It’s the Year of “Juls, baby”.
It’s not often that we get to hear two of the biggest breakout artists of the year collaborate on a song together, much less two. Even less, having both of these collaborations materialize into two of the biggest hits of the year. But that’s exactly what a fast-rising producer from Ghana has managed to do in the past several months. And the year isn’t even over yet.
Born in London, Julian Nicco-Annan – now better known as DJ Juls – spent much of his formative years in Accra where he obtained his first degree in Banking and Finance at the University of Ghana, Legon, before eventually returning to England to study his Masters in Finance at the University of Surrey. Crediting his move to Ghana as the catalyst in cultivating his interest in music, Juls was exposed to the world of beat making by chance, turning a slither of opportunity into a career that shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.
Making music since 2010, Juls’ musical trajectory has seen him release a number of mixtapes, most recently African Crates Vol. 1, to now being one of the most sought after producers in the ‘afrobeats’ scene and creating playlists for TIDAL. Throughout this time, with every new release, we’ve seen his talent consistently mature, tapping into the merged stems of his cross-cultural upbringing and creating a sound all his own – one which is currently at the crown of playlists across the African continent and the UK, stamped with his crooning “Juls baby” signature.
Since hearing his collaboration with new Starboy signee Mr. Eazi and Ghanaian singer Efya several months ago, Skin Tight has been on heavy rotation both on my personal playlist and by the sounds of it, all over playlists from Legon to London as well. Unlike his foray into the world of beat making, Juls’ partnership with Mr. Eazi is not a thing of chance. Listen to any of the number of tracks they’ve featured on together and it’s clear that the reciprocal synergy created by Juls’ alluring and infectious beats and Eazi’s raw but surprisingly smooth vocals is something from the heavens. It’s no wonder the two have performed in the US together and are equally shutting down shows across the pond. Beyond music, earlier in the year, Juls and his brother Jason Nicco-Annan released the debut issue of their print publication Signatures magazine, centered on the emerging creative scene in Ghana and throughout the Ghanaian diaspora, something Juls has been a part of since his university days in Accra. Apart from Signatures and being signed to BBnZLive, his Get Together Ldn events help bring together a host of people for “networking, traditional board games, and competitions”.
From sitting easy with Ghanaian heavyweight Sarkodie and Eugy on the melodic Teef Teef that features a sample from highlife master Master Bob Akwaboah & His Supreme Internationals, to transcending international barriers on arguably the biggest hit of 2016, Skin Tight, Juls’ creative ability to seamlessly meld elements of highlife, hip-hop, Afrobeat, Hiplife, as well as a range of other West African sounds have catapulted him to a level of popularity strictly occupied by an elite group of African entertainers – with other metrics of success surely in tow.
For folks who don’t know you, can you introduce yourself to us?
My name is Julian Nicco-Annan. Born and raised in London. Lived in grew up in Accra a bit as well. I’m a massive Arsenal Football fan, love numbers (two degrees in Finance [boring much], very passionate about music and I love omo-tuo/fufu and nkatekwan. (Fufu/rice balls and peanut soup). I am a DJ and producer part-time and well known for most of African new rookie Mr Eazi’s hits such as Skin Tight, Hollup, Shitor, Bankulize, etc. Worked with loads of other artists as well such as Sarkodie, E.L, Manifest, Stonebwoy, etc.
How did music become such a prominent part of your life? How did you go from music fan to DJ and producer?
It all Started in Uni in Ghana. I love music. I was the one always playing loud music in my folks’ house or in the dorms back in school. Loud music in the car in traffic. Bass is life. I need to hear that thump. I used to rap a bit in secondary school and beatbox. It was a no brainer when I got introduced to beat making in my third year in Legon. Ghanaian Rapper E.L was a few rooms away from my room in a hostel. He installed fruity loops on my laptop because his wasn’t working. I started messing around with it and learning how to make beats then for fun. Started practicing a bit more and with time got a lot better. I think it was persistence and willingness to learn more with regards to sounds and mixing. I had the opportunity to be in studio sessions with some good producers such as Jayso, Panji Anoff and E.L as well. I just watched and learned. I was always on YouTube watching videos of other producer favourites making beats online. In the beginning I tried to emulate Kanye West and J Dilla’s styles of production. They were and still are my main influences.
