Originally from Yorkshire, Hypershell (Joe Jilla) now operates out of Manchester, UK. Drum and Bass captured his heart whilst studying at University.
Taking inspiration from global cultures and genres across the music spectrum, he’s always on the quest to create something raw, obscure and above all, entertaining. In 2021, Hypershell made his debut releasing the ‘Designs’ EP on the Full Send DNB label, and that was just the beginning…
We recently caught up with Hypershell to find out what makes him tick…
What got you into dance music?
I remember walking into a student union bar called JC’s at Loughborough University on a night called “DBE” which was run by an old friend called Pasquale and I heard some ridiculous sounds coming from the speakers which drew me in instantly. I was aware of mainstream dnb before like Pendulum at the time but this was a true introduction to the underground scene of dnb.
Was there anything significant that made you think…I’ve just got to make drum and bass?
Not really, I saw an advert for a music production course at SEM Manchester and wanted to try something new. I feel like I have good and unique ideas that I wanted to express and hope to do this.
In the studio what comes first the chicken or the egg?
It varies, I sometimes have a specific idea but getting it out my head and into DAW is usually a long process and I risk losing momentum this way. For the most part, I like to create on the fly.
There’s a big debate about this, but, Analogue or digital?
Fully digital, everything is on my laptop so I can create from anywhere.
Who are your influences?
I “grew up” on Chase and Status, Pendulum, Skrillex and Flux Pavillion but slowly moved to more niche producers. Currently I look at The North Quarter Label for inspiration as well as Critical or OneNineEightFive Music.
What do you think of the current club scene?
I still think the DNB scene is okay compared to other genres when it comes to pretentious clubbing. There’s too many mobile phones and not enough dancing at other music concerts and other genre nights. If DNB can cling onto the music being the most important thing then the club scene will survive. I enjoy a day festival the most like Hospitality in the Park or Detonate.
If you could choose one artist in the world to work with, who would it be?
Need for Mirrors. The guy is so unique in the scene that I feel I could learn a lot from his ideas and process.
How do you think Drum and Bass will develop in the future?
The barrier for entry into music production and DJing is so low today, something from which I have benefitted from but I see this barrier only being lowered, leading to a massive oversaturation of individuals making music which could be a blessing or a curse. There may even be one day where there are more producers than fans!
What’s in the pipeline?
We’ve just had a baby so a lot of focus is on that but I still am finding time to make tunes and get them out into the world!
Trucks Up drops on the 16th February on Full Send DNB
