Get To Know: Jada-Kai

who are you?

hiya! i'm dj jada-kai. i was born in south east london, grew up and still live here. i've heard it being said many times that some of the greatest musical talent come from these sides — the majority of my childhood friends work in the music industry too so there must be some truth to it!

what started your journey in music?

my earliest memories of connecting to music was as a kid. my mum would play ukg, jungle and a lot of 80s music like ska and motown. ukg and funky house classics will always have a special place in my heart — so of course these were the genres that i started learning to dj with and it really deepened my love music.

i was a trained professional dancer in my teen years and went on to be a talent scout and artist manager. overall, becoming a dj was sort of accidental but it felt like a natural progression as music has always been part of my story.

3 tracks that never leave your usb?

• 21 seconds – so solid
• booo! – ms dynamite, sticky
• original nuttah 25 – uk apache

nostalgia vibes!!!

biggest goal as a producer/dj right now?

my main goal right now is learning to produce. i want to create music and really double down on my own style. the past two years i've developed a lot as a live performer so adding my own music to sets will be extra fun. i have so many track and remix ideas that i want to execute!

your biggest moment so far?

i'd say one of my favourite moments was opening for maxwell d at garage nation in 2024. it felt surreal as i'd been going to gn for years, it's been my one of my favourite genres since childhood and it was the first genre i ever played at a gig. proper full circle moment.

name 5 up and coming artists everyone should check out?

• p munro
• zhino
• pedrinedu pdr
• tweeko
• ekany

advice you wish you had sooner?

crate organisation is essential! the busier i got the more i realised how important this is lol — don't let it get out of hand otherwise it'll become incredibly time consuming. i definitely wish i knew this from the very beginning.

your top 5 djs?

• ez
• bdj
• jyoty

biggest challenge in your career so far?

the biggest challenge so far has been keeping my mind at ease during quiet periods. but i'm learning to utilise those moments to get ahead on with crate digging to stay ready for those inevitable busy times!

what’s coming up/next for you?

my main next step is finally learning to produce my own stuff! gig wise, i'm looking forward to some festivals in the pipeline.

last record you bought?

all i do – bump & flex dub

bucket list club / festival?

glasto

a track you wish you produced?

i would love to remix one man – gaza slim, vybz kartel. of course the original track always goes crazy when i play open format but i want to make it funky/bassline.

how do you balance music and life?

i don't think i'd describe it as balance... it's more that music is just integrated with everything i do. i can't imagine life without it.

who’s one producer you’d love to watch in the studio for a day?

kaytranada. his sound is so distinctive, he would be an incredible person to study.