Renegade Riddims: Jake Hypastep

Jake Hypastep is a young, blind Jungle DJ hailing from Milton Keynes in the UK. Jake fell in love with Jungle music at a very early age and has since dedicated his life to pushing the genre forward and spreading its message to the masses.

He got into jungle by listening to it on cassette tapes and on the radio. After listening to a random tape from the 90s, he knew it was something he wanted to get involved in. At the moment he mixes on Vinyl but has recently also begun learning on CDJs. Jake has been educating himself with CDs, tapes and Vinyl from his parents and that’s basically how it all started for him. He grew up surrounded by music and that’s how he’s learnt to appreciate it. One of his biggest inspirations is the late Jason Kaye from Top Buzz who was one of the first DJs he listened to and made him want to pursue a career in Jungle music.

To date, Jake Hypastep has played at a few places across the UK. He’s done a couple of Distant Planet events down in London and one of the Jungle_List – Pressure nights. He’s also played in Southend, Bedford and Luton and a few things locally in Milton Keynes.

With his unwavering passion for jungle music and his tenacious commitment to pushing the boundaries of the genre, Jake Hypastep is one to keep your eyes on. The passion and knowledge Jake has for Jungle music are astonishing for someone so young, I truly believe he could have a wonderful career, given a chance!

Today Jake Hypastep joins our Renegade Riddims series with a mix that shows his amazing track selection, there are some absolute gems in this one!

Check out Jake’s mix below and download it for free from here!

Q&A:

Sum up this mix in 10 words…

A Vinyl mix to showcase old and new jungle music.

What’s your personal favourite track?

That’s a hard one for me as there’s so many. An old one would be Bizzy B ‘Infatuation’ from 1993. A new one would be Kingsize ‘Get My Loving’ (Blame ‘Shadow’ Remix)

What’s the special ingredient in this mix?

I’m not sure really, I guess it’s the selection and being different to other jungle DJs. A lot of Drum & Bass DJs I find who play jungle sets tend to go for the same old anthems and are not as open-minded to the other jungle tunes that are out there. I guess it would be education.

What have you got coming up?

I don’t have anything coming up at the moment but if you want to see me locally I sometimes DJ at the Coachmakers Arms in Newport Pagnell and I also do something once a month at the Bar Bar Coffee Shop in Wolverton.

When was the last time you actually raved?

The last time I raved was in Coventry at Amnesia House Celebrating 35 Years Of Rave.

And finally, do you have a special message for our readers?

My message to readers would be that being blind is not the main thing about me, I’m here to showcase my skills and what I can do. For ravers and DJs try to be more open-minded to what’s out there. That is how I found out jungle is still being made today.  Also, remember to be inspired and stay inspired.

TRACKLIST:

Kingsize – Get My Loving (Blame ‘Shadow’ Remix)

Damien‘s Ghost – Look At The Lights

IJO – Twilight 

Weez-ie – Body Heat

Kloke – Age Of Life

Studio Pressure – Pressure III

Tim Reaper and Sully – Windswept

Donnie Murdo – Micelecter

Bizzy B – Infatuation

FFF – In Toom

Pete Cannon – It’s Like Ecstasy

Tim Reaper – Deep Within (Nebula remix)

Coco Bryce – Sona

DJSS – Rollers Music