Jem Haynes is first and foremost a definitive DJ as well as a fervent producer of music who has the ability to lift the crowd with his energetic beats when they least expect it. He has come into his own defining a new house, techno and break beat sound resulting in him being a man in demand on the international DJ circuit. Hailed as “one of our tips for the top… now mixing it up with the best of em, like the bastard son of Bushwacka! and Nic Fanciulii” by We Love Space promoter Mark Broadbent, it does not go unnoticed that he is always “keeping one eye on the dance floor at all times“. Jem is steadily on the rise to his vision of making it all about the music again, exactly what he has in mind when he thinks about the wave of dance music in the late 80s. A humble kind of guy, he states that he is “simply embracing the music he loved and lived growing up in London”.

For Jem Haynes, it all began at the age of 14 when he bought his first pair of technics and became DJ Search. No stranger to the old skool rave scene on the London circuit, it is the memories of the togetherness vibe, getting to know people on the dancefloor, being there for the music, just having fun that spurs him to keep the spirit of acid house alive.

Jem has been DJ-ing and producing House, Breaks, Hip-Hop, Jungle, Hardcore, Drum N Bass and just about anything else with a beat in it for the best part of 16 years. His productions always feature heavily in his sets either by way of brand new material or a cheeky edit of something you know and love, creating a sound that energises the dancefloor and leaves the crowd with a smile on their face.

It is the ability to play and mix a combination of genres in one set if the mood takes him and he sees the crowd wants it that gives him his distinctive edge club lovers yearn for. And this comes from being part of the crowd prior to his gigs and staying long after to witness the before and after effects, taking mental notes for his next gig.

His devotion to music has seen him do everything from playing weekly Drum & Bass radio shows such as Don FM and Flex FM in the early 90s to setting up his own record stall in South London. He released his first collaborative track in 1995 under The Leaf Label which became an underground classic played by the late John Peel on Radio 1. Hosting his own show on Groovetech Internet radio for two years and guest appearances on Kiss F.M and Ministry of Sound radio meant he quickly secured gigs in some of the best clubs and festivals in the world….We Love Space weekly residency (Ibiza), Glastonbury, Glade, Fabric, The End, Ministry of Sound, Lovebox (UK), Babyface (China), Hush (Canada), Sankeys ( Manchester), Asta (New Zealand), Club Vera (Korea). La Paloma (Barcelona), Future sound of breaks (area 51) Miami WMC, Pomladi festival (Slovenia), 013 (Holland), Simple festival (Holland), Daybreaks (Toronto) and Now Sound (Budapest) to name a few.

He has played alongside the best of them…Groove Armada, David Guetta, Danny Tenaglia, Bob Sinclair, James Zabelia, Paul Woolford, Layo Bushwacka, Slam, Hybrid, Stanton warriors, Plump DJs, Leroy Thornhill (Prodigy), Adam Freeland, The Bays, Keith Teniswood, Ken Iishi, Miss Kitten, Jeff Mills, Carl Craig, DJ Sneak.

Jem has also released his music on the following labels: The Leaf label (Luger E.P), Simple records, Marine Parade, Renegade Hardware, Octagon, Stratosphere, Mob, Functional Breaks, Streetwise, Smartbreaks.

Most will know Jem from Precision Cuts, a UK breakbeat band who formed in 2000 and performed global DJ and Live shows. Though Jem has moved away from the straight up breaks arena, it is clear in his style that he does not let a break beat go that easily….his sound is now broadly speaking, one of a crafted combination of house and break beat. Energetic, up-tempo and crunching beats – just the variation and diversity a crowd needs to get them going and keep them dancing.

Those in the business are not short of a few good words to say about him either…
“There is a very real future for his new found sound...his move away from break beat to house comes at just the right time enabling him to inject the NRG of breaks to a more mature house and techno sound that hits all the right buttons here in Ibiza“ (Mark Broadbent, We Love Space, Ibiza promoter)

“Jem ‘Fanciuilli’ Haynes worked the room to the max. It was a wicked climax to an amazing season for us” (Paul Arnold, Chew the Fat!)

"I drove all the way down here just to see you play, and I paid to get in!" (Phil Hartnoll, Orbital)

This year, Jem will continued to tear up the Redroom, Sunset terrace and Covered Terrace in the best club in the world (DJ Mag) for his third year weekly residency in Ibiza for We Love Space on Sundays as well as a hectic DJ schedule spanning across the globe. Jem has arrived at an exciting time in his career and there is clearly no stopping him.

Read more about Jem Haynes on the blog.