Music with a Groove: The Jaden Thompson Story
Only a cursory listen to “Closer,” and you’ll hear why Jaden Thompson is such a hot name in house music. The single’s instantly recognizable vocal kicks in after a minute of mixing runway. Framed by nostalgic strings stabs and wonky atmospheres, it made for an instant classic that catapulted Thompson’s career as nightlife turned back on in 2021.
“You’re only as good as your last track,” Thompson told Notion last year. He focuses on quality over quantity, aiming for a strong offering every few months instead of “releasing almost for the sake of it,” as he puts it. This approach has served him well. The quality of his output has attracted the attention of dance music icons as big as Seth Troxler, who collaborated with him on the effervescent spring 2022 single “Talking Walls” via Crosstown Rebels.
You might expect an artist with such a mature outlook on house music would have been steeped in the culture for decades. Yet, it wasn’t all that long ago that Jaden Thompson became old enough to play clubs in the first place.
He got a head start before then, to be sure. Born in Swindon, UK, Thompson began producing music at 13 or 14, focusing on hip-hop initially. It wasn’t long before music by Omar S and Masters at Work pulled him towards the resonant rhythms of house music. From that point on, Thompson began honing in on a style of his own. It paid off when he turned 18 and almost immediately landed a residency at London superclub fabric in 2018.
When the COVID-19 crisis halted nightlife, Thompson felt the pressure as much as anyone. He spent the downtime from gigs wisely, though, and the music he turned out during that time stands as testament. Tracks like “To The Light” and his Guti collaboration “Feel Like Moving” prove that he channeled the era’s anxieties into his craft.
“I feel like it worked out fine for me,” Thompson told Notion. “The music that I released did well; it did better than some of the other tunes that I released before the pandemic, partly due to the quality of it being better than my previous stuff.”
And then, of course, there was “Closer.” A runaway success, the 2021 track was remixed by heavy hitters like the Martinez Brothers, Derrick Carter, and Cinthie. It demonstrated that Jaden Thompson could think outside the box while still staying true to the hallmarks of proper house music. Most importantly, it promises a bright future for the up-and-coming DJ and producer.
Jaden Thompson has also recently embarked on a new journey as boss of a fledgling label called Midnight Parade. With so many accomplishments under his belt at such a young age, time will only tell what the future holds for the rising talent.
