Sugar Storm Soundtracks: Jakob Brett
On this fortnight’s Sugar Storm Soundtracks, Jakob Brett compiled a playlist of alternative party anthems to get you through these dark nightclub-less times. I spoke to Jakob about his journey into DJing at Essex alternative nightclub The Pink Toothbrush, and his relationship to music.
Listen to the Alternative Party playlist, curated by Jakob Brett, on Spotify now
Jakob Brett is a resident DJ at Essex alternative nightclub The Pink Toothbrush, right-hand man at Sugar Storm Studio and a self-confessed nerd for Star Wars, superhero films and music. He’s a music lover who’s tastes span pop-punk, alternative, hip-hop and metal, and he plays the alternative anthems to get you dancing on a Friday night.
You can follow Jakob on Instagram, and hopefully find him back behind the decks on a Friday night at The Pink Toothbrush nightclub soon!
What are your early memories of music? how did it become such a big part of your life?
From a very early age, my music taste has been influenced by my parents; both being heavily into music themselves. My parents would always be listening to alternative stuff and I particularly remember hearing a lot of Nirvana, The Prodigy, Blur, Pulp and Gorillaz as a kid. My middle name is even “Cobain”. I remember getting into nu-metal, pop punk and rap as a kid and from there my music taste has just expanded.
How did you get into DJing?
My dad has been a DJ at The Pink Toothbrush for the past 30+ years and my mum used to be a regular there too. I think my mum used to do a bit of DJing here and there too but i'm not sure where.
When I started going to clubs, I always thought it would be great to play music I was into and interested in to an audience, so I bought myself a laptop and a set of digital decks and practiced cuts, transitions and fades. With the help of my dad, I was given the chance to DJ the first hour on a Friday night at The Brush. I started doing longer sets and covering people when they had time off until I was a resident DJ on Fridays, and the occasional bank holiday and Christmas.
What are some of your favourite tracks to play to a full dance-floor on a Friday night?
I absolutely love playing pretty much anything by Bring Me The Horizon or Enter Shikari; two bands I discovered as a teenager and have stuck with me. These bands both have such a unique yet diverse sound. I also love playing some obscure remixes and covers. Everyone has heard Marilyn Manson's cover of Tainted Love but have you heard Korn’s remix/cover of Bitch Better Have My Money? One of my absolute favourites to play that always gets people chanting and singing along is the Lower Than Atlantis cover of A Thousand Miles, originally by Venessa Carlton. It’s got that classic piano riff with the addition of pop-punk style guitar and vocals and it just works; quite possibly one of the best covers I have heard.
What is the most unusual song request you’ve ever had?
When people have had a few too many drinks, the requests can get a bit silly. I have had people ask for Justin Bieber, R. Kelly and 50 Cent in an alternative club, but by far the strangest request I have had is a song from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia called Nightman. In all fairness, we do quite often play the Sponge Bob Square Pants Theme song!
And finally, what are you listening to most right now?
I have been listening to the new IDLES singles a lot recently. I saw them live a couple of times last year and the new album Ultra Mono comes out soon, so I'm excited about that. I also recently discovered Sleep Token; I often find myself listening to their song The Offering over and over again because it gives me goosebumps. I still have my music on shuffle when cruising to and from work, so a lot of great and unexpected stuff will pop up from time to time.