You and Mr. Eazi have collaborated together on several tracks, how did this partnership start?
2014. Twitter. I heard his old mixtape “about to blow” and reached out to him. At the time he wasn’t doing music seriously and I was tryna find my feet and a sound that could take over the world and conquer.
With the release of the songs Skin Tight and Teef Teef, you’ve managed to establish a momentum as well as a growing fan base. With that, there’s been talk of you possibly dropping an album. How much can you tell us about this?
Well I wouldn’t call it an album. Maybe an EP and I’m still working at it. I want the project to be different with regards to sound and at the same time want it to be a party album of different genres. Maybe early next year it will be out.
How did the sample for Teef Teef come about?
It’s a one of a million Ghanaian highlife chopped up samples I’ve got in my archives. I collect and chop up anything I hear and like. Whether it’s a broken mirror or someone screaming. I play them over and over again from time to time to try get ideas. Literally took half an hour to complete.
How has the reaction to both Skin Tight and Teef Teef impacted you? Are there plans for more collaborations with Mr Eazi or any other artists?
Mr Eazi and I will definitely be working on a lot more music. For now, we just focused on what we have out already and pushing our brands. My reaction of skin tight and Teef Teef is still mind blowing but hasn’t really sunk in yet. I’m super busy so I hardly get time to actually think too much about it. But I can feel the love and it has opened opportunities and I’m interacting with people I would never have imagined I’d even think of.
How would you define your sound?
Personally, I don’t think my sound has a definition. It’s very different. It’s only recently that I started getting into the afrobeats thing. I’m a hip-hop head. But I think it’s right to always create something that’s closer to home hence why I tried something different with my sounds. I love drums so I thought something minimalistic and wavy would be a lot different. Something that the ladies would enjoy the most. I think that’s one of the factors when I’m making beats. How the girls will react to a song in the club.
Based in the UK, producing for artists in Ghana and Nigeria, how do you go about ensuring that your sound is still relevant to the Afrobeat music scene in West Africa?
I listen to a lot of music. I have my favourite genres. Soul, reggae, hip-hop, jazz. I also like to see what’s hot. It’s easy for me because I DJ a bit as well and have a lot of DJ friends who have regular gigs here in London. I check them out once in awhile to see what the people are vibing too. I think it’s important to know what’s trending and try and incorporate that in your sound.
You recently released mixtape African Crates Vol. 1. Can you briefly take us through the conceptualization and materialization of it?
You could call it a mixtape, album, beat tape. I just put something out. Reason being that’s how I started. Putting out tapes for free. Put out three beat tapes called the Jungle Book beat tape vol 1-3. Flipping samples and hard knocking drums together. It was my way of making a statement to rappers and artists and my friends as well that yo I got beats chale. In the beginning I used to force my sound down people’s throats lol. I wanted to be the best and work with everyone. But as I got older I got patient. The reason behind African crates is that I just wanted to create a beat tape based on vintage African sounds and vibes from the 60s and 70s. It took me 2-3 days to do the tape.
You’ve played at a TIDAL showcase in the US and are currently part of the team supporting Mr Eazi on his current UK show dates. What’s this experience been like?
TIDAL was amazing and an honor to meet the legend Lauryn Hill and other big artists like Machel Montano and Stephen Marley. With regards to the UK concerts, I was mainly responsible for the running of the whole tour under my company name Signatures Africa with my brother Jason. I worked closely with Eazi, and a few others very influential in PR (Lit Management) and planning (Ohemaa Ltd). It was a big, big task to pull off selling out a show. An experience I will never forget.
This article first appeared on Tha Loot.ng.
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