Green Curtains Project - A Conversation with Wobblin Jude
Dublin-based artist Wobblin Jude is redefining the city’s underground sound with what they call Indie Techno. A collision of live vocals, and electronic beats. From their early days in a school band to honing their craft at BIMM, Wobblin Jude turned their creative defiance into identity. In this interview, we discuss finding their voice, the influence of Dublin’s grit and community, and why music and activism go hand in hand.
When did your music career start?
I’ve been making music for about seven years. I started with an indie band in school, and then the band broke up. I got into BIMM (the only thing on my CAO) and during my two and a half years there, my identity really came into being, doing production and electronic music. “Wobblin Jude” has been around for about a year and a half.
Was BIMM conducive to creativity?
100%. They pushed me to figure out different sounds. I wouldn’t be making this music without it. In the first year I played my own song in a workshop and the lecturer told me I couldn’t sing or play guitar. I thought, “OK, f*ck you, I’ll prove you wrong.” I came back the next year better, then he said “look, this is someone who listens”. Or just by meeting contemporaries, like my mate Eli – we’d sit in the pub having friendly arguments about music and introducing each other to new bands. That’s how I found the French band Justice, and they became one of my major influences.
How would you describe your music style?
I call it “Indie Techno”. I grew up on bands like LCD Soundsystem, New Order, Arctic Monkeys, The Strokes, Talking Heads and when I was young I went to a lot of band gigs but I began finding it boring or even odd how everyone would just stand “judging” the music with their pint. But at techno gigs, people don’t stand still – they dance, they inhale the music. That’s why I wanted to blend the two.
What's an indie-techno gig like?
I sing, I use a dex with some proper housey bits, and I mix poetry through it. It’s nonstop. I like to think of a DJ as the curator of the vibes – you can tweak a beat on the fly to get people moving. It’s like a busy shift at the bar, staying on your feet and working off the adrenaline.
How do your songs come about?
I usually write lyrics first, just getting words out of my head, and then I build beats around them, going through a lot of drafts. “Trickle Down Economics” started as a guitar song and I later translated it into electronic form. My whole thing is I never want a song to sound like something I’ve already heard. I love slant rhymes and interlining rhymes, not getting stuck in the motions.
Does Dublin shape your music?
Completely. If I’m abroad, I say I’m from Dublin, not just Ireland. It’s a small, communal city – the nightlife scene is so small and everyone’s so connected. But thematically Dublin is gray, grungy, pissy y’know…so the people have to be happier. One of my opening poems for a set goes: “I love this city but man she’s trying to kill me. She’s turning her shoulders, winter’s getting colder… She’s the wolf at the door.”
In “Trickle Down Economics” I talk about people leaving Dublin. It’s historic – Irish people always leaving – and it creates a cultural deficit. If artists go, why would anyone fund the arts? And politically speaking, if all the people who wanted change in the last general election had stayed, then there’d be double the amount of people wanting change — and those are higher chances of winning.
What themes will your songs be exploring next?
I think I want to be more poignant. My latest song “Will It Bring Me Home” is about finding your people after feeling isolated growing up. It’s about the communal spirit of being together, dancing together, finding meaning through connection. It takes a village, y’know.
How do you view social media as an artist?
It’s a double-edged sword, because it's harming that communal spirit in one sense. If I wasn’t a musician, I wouldn’t be on it. But every generation of artists has had to use the technology of their time – music videos in the 70s and 80s, now it’s reels. The key is using it creatively, not just “following the trends”.
You’ve just dyed your hair pink for #pinkforpalestine, a fundraising project for the Palestine emergency by smile aid – what does activism mean to you?
There’s always been this idea echoed around me, growing up, saying we as civilians have no power to stop what’s going on and over the last two years, everyone feels so powerless - so when my music started taking off and I was invited to play at the UCD BDS gig for Gaza back in May, I realised I had a platform I could use. There’s no excuse for not doing everything in our power to support the oppressed in Palestine. There’s always this conversation about the politics of the whole disaster but it really shouldn’t be looked at as politics. It’s not politics, it’s about humanity. Liam Cunningham called it a “battle for the soul of the world”, ignoring it won’t make it go away.
Written by Ben Lynch (@Ben_Lynch__)
Edited by Alex Kelleher (@alex_kelleher_)
