Real Name
Jacob Blue Marshall-Naef
Where are you from?
I am half Swiss and half Iraqi, but born and raised in London, England. I now split the year between London and Zermatt in Switzerland.
What is your musical/DJ background?
I grew up inside the UK’s bass and sound-system culture, then started playing out properly at university in Edinburgh, where I became a resident at Shapework at The Mash House. Since then I have played across London (Off the Cuff, The Cuff, Dalston Den, Cheek), Edinburgh (Sneaky Pete’s, The Mash House), Zermatt, and further afield in Prague and Mexico. Alongside the club work I have guested on four UK online stations and I run my own monthly show, Mantle, on Bloop London Radio.
When did you get into music and how?
Through my dad. He always had big Bowers and Wilkins soundsystems vibrating around the place when I was young, playing the Bristol sound of Massive Attack, Portishead and Tricky. Then there were the ten hour car journeys from London to family in Switzerland, and up to Zermatt to ski, with Balearic beats from the 90s and old school house vibrating me to sleep. It grew from there.
Why is music/DJing your passion?
I have always loved the effect music has on me: calming me down, getting me fired up for a workout or a difficult ski slope, or dancing the night away in collective euphoria. That last one is my favourite.
My dad is a huge part of why I became a DJ. He always had big Bowers and Wilkins soundsystems vibrating around the place when I was young, playing the Bristol sound of Massive Attack, Portishead and Tricky. I was also lucky enough to spend ten hour plus car journeys driving from London to our family in Switzerland, and on to Zermatt to ski, listening to the Balearic beats of the 90s and old school house, vibrating me to sleep.
What music styles do you Play?
- House,
- Tech house
- Disco
- Garage
- Breakbeat
- UK bass and modern bass music
- Melodic house and techno.
For apres-ski I lean into uplifting new house and tech house, modern bass and soundsystem-ready singalongs, high energy from start to finish. I also play downbeat, atmospheric sets for lunch service, dinner sittings and listening bars.
What Venues/Events have you played in the past?
- London:
- Off the Cuff
- The Cuff
- Dalston Den
- Cheek.
- Edinburgh:
- Sneaky Pete’s
- The Mash House (resident at Shapework).
- Zermatt:
- Cervo (Madre Nostra terrace and Cervo Apres Ski)
- Streetside Club
- Blatten
- Broken Bar
- Mamacita’s.
- Resident DJ for Global Party Zermatt across multiple venues in the resort.
- International:
- Wildt in Prague
- Cinco Pies in Mexico City
- Straw-hat in Mexico
- Radio: Data Transmission, Bloop London Radio, Threads Radio and Voices Radio.
Who and what are your influences?
Ben UFO, Pearson Sound, Joy Orbison, Ploy and Avalon Emerson. Outside music, Candide Thovex for what he does on skis. And my dad, who started all of this.
What have you achieved so far?
I have DJ’d in multiple countries, including Mexico. I became a resident DJ during university in Edinburgh and a resident at Cervo in Zermatt, and I now play for Global Party Zermatt across the resort. I have had guest mixes on four UK radio stations, most recently Frost Sessions Episode 21 with Alex Frost on Data Transmission. I have also recently qualified as a private ski instructor.
What is your day job?
I am a private ski instructor in Zermatt, a DJ, and a recruitment consultant. All three help pay the bills.
What are your future goals and plans?
To become a well known DJ in Zermatt and beyond. My name is out there a bit in London too, and I want to keep going: making people happy and energised, and leaving them feeling they have seen a really great set that blends genres and takes the room on a journey.
What do you think are the biggest challenges you face when DJing?
The biggest challenge is making sure every set is built bespoke for the crowd in front of me, whether that is apres-ski in Zermatt or an underground club in London. I relish it, and I put a lot of time and effort into curating each set.
What do you think is the best part about being a DJ?
When you get the set just right, people are vibing hard with your sound, and they appreciate the craft that has gone into it.
What do you think is the worst part about being a DJ?
When people ask for singalongs that I do not have on my USB or have not planned to play.
What do you think makes a great dj?
Somebody who can feel a room’s energy and bend the set to the taste and mood in front of them. Being able to bring a set up and down at the right moments and finish on something memorable. I love a selector who can journey through genres and keep things fresh and interesting.
Current favourite track(s)
- Fritz Wentink – Theme 8
- Naked Music NYC – It’s Love (6th Sense Dub)
- DJ City – Padam
Follow DJ J-Blue online