Jakkin Rabbit is a project born of a strong veteran presence. The combined efforts of Marc Spence and Danny Kane provide a salient combination of experience and relevance to their particular brand of moody, driving deep house. Their blend of classic influences and modern inspirations has attracted a welcome ear from Art Department's newly solo, Jonny White, his No.19 label, and now the deft touch of the Canadian house hero, DJ Sneak.Jakkin Rabbit's new EP Obsession will feature the DJ Sneak remix of "Love or Money." Sneak significantly alters the original's slow, sultry vibe. From the get go, waves of percussive energy rip into the track's lead melody, building a foundational groove that will underpin the rest of the song. Rather than breaking it down into a head-bobbing bass line, Sneak maintains this version's pattering sense of space. It's a tight formula for head-down, dance floor hypnotism.Sneak's contribution to the EP rounds out another uncompromising release from the Jakkin Rabbit team. We recently spoke to the duo to get a better sense of how they make their music and what inspires them to keep working at such a high level.THUMP: While you're producing, do you start out with a concept for a song or merely experiment until something clicks?
Marc Spence: I wouldn't really say that we have a set process. We both love a wide range of music, which opens up a wide range of possibilities for inspiration. For example, I love drums, so I could be at home listening to some Lenny Kravitz or The Beatles, hear a snare sample I like, throw it in the sampler, and structure a drum loop around it. I would then fire the idea over to Danny. He might add a bass lick and then we can link-up in the studio and finish it off. Sometimes Danny will initiate that same process. Other times, like you said, we just land in the studio, bring a few beers and jam out until we catch a vibe.We have used concepts before though. A good example is on our other EP released on No.19, Zion. We borrowed concepts from The Matrix, using little snippets and FX from the film. It helped construct a trippy kind of vibe that we really enjoyed working on. Recently, we came up with this idea to construct an album based around '70s porn films. You can expect plenty of bass slappin' and wow filter pedals in that EP.What's the best record of 2015 so far?
"Shake It Like A Dog" by Futurpoets, which is an upcoming release on CUFF. We have played this for a while now because we started working a lot with the guys behind the track. We have so much love for their sound and production. They're also genuinely nice guys. This is definitely a name you'll be hearing a lot from now on.Do you have a preference on venues? Size or aesthetic?
Big venues are cool. It's always a nice feeling to look out and see a couple thousand people all moving in unison to the same groove. But at the same time, you really can't beat a small, dingy, low-ceiling sweatbox of a club. The kind of club where you are no more than two feet away from a raver going absolutely mental to the music you're dropping. That kind of connection with the dance floor is phenomenal.What's the best interaction you've ever had with a fan?
It was probably this inbox message we got from a fan that said our music is like a gift from God. That was so touching. Music is one of the most powerful tools in the world, it has the power to bring so much good. It hurts me when I see huge artists who have that power and use it negatively and continue to promote everything that is wrong with the world today. We spend our lives dedicated to making and playing music. We will spread as much goodness with our music as we can.Outside of music, what else inspires you?
We love all art, for without ART there is no eARTh. I think to be a keen artist you need to possess a love for all arts. You need to appreciate how much time, dedication and love the artist puts into their work, whether it's filmmaking, photography, acting or painting. In our case, it's the art of synthesis. All art can lead to inspiration for other art. Artists like Keanu Reeves, Denzel Washington, Johnny Depp, Quentin Tarantino, Victoria Westwood, Obey, Banksy, Ikutaro Kakehashi (founder of Roland) and Dave Moog have inspired us by being so good in their respective fields. The list of great artists goes on, but the main message I think we would like to get across is this: to be a good artist you have to appreciate other art far more than your own.What was the moment you realized that you wanted to pursue dance music?
I was about 11 years old and it was a Friday night. I walked into the living room and on TV was Keith Flint of the Prodigy shocking out on the show Top Of The Pops to "Firestarter." I was like, "What the fuck is this music?! Wow!" The pure excitement and energy of it caught me instantly. From that point on, I knew that I wanted to dedicate time to spreading the same feeling I initially felt when listening to that music.Jakkin Rabbit is on Facebook // Twitter // SoundCloud
DJ Sneak is on Facebook / Twitter // SoundCloud
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Marc Spence: I wouldn't really say that we have a set process. We both love a wide range of music, which opens up a wide range of possibilities for inspiration. For example, I love drums, so I could be at home listening to some Lenny Kravitz or The Beatles, hear a snare sample I like, throw it in the sampler, and structure a drum loop around it. I would then fire the idea over to Danny. He might add a bass lick and then we can link-up in the studio and finish it off. Sometimes Danny will initiate that same process. Other times, like you said, we just land in the studio, bring a few beers and jam out until we catch a vibe.
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"Shake It Like A Dog" by Futurpoets, which is an upcoming release on CUFF. We have played this for a while now because we started working a lot with the guys behind the track. We have so much love for their sound and production. They're also genuinely nice guys. This is definitely a name you'll be hearing a lot from now on.Do you have a preference on venues? Size or aesthetic?
Big venues are cool. It's always a nice feeling to look out and see a couple thousand people all moving in unison to the same groove. But at the same time, you really can't beat a small, dingy, low-ceiling sweatbox of a club. The kind of club where you are no more than two feet away from a raver going absolutely mental to the music you're dropping. That kind of connection with the dance floor is phenomenal.What's the best interaction you've ever had with a fan?
It was probably this inbox message we got from a fan that said our music is like a gift from God. That was so touching. Music is one of the most powerful tools in the world, it has the power to bring so much good. It hurts me when I see huge artists who have that power and use it negatively and continue to promote everything that is wrong with the world today. We spend our lives dedicated to making and playing music. We will spread as much goodness with our music as we can.Outside of music, what else inspires you?
We love all art, for without ART there is no eARTh. I think to be a keen artist you need to possess a love for all arts. You need to appreciate how much time, dedication and love the artist puts into their work, whether it's filmmaking, photography, acting or painting. In our case, it's the art of synthesis. All art can lead to inspiration for other art. Artists like Keanu Reeves, Denzel Washington, Johnny Depp, Quentin Tarantino, Victoria Westwood, Obey, Banksy, Ikutaro Kakehashi (founder of Roland) and Dave Moog have inspired us by being so good in their respective fields. The list of great artists goes on, but the main message I think we would like to get across is this: to be a good artist you have to appreciate other art far more than your own.What was the moment you realized that you wanted to pursue dance music?
I was about 11 years old and it was a Friday night. I walked into the living room and on TV was Keith Flint of the Prodigy shocking out on the show Top Of The Pops to "Firestarter." I was like, "What the fuck is this music?! Wow!" The pure excitement and energy of it caught me instantly. From that point on, I knew that I wanted to dedicate time to spreading the same feeling I initially felt when listening to that music.Jakkin Rabbit is on Facebook // Twitter // SoundCloud
DJ Sneak is on Facebook / Twitter // SoundCloud