Jac Pepper: The ‘Shine A Light On’ Mix

5 Minute Read

Music

Stormy waves for January, direct from Donegal courtesy of Harri Pepper’s brother.

Raised amid the rhythms and canvases of his family’s jazz bar and art gallery on the wild Welsh coast, Jac Pepper’s journey began in the creative crucible of Peppers in Abergwaun. Brother to DJ Harri Pepper, featured on these very pages for time, Jac has spent over a decade crafting vinyl-only residencies from Ireland to Australia.

Now settled in the surf town of Bundoran, Donegal, where the raw beauty of the Dartry Mountains meets the Atlantic waves, you’ll find him holding court at George’s Bar and Treehouse Live events. What started as a few months chasing swells turned into finding his spiritual home – a place where music and the ocean merge.

Spanning continents and decades with the raw energy of post-punk to ‘global rhythms’, meditative downtempo and euphoric disco, and from classic house to sideways acid this mix is a deep slice of his musical cake (yup I made that all up on my own) and reflects the ethos of his upbringing: creating spaces where people feel “comfortable and free to dance” – or music “checking some stormy waves.”

Nice curveball for January, let’s go…

Listen below:

Ransom Note · Jac Pepper: The ‘Shine A Light On’ Mix

You’re on our radar now. Who are you, where do you come from, and what set you off on this musical path?

Shwmae! My name is Jac Pepper. I’m a DJ, record and surf addict. I come from the west coast of Wales, in a small town called Abergwaun.

What set me off on this musical path was being brought up and working in my families jazz bar/art gallery, where I was exposed to various amazing sounds.   My brother Harri got me into djing. I was religiously going to his parties in Bristol which really inspired me and opened my mind. From then on I just wanted to collect and play records.

If your music had a secret agenda, what would it be?

I’m not sure about a secret agenda haha. I love to play all sorts of music and sounds that give feelings of flow and happiness.

Where are you based, and what’s keeping you there (or keeping you from leaving)?

I am now based on the north west coast of Ireland in a small town called Bundoran. Initially I came here to check the waves with the idea of staying for a few months, but I never left! It turns out the waves are pretty good… and I found a special space to play my records, at George’s bar, where I have a weekly residency. There is an amazing community here and the craic is unreal! It’s really special to live in a place where I can just be me and do what I love most, playing records and catching some waves with great people.

Where did you record this mix, and what’s one unusual detail about the place that influenced it?

I recorded this mix in my room. One unusual detail perhaps is my view out the window looking at the Dartry Mountains range. The landscapes here are super raw and beautiful!

If this mix could be played anywhere in the world, where would it feel most at home?

Anywhere you feel comfortable and free to dance or zone out. Or for me, it could be fun listening on route to checking some stormy waves!

Set the scene: what should listeners ideally be wearing when they press play?

Something comfy.

What one image represents your sound?

You’ve got one dream location, one legendary sound system, and any format you want—what’s your setup?

Some magical woodland space, with a serious rig, 2x Technics 1210’s and Isonoe rotary mixer. Outside of the woodland there will be a beautiful long beach, with giant cliffs either side, and of course 10/10 waves. It would be lovely to share this with all my friends and family.

Any track in this mix you’ve been playing on repeat, just because?

I love and play out all my records from this mix quite a bit. More recently, I’ve been slamming out a record by June, as I only just got my hands on it. The track is titled direct contact and is a banger!

Is there a mix out there you hold as gospel? What’s made it unforgettable?

This is a hard one so I’ll go for a couple of different types of mixes, both from my brother Harri. For chill vibes, his ‘Monday is okay” mix is really deep and special. For dance vibes, I’m really loving his recent mix for Picnic Records, it bangs hard!   I’m my brothers biggest fan and growing up listening and dancing to his sounds over the years has meant the world to me.

If you could share a back-to-back set with anyone, alive or not, who’s getting that invite?

I’d have to go my brother Harri again haha! As you can tell he is my favourite dj!

For someone who’s not on this planet anymore, It would be cool to go in a time machine and play with Ron hardy!

What did your first DJ setup look like? And how would it fare next to what you’re using now?

To start off my cousin George kindly let me borrow 2x Stanton Str8 – 150 direct drive turntables and a Numark M101USB 2 Channel Mixer.

My current set up is 2x Technics 1210 MK2 and a Omnitronic TRM-202 MK3 rotary mixer.

Which is more crucial to you—the opening track or the grand finale?

Hmm.. this will depend on many factors, but to be honest I feel that every record is just as important as each over.

What were the first and last records you picked up, and do they still make it into your sets?

My first record I bought was Fela Kuti & Africa 70 – expensive shit. And yes, this record occasionally gets a spin at George’s bar!

The last record I bought was Bunzinelli – Call In Blue, super fun sounds!

If this mix had a flavour profile, what kind of taste are we talking about?