James Poole: Journey Through My Discography
Share
James Poole’s journey through dance music has been shaped by standout releases, unexpected breakthroughs, and a commitment to refining his sound. From early SoundCloud edits to topping Beatport charts and signing with some of the industry’s most respected labels, his discography tells a story of growth, perseverance, and evolution.
This retrospective explores the key tracks that have defined his career so far, offering insight into the moments that shaped his path.
James Poole – Brass Money / SK Recordings / January 2022
I guess for this journey, it’s only right to start at the beginning. My ‘Ragga Riches’ EP on SK Recordings kickstarted my official release catalogue, after a few years of releasing edits via SoundCloud since 2018.
After pestering every single friend and family member to buy it, we managed to get this one to the top of the Beatport Tech House Release Charts, my first ever number one and an incredibly motivating start for my project.
I highlighted the B-Side ‘Brass Money’ for this list as I feel that it still corresponds with a lot of the music I’m playing and producing today – the looping vocal elements and vibrant brass motifs are the sort of sounds I love utilising in the studio for my new records.
James Poole – Express Ya Self / South of Saturn / April 2022
This one hasn’t been in my sets for a long while, but I still tell the story behind how it got signed to this day.
I originally sent this record to Detlef as he had just launched his Issues label and I thought the glitchy elements, paired with that old school sample, could suit! He downloaded but I never heard back, I never sent it to anyone else. A few months later I saw a video of JOSHWA playing it in London, and I messaged him to say thank you, but also, how on earth did you get this record? Then he told me Lee Foss had sent him it, which confused me even more… because I’d never sent it to Lee.
Another month goes by, and there’s a glitch of my Outlook app which essentially merged the two inboxes of my old and current email – in the old mail sits an unread message from Foss asking if he can sign the record to South of Saturn. I quickly replied agreeing, he thankfully still wanted the record even though it’d been weeks since he’d hit me up, and then it was signed and sealed!
I still have no idea how Lee got it – I assume Detlef must’ve sent him it, and then he’d sent to Josh to try out maybe?! Who knows… but it taught me that you simply never know what might happen when you put music out into the world. Cool tune but cooler story.
James Poole – Tuff Luck / HOTTRAX / June 2022
I still love this record to the day. The drums, the bassline, the ragga vocal elements – it remains a staple on my USB stick, and it sounds like a track I’d love to make again tomorrow.
This was the first record I ever saw major DJ support on – Jamie had initially played it at the end of 2021 at We Are Festival in Mexico and signed it alongside the B-Side ‘Armazem’ after Miami Music Week in March 2022. The email landed at such a pivotal time in my career, when I was at a real crossroads in life post University – whether or not to pursue this music dream or carry on scrolling Indeed for grad scheme jobs. I cried when the confirmation email came in, as it showed me I could do it, I wasn’t just a bedroom producer who was never going to sign to a label of that calibre – it was the sign I needed to double down on this passion, and I have done since that day.
It ended up topping the Beatport release charts again, and got played by the likes of Michael Bibi, East End Dubs, Skream & Solardo… I was even in the crowd at We Are Festival 2022 when Jamie played it at the Circoloco stage!
It’s crazy looking back but that EP that really shaped the trajectory of my life, and both the tracks remain some of my favourite works to date.
James Poole – Make The Dream Work / HOTTRAX / December 2022
Summer 2022 had arrived and I was really into exploring different UK garage elements following ‘Tuff Luck’. That record became a bit of a reference point for me.
I wrote the instrumental for the track first after finding the organ bassline midi, it came together so quickly but it just needed a vocal to really bring it to life. I then came across the ‘you make me feel so real’ hook, which just slot straight in perfectly. Same key, same vibe… you always know you’re onto something as a producer when things fall into place like that.
I sent it to ALISHA and she text me saying she loved it, before playing it at Parklife a few days later, then Jamie Jones played it at Abode On The Rock and Glastonbury Festival. When ‘Ruff Love’ and ‘Too Cool To Dance’ got written a few months later, he signed them as an EP to Hottrax for my second release on the label that year.
It quickly became the record of mine that people loved the most, and wanted to see me play live, and it was supported by my favourite DJ’s at iconic venues such as Pacha, Printworks and Amnesia Ibiza. I guess this was where I started to see more streams come in and my audience grew as releasing on Jamie’s imprint for the second time really helped solidify things.
