Duke & Jones are quickly establishing themselves as one of the most forward-thinking acts in the industry. Their unique sound has helped them garner millions of global listeners – including a loyal TikTok following who are hooked to their hilarious autotune videos – and support from some of the biggest artists in the world. Following the mega success of the viral hit ‘Jiggle Jiggle’, where they collaborated with Louis Theroux, Amelia Dimoldenberg and Jason Derulo, Duke and Jones hit number 49 on the Billboard Emerging Artists Chart. The track also became an emote on Fortnite, and was supported by a plethora of celebrities including Snoop Dogg, Coldplay, Shakira and press alike, such as Lad Bible, LA Times, Newsweek, Sky News and loads more.
DMCWORLD dives in for a world exclusive as they release the most excellent ‘State of Mind’…
Hey Duke & Jones, welcome to DMC! 2022 was a big year for you guys, especially with the viral success of ‘Jiggle Jiggle’, what was it like working with all the talents on that track?
We grew up watching Louis Theroux on TV, and got really into Weird Weekends for a while back in our schooldays, so it was slightly surreal to be in the studio with him and spend two hours essentially bossing him around. He was an absolute pleasure to work with and was very game about inadvertently becoming a TikTok sensation. Having a remix where the one and only Jason Derulo says the magic words “Jason Derulo” was an unexpected twist to 2022 as well, and one we won’t forget in a hurry.
You recently released, ‘State of Mind’ with artist Marlhy, what was the inspiration behind the track?
State of Mind was hugely inspired by Marlhy’s vocals – we basically built the track around her topline. She sings about becoming aware of how problems in a past relationship were overlooked at the time, which fit perfectly with the nostalgia-tinged progressive synth-y sound we created. I think it’s cool how the drop has a pretty drastic difference in vibe, suddenly becoming minimal, modern, gritty and distorted. I think this adds to the sense of before-and-after that the vocals imply – once you are no longer blind to the imperfections of the past, the things are much less lush and romantic, but there is movement and change.
Who’s been your favourite artist to collaborate with so far? And who would be a dream collab in the future?
Unsurprisingly we would say our favourite collaboration so far was Louis Theroux, because it’s just so surreal – if he wasn’t an artist now I think you could say he certainly is now. Outside of that, having a tune out with Flowdan was so exciting for us, given that we’ve been huge fans of his for over a decade now, and because (as per usual) he absolutely murdered his verses.
What would be your top tip for being successful in the industry?
Be patient! It very rarely happens overnight and it could take years before you get anything close to a break. It helps to have some confidence in what you make, but, after (rightfully!) basking in the glory of your new banger for a few days, it’s also important to be honest with yourself when comparing your music to professional tracks, and to be able to take constructive criticism. You’ll only be able to improve if you’re able to notice and reflect on issues with your own music. You should ALWAYS be polite too – new connections and opportunities can come from surprising places. You never know which person you meet might turn round a year down the line and ask you to help with a project, so it’s good to be nice to your whole network, both friends and friends of friends.
Do you think your sound has evolved over time? If yes, how so?
It definitely has! We both got seriously into producing around the 2010s Swedish-inspired boom in house music, so in certain ways our evolution is coming full-circle and returning to our favourite genre. The Duke & Jones mission statement hasn’t really changed though, and I think you can see across all our releases that we try to do as much as possible with the fewest number of sounds. This is consistent across bass songs like Trenches and Detox, but also housier tunes. The drop of State of Mind is a good reflection of this concept – with one bass sound, some vocal chops, and some pretty uncluttered drums.
What plans do you have for the rest of the year?
At the moment we’re busying ourselves making original songs and edits, and generally preparing for spring and summer. We’ve recently got US visas, so we’re excited to go over there to work with writers and musicians and play shows.
What do you do / where do you go when you’re looking for inspiration?
The holy trinity for inspiration is SoundCloud, Greggs, and the Lake District. Making a song is like having a conversation between yourself, your musical influences, and your feelings, so looking for inspiration is about giving yourself things to ‘talk about’ through music. This could be listening to new music by artists you like, or it could be going for a walk, or having a conversation with a friend. It all counts!
Where do you see yourselves in the next 5 years?
If you’d have asked us this 2 years ago, we wouldn’t have predicted any of what happened, so I’m not sure I can say with any certainty where we’ll be in five years. We will definitely keep creating, growing and learning. The rough plan is more music, more touring – and hopefully another global hit somewhere along the way!
