Jango Flash, the space cadet alter ego of 23-year-old Jack Angus Golightly, is pulsating waves all the way from Newcastle with his debut single Perseid 45 out now. This whimsical transportation has hit the ground running, already turning heads from the likes of BBC Radio 6 and BBC Introducing North East, while showing no signs of slowing down.
Having sworn to be a drummer all of his life, Jango Flash is a dedicated slave to rhythm. But his deeper love for complex melodies and expressive lyricism has always been present, bubbling away behind the kit. Through his solo recording project, Jango Flash explores his exaggerated thought patterns in sonic wizardry, exceeding surface level reality and testing how far down the rabbit hole pop music can take him. Check out Perseid 45 below!
We managed to catch up with Jango Flash as he talks about his latest single and more!
So how has the release of Perseid 45 gone down with fans?
For my first single out the box, the response has been overwhelmingly positive, especially in Newcastle. People seem to be coming up to me on the fly saying that they’re vibing off the project and can’t wait to hear more music, so that’s nice. Right now, I’m collaborating with some really talented photographers and film makers who seem to completely get my vision of how I want Jango Flash to be portrayed.
Can you tell something about the single no one else knows?
Yeah sure. There’s actually a church bell really low in the mix of the chorus, because In the early stages of production I had this idea of making it a main feature in the track for dramatic impact. I was studying journalism at the time and had I rented out this handheld tascam recorder for my course, so one morning I popped down to the church at the bottom of my street with it and captured a few chimes. Turns out they were in the same key as the track… lucky!
Will you be releasing an EP/album this year?
I’m planning on having a fully illustrated 4 track E.P ready by the end of July. I’ve been writing music for a long time now, but It’s only this year that I’ve been extremely driven to learn how to execute all of my personal content independently.
If you could work with any band on a new song, who would it be and why?
Right now I’ve been listening to this amazing band called “Crumb” from New York, so it would probably be those guys. They’ve got this whole crisp, casual Neo-jazz thing going on, kinda like a female fronted BADBADNOTGOOD, but totally spaced out and on another planet. They’ve got a really awesome grasp on how to dabble in textures and dynamics with these gorgeous horn crescendos and Yamaha CP synths that just seem to wash over your soul.
What’s it like being supported by the likes of BBC Introducing and BBC 6 Music?
Nick Roberts is our local DJ for BBC Introducing and he’s been a total diamond with me so far. Tom Robinson discovered me through Nick and tagged me in a tweet as I was mixing my second single. I saw the notification, shot up, ran downstairs, turned on the radio and I was on BBC 6. We got talking on Instagram on the night – he gave me VIP to one of his shows in October and told me that he was going to play my single again the following week. Tom’s a super supportive and inspiring dude for sure, he’s been through a lot as a musician and presenter. It’s really strange being a brand new artist with no PR, and then hearing your music going out to heaps of listeners live on air… you can’t beat that kick man.
What do you get up to in your spare time when not working on music?
Dude, I just watch loads of cooking programmes… or I cook whilst listening to those hip hop live streams with the chill ass anime backdrops. If you haven’t watched the “Bon Appetit” show called “It’s Alive” with Brad Leone on Youtube, I can highly recommend it. He’s this huge, hilariously care free Canadian lumberjack of a man who is an expert at fermentation, and his mysterious mute friend Vinny films all of his videos and does these insanely comical edits, it’s rad!
What was the first gig you ever went to?
My first gig was really surreal actually. When I was about twelve my Dad took me to The City Hall to watch Greg Lake of prog rock behemoths, Emerson Lake & Palmer. I just remember it being August time and he played “I Believe in Father Christmas”, it was probably one of the most etherial things I have ever seen in my life, god rest his soul. The drummer sight read sheet music for the entire duration of the concert as well, which was incredibly impressive.
So at just 23 years of age, what can we expect from you in next 5 years?
Hopefully I’ll have my own comedy fuelled cooking show and get that sweet ad revenue.