The sky is the limit for the rising house maestro…

It’s been a wild couple of years for Eora DJ/producer James Pepper. From a critically-acclaimed Boiler Room set to his explosive ‘Three Drops’ collaboration with Black Loops, a stack of slots around the country and supporting the likes of Peggy Gou, Denis Sulta, X Coast and more, he’s done just about everything you could hope for as a young producer on the rise. And today, he adds to that building list of achievements via his new EP, Club Trax Vol. 1.

Made up of four fiery cuts that cover all corners of the dance spectrum, the EP is a showcase in not only how far Pepper has come as a producer, but his understanding of the house genre as a whole.

It’s a sentiment immediately conveyed on opening track ‘Zwarte Pad’, the summery drums meshing blissfully with glitchy synths and ornamentation. The energy is dialled up on second cut ‘Residential Advisor’ with a laser-focused precision, James pulling from his warehouse palette as he finds euphoria in the dark. The added warbles help to maximise anticipation on the build, which (and I’m speaking from first hand experience here) absolutely goes off live. Third entry ‘Praise You’ is definitely on the more laid back side of the EP, James curating uplifting piano lines with soulful vocal samples for a groove that is primed for the earlier parts of a night.

The river of emotions experienced on Club Trax Vol. 1 is eclectic to say the least, and it’s all brought to a satisfying conclusion on closing track, ‘EVERYTHING I LOVE’, James meshing transcendent synth lines with vibrant drum and bass lines. It’s no doubt a sneak peak into what lies ahead for the Sydney mainstay, and after listening to Club Trax Vol. 1 in its entirety (several times for good measure), we’re convinced that the future for James Pepper is bright to say the least.

In celebration of the new record, we caught up with James to get the drop on the inspiration behind it, his studio process and more. Check it below.

Zwarte Pad

“‘Zwarte Pad’ came about while I was travelling Wurope. I actually started writing it when I was on the first of my two 14 hour flights. I’m used to starting the creative process with all my gear in front of me – but this time all I had was my laptop and my headphones, which I think was really beneficial to me knowing I don’t always have to rely on my studio to ensure I write a track that I’m a fan of.

“The track has to be one of my favourites I’ve written to date – it embodies the pocket of house music I truly love, being warm synths, smashing drums and lots and lots of energy.”

Residential Advisor

“‘Residential Advisor’ is the song that has been performing the best for me when I am playing shows. It has a build and the acid line in it along with the additional bass that comes in half way through joined with a piercing vocal that speaks to the audience. It’s provided a lot of movement on the dance floor for me when dropping it.

“I’d almost call the track evil in a way, where nothing about it is at ease. The song is probably an ode to the movement of fast & hard dance music that is so popular in Australian dance music at the minute.”

Praise You

“‘Praise You’ is written with a lot of house music legends in mind. I’m a big fan of driving 4 bar loops which crunch and have groovy yet progressive bass lines involved. Some of my inspirations for this track are DJs like Mr G. & Robert Hood, I’ve listened to their club tracks & mixes countless times and I’m a big fan of the hard hitting house records that smash.

“I really like this track for the vocal samples that placed within it, I think it’s my best attempt at recreating the OG house sound.”

Everything I Love

“My final song on the EP, ‘Everything I Love’, was probably the one that was the quickest and easiest to write. I picked up a really beautiful lead out of Roland MC909 that had so much emotion and meaning to it, and paired it with the main melody that runs throughout the track. I think it’s a really nice song to not only listen to but to play out as well, dropping it towards the end of the set really brings everyone together as it has a bit more emotion to the rest of the EP.

“As the title suggests it’s a song dedicated to all loved ones – and everyone that attends any of my shows as I’m incredibly grateful!”