Jakwob

James Edward Jacob (born 28 March 1989), known professionally as Jakwob, is a British producer, songwriter, DJ and composer. Born in Hereford and raised in Lincoln to Anglo‑Indian and Scottish parents, he is currently based in East London. Within the drum and bass/jungle spectrum his work spans bassline, breakbeat, chillstep, downtempo, drum & bass, drumstep, dub, jungle, liquid funk, ragga and reggae.

Jakwob first drew widespread attention in 2009 with a bootleg remix of Ellie Goulding's "Starry Eyed" that picked up BBC Radio 1 airplay. That early remix led to official releases: his debut single "Here with Me" was released on his own imprint, Boom Ting Recordings, on 13 September 2010. From that point he moved between single releases, remixes and production work for other artists while expanding into composition for film.

As a producer Jakwob’s arrangements routinely blend atmospheric, cinematic elements with low‑end focus. His tracks often layer pads and piano motifs over processed vocal chops, placing reverb and timed delay to create stereo depth. On faster material he employs chopped and reprogrammed breakbeats — bringing snare snap and shuffled hi‑hats forward — while on drumstep and half‑time pieces the percussion is programmed to emphasise weight and transient clarity. Bass design sits central: he combines sub‑bass fundamentals with mid‑range harmonics so low frequencies remain audible on club systems without masking melodic content.

Across the several styles he works in, specific subgenre traits recur. Liquid‑lean pieces use sustained chords, clean vocal takes and melodic movement; dub and reggae‑informed tracks use sparse low‑pass automation and echo to create space; his chillstep and downtempo work slows the tempo, foregrounds ambience and simplifies drum patterns. Where jungle or breakbeat approaches appear, they favour edited break fills and syncopation rather than wholesale reliance on amen loops — a production choice that keeps transitions tight and mixdowns controlled.

Beyond his early bootleg and his 2010 single on Boom Ting Recordings, Jakwob’s credits include production work with Little Simz and with Shygirl, showing a crossover into hip‑hop and pop production alongside electronic releases. He has also written and produced music for screen, most notably composing for the feature film How to Have Sex (2023). Those credits extend his role from club and streaming-focused releases into scored, narrative work.

Public documentation of Jakwob’s stated personal influences is limited. Concrete professional connections and touchpoints that are documented include the Ellie Goulding bootleg that launched wider radio attention (2009), his self‑released single "Here with Me" (Boom Ting Recordings, 13 September 2010), production collaborations with Little Simz and Shygirl, and his film composition credit on How to Have Sex (2023).

He continues to operate from East London, working across production, songwriting, DJ sets and composition while maintaining Boom Ting Recordings as the label tied to his early releases.