JAN On Finding Creative Freedom, London's UK Garage Scene And Why 'Feel It Now' Changed Everything
- Undrtone Blog
- Jul 29
- 3 min read
For someone who's only 19 years old, JAN has packed an extraordinary amount into a relatively short space of time.
From performances at Ministry of Sound, Amnesia Ibiza and Primavera Sound to launching his own label and surpassing one million streams, the Spanish producer has quickly established himself as one of the more exciting young names emerging from Europe's house scene. Yet despite those milestones, his latest single 'Feel It Now' represents something far more personal than another release.
The record arrived after a period where JAN found himself questioning his own creativity. Rather than writing music that genuinely reflected who he was, he realised he had started creating with other people's expectations in mind. Breaking out of that mindset became the catalyst for the track and, ultimately, a new chapter in his artistic identity.
"Feel It Now came from a period of creative block when I didn't feel like I was making music for myself," he explains. "I wasn't fully happy with what I was doing."
The solution wasn't instant inspiration but consistency.
"The turning point was really just showing up to the studio every day, working consistently, expressing how I felt and letting go of that block. After all that trial and error, I started making music that felt right again. It took time, but through that process Feel It Now became one beautiful idea."
While electronic music may define JAN today, his musical foundations stretch back much further. He began playing drums at four years old before taking up piano at ten, developing an understanding of rhythm and melody that still shapes every production.
"I always work with a keyboard," he says. "That early musical training gave me a really strong grasp of rhythm and melody, and it's still at the core of how I make music."
Living in London over the past four years also proved transformative. Immersing himself in the city's electronic scene introduced him to UK garage and rave culture, influences that became central to Feel It Now. Rather than recreating those sounds, JAN wanted to reinterpret them through his own perspective.
"I became obsessed with the energetic, swaying drums of UK garage," he says. "I wanted to create something driven by those drums and heavy bass, but still melodic."
That balance between respecting dance music's history while developing something personal has become central to his creative philosophy.
"I love those classic influences, but I never want to copy them. I experiment with them until they feel authentic to my own sound."
That same openness shaped the collaboration with fellow ICMP student Paris. After meeting through university, the pair immediately connected in the studio, combining their shared instrumental backgrounds to build what would become one of JAN's most personal releases.
"We really clicked during our first session," he says. "He contributed a lot to the production, but it was really his vocals that took the track to a whole new level."
Outside the studio, JAN has also taken control of his own journey through The Penthouse Records. Rather than simply creating a home for his own music, he hopes the label eventually becomes a platform where other young producers feel encouraged to trust their own instincts too.
"I see it as somewhere artists can find their own sound, grow and know they'll have support."
That outlook mirrors how JAN now measures success. Despite already surpassing one million streams, numbers are no longer what motivates him.
"Hitting a million streams is amazing, but success isn't about the numbers," he says. "Music is the greatest way for me to express myself. I just hope people feel something when they listen."
As his touring schedule continues expanding across Spain, the UK and beyond, he has also discovered that creativity doesn't only happen inside the studio. Some of his favourite ideas have been finished while travelling, whether on trains, in cars or sitting outside between shows.
"Being in different places really influences my creativity," he explains. "The world around me naturally shapes the decisions I make while producing."
Despite how quickly everything has happened, JAN speaks less about chasing milestones than continuing to evolve. His ambitions remain rooted in collaboration, experimentation and making music that genuinely connects with people rather than simply following trends.
"I hope I'm still making music that makes people feel something," he says. "I want to keep travelling, collaborating and expressing myself, always putting the music first."
For an artist still in the earliest stages of his career, Feel It Now feels like an important turning point. Not because it's his biggest release to date, but because it represents the moment JAN stopped trying to become the artist he thought people wanted and started becoming the artist he genuinely is.
