finally moved to getting a bank loan and setting up his first studio equipment. The rest as they say is his-story…

“I try to keep the style quite varied even though there are always common themes. All of my early work was heavily Detroit influenced with pads and strings and in fact some of it still is now. There’s only one element I try to keep in all of my tracks – funk.”

As you can imagine, most of Jel’s productions are aimed squarely at the dance floor. With Jel Ford or Jel Ford and Oscar Charlie material on Jericho he always tries to keep melodic elements in the mix or with the Generation Gap material there is always a sample or ‘large element’ in the music to really get the crowd going. There are even some drum n bass side projects with Oscar Charlie under the name Universal Language as well which may see the light some day – watch this space!

2007 sees him return to the forefront after an enforced break. ‘Getting the UK ELP office up and running to the right level has taken such a massive amount of time and energy that something had to give – which unfortunately was production and dj’ing – which is why 2005/2006 was much quieter for me on that front’. Next year however Jel plans to hit back with several releases including some reworks of his older material. ‘I’m going to make a series called self-abuse – which will be some of my older stuff reworked. I’d really like to go back to it and keep the core elements but update it somehow’. This, as well as new solo material, tracks with Oscar Charlie and new releases under their Generation Gap moniker should all ensure that at the very least it is an interesting year for Jel and a treat for people into the Jericho label and its distinct musical brand