Behind the Scenes of Jack Marlow’s Genre-Blurring Crossover
We sat down with the Liverpool breakout star to talk about his latest single, the cross-genre crossover of UK garage and house, the influences shaping his sound, and his vision for pushing it even further.
We sat down with the Liverpool breakout star to talk about his latest single, the cross-genre crossover of UK garage and house, the influences shaping his sound, and his vision for pushing it even further.
Nostalgia has played a big part in the rave-heavy sounds coming back to life in the last few years. There’s a new wave of producers who are reviving the sounds that defined genres back in the day, but Jack Marlow is a producer who is using its DNA as a foundation to create a fresh crossover sound that appeals to both dedicated dance music fans and wider audiences. This balance between the underground authenticity and crossover appeal is a major reason why Jack Marlow has very firmly put his name in the bracket of one of the UK’s most talked-about emerging producers.
Since launching his solo project in 2021, Jack Marlow has developed a sound that sits at the crossroads of UK garage, house and old-school rave music. What sets him apart is his ability to blend UK garage with chunky house grooves, nostalgic piano stabs and modern basslines. His music draws inspiration from producers such as Sammy Virji and KETTAMA while maintaining a distinct Liverpool sound, the city where he comes from. His growing reputation has seen him perform at major festivals and venues including Boomtown, Mayfield Depot, Baltic Weekender, Eastern Electrics and Defected Croatia, cementing his place among the UK’s rising electronic artists.
Stepping into the business end of the year, Jack Marlow has released his latest single, ‘Burndown,’ which marks another step in his evolution as one of the UK’s most exciting crossover producers. Released on Disorder Records, the track strips his sound back to its essentials, delivering a high-energy club record that fuses the rhythmic swing of UK garage with the weight and drive of contemporary house.
At just twenty-three, Marlow has already amassed millions of streams through breakout records like ‘Who do u?’ and ‘Pressure FM,’ but ‘Burndown’ feels like a tune that is more focused on reinforcing his credentials as a producer capable of crafting timeless club records.
With the release of ‘Burndown,’ we caught up with Liverpool breakout star Jack Marlow to talk about the inspiration behind his latest single, the creative process that shaped it, how he has carved out a seamless crossover between UK garage and house, and his vision for pushing that sound into new territory. Here’s what he had to say.
TFword: ‘Burndown’ is a smasher and then some. Talk us through how the track first came together.
JACK MARLOW: Burndown was made just as I came out of a massive writers block, I spent a long time trying to make music and couldn’t come up with anything. I realised the main issue was that I was trying to stick to the exact same formula I had been doing for a long time. I decided that I wanted to make something that isn’t entirely foreign but is definitely something different to what I had been releasing.
TF: ‘Burndown’ involves some solid sample work as well. How did you approach the sampling in the tune?
JACK MARLOW: I actually made the entire beat first, I knew it was missing vocals and I knew the vocals had to be slick and lowkey. I opened up splice to look for some that fit, I did quite a bit of digging as I didn’t want to just use a splice sample a thousand people have heard before, and eventually I found the perfect fit. I think the vocals flow on top of the instrumental perfectly.
TF: Sampling has also become a defining element across UK garage and house over the past few years. When you’re working with samples, how do you strike the balance between paying homage to the original and creating something that feels fresh?
JACK MARLOW: I think it starts with respect for the original track. I like to treat the sample as a starting point, there’s already an energy and emotion there that’s proven to connect with people but I don’t want to just recreate that song. I tend to ask myself when flipping a track, “How can I make this familiar enough for the listener but also different enough to stand on its own and feel entirely fresh”.
TF: Your music sits at the intersection of UK garage and house, and it’s fascinating how it harnesses energy from both worlds without feeling confined to either. Was that crossover something you consciously developed, or did it evolve naturally over a period of time?
JACK MARLOW: It definitely evolved naturally. I grew up listening to UK Garage and House music. I love both of these sounds so much and my biggest inspirations in music are from these genres, so the influence has always been there. I’ve never been focused on fitting myself into one genre. One day I might sit down and make a garage track, one day I might sit down and make a house track, but I’ve found myself, more often than not, subconsciously making tracks that mix the two together. I think they work together so perfectly. What I love about garage the most is the swing, the vocal chops, the groove, and what I love about house is the driving kicks and four on the floor energy, and when you combine these two together it feels like such a natural mixture.
TF: Looking back, what were some of the earliest tunes, artists or scenes that shaped your sound? Were there any producers you found yourself trying to emulate when you first started making music?
JACK MARLOW: As mentioned before, I grew up with House and UK Garage; producers like Disclosure, Apple Bottom, Mall Grab, and Jeremy Sylvester were in my rotation constantly. But I also listened to a lot of rap music. So when I initially started producing, I started off creating trap and hip hop beats, which I would sell on YouTube. I also knew, however, that I wanted to move into dance music, and that was what I did in 2019.
TF: How important is crowd feedback in shaping the records you release? Have there been tracks that evolved significantly after testing them live?
JACK MARLOW: I definitely use crowd reactions to tracks to guide me to release certain songs before others. If I test a track out and it’s just absolute carnage on the dance floor, then I know that’s the one I need to start thinking about getting out,. If I test one out and maybe the response isn’t as strong, it’ll give me the push to revisit the track and rework certain elements or make the drops bigger.
TF: You’ve built an incredible following independently, amassing tens of millions of streams without following the traditional label route. Looking back, what do you think were the biggest decisions that helped you reach that point?
JACK MARLOW: For me the most important decisions I’ve made have just came down to coming out of my comfort zone and trusting my instincts. At the very start I wasn’t overly focused on waiting on a label to sign a track or waiting for someone to give me an opportunity, not because I felt like I didn’t need it, but more so I just wanted to create music I love and put it out regularly without thinking about it too much; it was very much just a fun hobby I had to begin with. Social media has played a huge part in getting these tracks to where they are. Some of my most streaming songs have gotten to where they are off the back of a random TikTok I mindlessly posted. It’s incredible how one tiny move can just completely change your life and taking advantage of these platforms is so important.
TF: Is there a particular direction or subgenre you’re intentionally exploring next, or do you prefer letting each record dictate its own style?
JACK MARLOW: I’ve recently wanted to delve deeper into more hard hitting deeper euphoric house, faster tempos, higher energy. I’ve yet to release much in this style, but I am sat on a lot that is ready to be released any minute now.
TF: Streaming numbers often dominate conversations around success, but as an independent artist you’ve also built a strong live following. What metric feels most rewarding to you personally?
JACK MARLOW: To me, I would say live following. It’s amazing that people are out there streaming my songs and enjoying them, that means the world to me. But nothing compares to seeing people turn up to a show knowing they’ve chosen to spend their time and money to be there. You cannot replicate the feeling of seeing a crowd sending it to one of your own tracks. It is the most rewarding feeling in the world.
TF: Finally, with so much momentum behind you and a busy release schedule ahead, what can we expect from Jack Marlow over the next twelve months? Is there anything you’ve been wanting to do creatively that we haven’t seen from you yet?
JACK MARLOW: A very busy schedule, to say the least. I’m sitting on my proudest work, which will be getting released frequently and I’m so excited. We also have so many shows coming up in places I’ve not played before. I can’t wait to explore the world even more doing what I love. The goal is to keep building on what I’ve started and keep pushing the sound forward. The new music has the same feel of what people know me for but I have definitely been experimenting and testing out newer, more evolved sounds. I can’t wait to showcase what I’ve been working on.
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