James Poole – Inner Child / Hot Creations / June 2023
Back on Jamie’s labels for the third time, but this one was on the mighty Hot Creations. A real dream come true for me as the imprint is undoubtedly a world-renowned powerhouse for dance music.
‘Inner Child’ was part of the ‘Miss Tony EP’ and I picked it out as it was a fully original track with the amazing Mizbee. This was my first time working alongside a vocalist and it really opened my eyes to how fresh music could be made. Building verses and hooks around a beat and creating something brand new for the listener, that’s something I’m really focused on doing in 2025. Taking inspiration from the old UK garage sounds once again with that eerie reese bassline throughout, the piecing together of this track felt like a step up from some of the club bits I released in 2022.
This was also my first ever EP on vinyl – tangibly holding my music was a special feeling. There’s also a real sense of achievement knowing people have believed in your work enough to run a vinyl press for it, grandma was very grateful for her copy.
James Poole & Ky William – Baila Le Digo / Andhera Records / January 2024
After a tour of Ecuador in late 2022, I returned home to sunny Hull with a lot of new inspiration. 10 days in South America had exposed me to a plethora of sounds I’d never heard before but absolutely loved.
I began digging for some Latin samples and eventually wrote the first version of Baila but archived it shortly after a few rejections. Then my friend Ky William wanted to collab and asked me to send over any unfinished ideas, so I included the first version at the bottom of a playlist. He loved it and wanted to work on it.
Once the final track was done, we released it on his Andhera imprint, and it rapidly became both of our most successful records. Million plus streams, Beatport number one, widespread club support from the likes of Dennis Cruz, Malone & Calussa.
It was proof to me to never discard those old projects and ideas; they might just turn into your most popular release one day! Fingers crossed our next release together ‘La Ocasa’ will do the same, coming on Rafa Barrios’ Bandidos.
James Poole – Love To Hate / Experts Only / March 2024
Released as part of Experts Only’s Miami Music Week Compilation VA for 2024, ‘Love ToHate’ was one of the first times I really expressed the influence old school ghetto house has on me. I think 2024 was where I really started to experiment a little more and make sure I wasn’t becoming predictable as a producer. Watching John Summit’s rise had been a huge inspiration for me, and so when he wanted to sign this to his label, it was a great feeling.
We spoke about the record when he invited me to play at KOKO London at his sold-out show in the capital – he said it had been working for him across the States which was amazing to hear given that’s where ghetto house was born.
One of my favourite DJ sets ever is Loco Dice’s Time Warp set from 2018 and it’s always inspired the music I make. I felt like this was the sort of record that could’ve fit in there, which makes 2018 James very happy!
James Poole – Girl Code / Elrow Limited / May 2024
From mid to late 2023, there was distinctive resurgence of 90s house in the UK. There was a lot of new acts breathing life into old school sounds but presenting them in a way that connected in a contemporary manner for 2025. I was inspired by this and combined two organ sounds, the Korg M1 bass & the Casio stab, to make ‘Girl Code’.
As a UK artist based in Yorkshire, there’s always been a love for those old school organ records – I’ve listened to vintage Niche mixes for years and used to trawl through YouTube and SoundCloud looking for remixes of tunes I liked. This record felt like a real representation of that. I’d attended elrow parties since I started raving, so to release through them was a great feeling.
It’s funny because those 3 tracks of that EP kind of sum up all the tracks aforementioned – ‘Girl Code’ took on the organ elements of ‘Make The Dream Work’, ‘Work Shy’ followed the ghetto house roots of ‘Love to Hate’, whilst ‘Rasta Life’ revisited the UK garage inspirations of ‘Tuff Luck’ and ‘Inner Child’.
Thanks for joining me on this journey through my discography. Next stop, 2025! – James Poole
Looking back at James Poole’s catalogue, it’s clear that each release has played a pivotal role in his artistic development. From career-defining signings to records that continue to resonate in clubs worldwide, his music reflects a journey of constant progression.
With new projects on the horizon and a growing influence in the scene, 2025 promises to be another defining year.
Keep up with James on Instagram | TikTok | Spotify | Soundcloud
