Meet the next generation of DJs starting their journey with JBL

A black spiral staircase loops around beams of ascending light pulsating from the centre of HARMAN UK’s Hertfordshire HQ demo space. It’s an atmospheric, open plan facility that showcases the full extent of the company’s live sound solutions. A wall of speakers from JBL’s ONE Series portable PA range paves the way to a mini stage and DJ booth. An array of AKG mics and headphones are on display, while a Soundcraft mixing console takes pride of place at FOH position. In essence, anyone from performers to engineers can walk straight in and get hands-on with anything they may require to enhance their sound in the live arena.

Which is precisely why we are here today. With a specific focus on the DJ market, five of the industry’s most exciting new talents are here to put the aforementioned JBL ONE Series through its paces. Indeed, each of the DJs present this evening are at the start of a journey which JBL may well be a part of. All five will perform a 20-minute set through a different model from the range, demonstrating the power and versatility on offer by way of vastly contrasting styles and genres.

The ONE Series offers a range of column speakers designed to meet diverse demands, delivering world-class sound and exceptional durability. Whether on a tour bus, in the back of a van, or carried by hand, these systems withstand the rigors of the road without compromising audio integrity.

Upon arrival, the five DJs—Amy Francesca, Groovin Rue, Alice’s Wonderland, JLV, and YDLR—are greeted by the HARMAN team. They receive a demonstration and presentation on the history of JBL and its expansion into portable PA systems. The engaging session draws audible approval from the performers, each expressing enthusiasm and excitement about using the systems for their sets.

Amy Francesca kicks off the event with a vibrant set heavily influenced by her love of hip hop, showcasing the power and dynamism of the JBL IRX ONE. After her performance, she shares her ambition to take her career to the next level, building on her extensive live experience to secure her future in music.

“I’ve always been on a journey of self-discovery,” she beams. “As a kid I was more interested in watching music TV than kids shows. R&B was where I started, and I fell in love with artists like Ashanti and Ja Rule. In my final year of uni, I was looking at how much it would cost to get my own equipment, and my student finance had dropped so I was like, let’s get some stuff! Then during lockdown, I spent a lot of time developing my skills.”

She also cites the discovery of DJ Siobhan Bell as a pivotal moment in her progression as a DJ.

“She was well known in the UK scene and has moved to America now doing massive things,” Francesca continues. “She was one of the first females I saw in the DJ world doing brand bookings and runway shows. As soon as I saw her do that I was like, I think I can do this! I then found other women who DJ doing what I aspire to do, and I felt more confident to really push myself to where I am now.

“As for what’s next, I definitely want to step into the festival scene. And brand bookings. I’m really interested in brands like JBL and how they market their speakers. I always want to be a part of that journey, reaching out and working with these kinds of companies.”

Which brings us to her impressions of the IRX ONE she’s just taken to the stage with.

“The speakers sounded absolutely amazing,” she says. "They were even more powerful than I was expecting, and the sound is just so clear. I have absolutely no complaints about that system!”

Up next is Groovin Rue, a lifelong music fan who has only taken to DJing over the past two years, having discovered the On The Rise DJ Academy during lockdown.

“I signed up for a few classes and haven’t looked back,” he smiles. “I’m really enjoying it, have had loads of opportunities, and I’m here today because of JBL and On The Rise.”

In the two years since he began honing his craft with On The Rise, Rue has developed a high-energy set centered around soulful house and UK garage. His performance is a hit, and he eagerly highlights the EON ONE MKII that powered his set.

“I’m not going to lie, I felt like I was in a club,” he laughs. “My legs were shaking, that was the vibe I had. I felt like I was out raving! I want to find out more about some of these speakers. Sometimes you think you need big speakers, but you may not always need that. The system onstage tonight was incredible and so much more powerful than I was expecting. These JBL systems can be affordable if you are getting the right size for your setup, so I’m looking forward to diving into the different systems and options they have. If you are a mobile DJ, you can get an amazing and affordable setup here.”

He's also quick to highlight the role On The Rise has played in filling him with the confidence to pursue his dreams of a career behind the decks.

“Being in that environment was great for building confidence and meeting like-minded people, doing sets together,” he says. “It’s really given me a confidence I didn’t have before.”

Another member of the On The Rise community, Alice’s Wonderland, shares a similar career trajectory with Rue. The third performer of the night, she has been refining her skills over the past two years, gaining live experience to introduce her distinct style to new audiences. Her primary focus is the Asian DJ scene, which she aims to highlight in her work.

