Ever since first cropping up on our Ninja radar back in 2014 with the underground sweeping single “Thinking About It”, Just Kiddin’, the British House duo comprised of Lewis Thompson and Laurie Revel, have held down a tender place within many of our writers’ hearts. Formed in 2010 and originating from the small town of Kettering, Northamptonshire, England, Just Kiddin’ have quickly become one of the hottest acts in all of Club-Land over the last few years, and for good reason. We had the chance to catch up with Lewis & Laurie not long after wrapping up their most recent North American tour & behind the release of their latest music video for “Fall For You” (see below to watch the entire piece); and as always the two brought a smile to our face while dropping some insight into what’s been going on with them as well. Read the transcript of our entire conversation below, and be on the lookout for more music from Just Kiddin’ very soon.
The Music Ninja: First off, thanks so much for taking the time to sit down and answer a few questions on behalf of TMN. We’ve been following you guys pretty closely since all the way back in August of 2014. So thanks again, we’re very excited to pick your brains. Let’s just get right after it! After a bit (read: a lot!) of background research on you guys, we came across some interesting arcs to the Just Kiddin’ saga. Lewis & Laurie, you both grew up in the same town of Kettering, and from what we understand, were near the same social circles, and both grew up with more traditional music backgrounds as well. With those rich musical histories, how did you both manage to fall in with each other in a musical capacity, and what led you both towards the world of club & electronic music; and also why did you decide to apply your talents in that direction?
Just Kiddin (Lewis): Good researching! Laurie & I have been friends since we were about 13, from a young age we got into electronic music together really, hence why our tastes are so similar. We tried to go down the band route originally, but got frustrated with organising band practise and how long things can take. I think this impatience made us grab copies of some music production software, and there’s been no looking back ever since!
The Music Ninja:You guys had early releases as Just Kiddin’ on Nurvous, HK & Exploited before becoming an Eton Messy staple. Obviously, Eton Messy has released and pushed some of your most notable tunes. How did you guys end up getting involved with the YouTube page turned club night, record label and electronic industry leaders? We assume you guys have a pretty solid relationship with the number of releases you’ve had under their banner.
Just Kiddin’: We love the guys at Eton Messy, they’re our good friends and we’ve had some wicked times together. We originally met them at a club night we played at in Bristol after they had been supporting our music on the channel, we hit it off and then decided to release “Thinking About It” with them.
The Music Ninja: Do you both consider Eton Messy to be a home of sorts for Just Kiddin’?
Just Kiddin’: Yes and no really. Like we said, we love the Eton Messy guys and really appreciate the help they’ve given us along the way. But we don’t want to state one place as our home and sounds & styles can change.
The Music Ninja:Your last release was the original record “Fall For You”, for which the official music video recently dropped as well (watch the whole thing above). It’s got quite the buoyant, summery feel to it. Do you think of Just Kiddin’ as maintaining a certain aesthetic and sound, or do you feel you both can go in any number of directions with the project?