“I play a lot of commercial music but I’ve recently started looking at shining a spotlight on East Asian music and DJs, as I don’t think there is enough of a spotlight on Asian DJs,” she asserts. “That’s my passion. It seems like there are hardly any Asian DJs out there if you look around on social media, etc. I’m half Asian and I think we need more, as there are actually a lot out there who are very talented but not well known.”

From the outset of her journey into DJing, Alice has been acutely aware of the importance of networking and creating her own opportunities.

“I’ve been consistently going to networking events and putting myself out there,” she tells us. “With DJing you really have to put yourself out there; you can’t sit around waiting for things to happen. And academies like On The Rise really help with building connections and getting bookings. It’s not always easy but if you bring something a bit different you can stand out.

“Last year I was probably performing twice a week at places like The Slug and Lettuce and occasionally private bookings. But I’m trying to move away from pubs and doing different events. The next step for me is finding places I can go to exercise my creative freedom.”

Which brings us to her performance tonight. Playing through a pair of PRX ONEs, she is effusive in her praise for the system, describing it as amongst the best she’s encountered to date.

“This place is amazing,” she smiles, looking around. “It was fascinating to hear about the history of the company and the scale of venues and places that JBL systems are used in. It’s great that they are bringing these systems to the DJ world. The PRX ONE I used today sounded absolutely amazing. It was the best sound I’ve had to date. It felt like I was playing a club in Ibiza!”

The continental club sound is a perfect fit for our next DJ, JLV, a prominent figure in the Utrecht DJ community in the Netherlands. As both a DJ and music producer, he has performed in clubs across Europe and Asia. Before the pandemic, JLV was a regular on club line-ups in his homeland and other European cities. When lockdowns halted the industry, he intensified his focus on music production, turning a side project into a central pursuit. Now, with the industry returning to normal, he is eager to get back on the road and behind the decks.

“I started out with discovering dubstep,” he says of his musical grounding. “That got me into electronic music and then it was producers like Avicii. I saw these DJs doing everything on their own and creating something beautiful. And I’ve always been a bit of a nerd so I really liked working with software. That’s where I slowly developed into a music producer. It started as a hobby and eventually turned into a career.

“I saw these artists that were making really good music playing as DJs, too,” he continues. “I was inspired by that to also start learning about DJing and seeing what’s possible. I started out at the local bar and won a DJ contest, so I got to be the resident there. I learned a lot from that, playing long hours. That’s how I developed into doing house music sets and trying to play as much as possible.”

One of the most distinctive aspects of JLV’s set is the almost exclusive use of his own original music in favour of incorporating household names, although he does drop a couple of crowd-pleasers towards its climax. His thumping 20-minute segment feels almost as though it’s been lifted directly from one of his homeland’s superclubs.

“Clubs are definitely my spiritual home,” he says. “It’s where I have the most experience. When I play house parties that’s the type of music that I play. And there are often bigger artists playing in and around that scene and you can really tell the difference in the level people play at. I get really inspired by that.”

The PRX 900 system he has just played through certainly lends itself to the club-focused sound that has become his signature.

“It sounded so powerful,” he says. “I really didn’t expect a system like that to sound so big with only a few speakers. You can feel that they can handle everything well. I already had an appreciation for JBL speakers and the brand but after today I’m even more impressed.”

Closing out the evening is polymath YDLR. A vinyl DJ, she is also a singer, songwriter, and actor. She too has passed through the On The Rise DJ Academy, although her path into DJing arose almost by accident.

“I was meant to perform as a singer last November but I got laryngitis so I couldn’t sing,” she recalls. “But the place I was performing at had turntables so I jumped on and spun some vinyl, and decided I really wanted to do this properly. So, I went to the On The Rise Academy and have been learning from there.”

Much like her On The Rise peers, her attention is squarely focused on gaining experience as a performer. Events such as this, she states, are vital for her development.

“Because I started on vinyl and that’s all I’m doing at the moment, I need to get out there more,” she asserts. “Things like today are really good for me to get more exposure and experience. My mum is a designer, and she has been having monthly pop ups so I DJ every month there. It’s just about seeing what opportunities are out there and making the most of them.”

This opportunity has also introduced her to a brand she plans to carry into the next phase of her career. Using an EON 700 system for her set, she praises the speakers’ sound quality and her overall experience with the brand.

“I didn’t have any idea how long JBL has been going for and how far reaching their products are,” she says. “The demonstration was great as their equipment is amazing. And the EON 700 on stage sounded absolutely amazing. It was so good. And it was powerful without being overbearing. You don’t feel like your ears are being attacked. The sound is so clean.”

As the evening draws to a close, the warmth and encouragement among the five DJs is palpable. Each is embarking on a new phase of their career, and based on this experience, JBL could play a significant role in their journey.