Jo Sims: Musical Journey in 10 Tracks, incl Bass The Vinyl Frontier

Meet Jo Sims, a radiant new voice in the world of electronic music. Despite being relatively fresh on the scene, she’s already making her mark, notably with her electrifying new EP ‘Bass – The Vinyl Frontier’ under the renowned cult label, Pamela Records. Amplifying the EP’s appeal, legendary artist David Holmes has lent his unique touch with a stellar remix.

But who is Jo Sims, and what musical currents propelled her to where she is today? To answer that, we asked Jo to chart her journey by picking out 10 key tracks that have served as defining milestones in her musical career. It’s a fascinating exploration through time, genres, and inspiration that illuminates the path she’s traveled.

So, let’s dive into the soundscape of Jo Sims, tracing the echoes that have shaped her sonic identity and culminated in the vibrant, genre-blending creativity we hear today.

Jo Sims on Pamela Records Bass -The Final Frontier

Meet Jo Sims: The Artist Bridging Jazz Roots with Psychedelic Electronic Music.

Hello! My name is Jo Sims. I write, engineer, produce and perform my own music. I started off as a vocalist, singing jazz and blues, and then went on to produce my own compositions. I have now moved away from singing on my own tracks, to producing music that feels different to anything I have done before. This new direction feels exciting and fresh, and I am enjoying it immensely. It invokes and combines all my favourite genres of electronic music and trip hop with a psychedelic twist.

Artist outline on new release: Bass – The Final Frontier.

This EP on Pamela Records consists of four tracks. The title track ‘Bass – The Final Frontier’ is an 80’s influenced synth-pop dance floor chugger, catchy and fun. The remix by David Holmes is a slightly slower affair, with rhythmic and hypnotic synth movements. ‘Demons of Dance’ is an atmospheric monster with a demonic, pulsating bass sound overlaid with melodic gated synth parts. ‘Mumbo Jumbo’ has kind of a retro sci-fi feel, with a very old Prophet synth sound running through it and movie dialogue samples from City of the Dead, all set to a laid-back break beat style rhythm.

New Order – Blue Monday.

This is the first record I bought for myself, and I still have it. It is such a classic and has influenced everything I have produced, musically. Sound-wise it still stands head and shoulders above many newer records.

Depeche Mode – Enjoy The Silence.

Another classic record from what have evolved to be my favourite band of all time. The lyrics to this are to me, intensely emotional and starkly honest. I could list so many tracks by this band that have influenced me in so many different ways. This is just one of many.

Underworld – Rez/Cowgirl.

This record, for me, seemed to break the mould of what dance music had become at that time. They only ever performed this live – the amalgamation of Rez and Cowgirl and whenever they did it, the crowd went CRAZY. Every time I listen to it, even now, it brings back the feeling of hearing it live, of being there.

The Aloof – Infatuated.

This track means so much to me as it marked the point where I started to learn how to operate a proper studio. I did vocals on this track, which were supposed to be backing vocals but ended up being a kind of duet with Ricky Barrow.

Dorothy’s Ghost – Never Said Goodbye

This track was the first I did under the pseudonym Dorothy’s Ghost. It was signed to a small label called Electric Sheep, who are sadly now defunct. I wrote, engineered, performed and produced everything on this – the first time I had done so on a release.

Dorothy’s Ghost – Once Upon A Time (Sour Grapes Remix).

This was a remix by Sour Grapes of another track I had out on Electric Sheep that kind of went under the radar. I love what he did with this track, the weirdness, the trippy overlays and the ambient nature of it.

Simsy & Jonesy – Cut My Losses and Run.

This track was one that I wrote many years ago, but only came to fruition during lockdown when I decided to lose the Dorothy’s Ghost moniker and did some studio work with a friend of mine called Tommy Jones. He produced this version and I engineered and performed all the instrumentation except for the cornet. I had recorded my dad on cornet for this before he died so we used those recordings on this. My dad was a jazz musician and well known in his field. When I started performing aged fifteen it was with him and his jazz band, so having this piece of music that I have written, finished with him on it means so much to me. It has a very different feel to all the electronic music in my portfolio.

Dicky Continental – ‘Split (feat. Jo Sims)’.

I have been friends with Rich Thair for many years and he called and asked if I would do some vocals for a new record he was doing. Of course I said yes! Rich is so talented. He is the drummer in Red Snapper and is a successful producer in his own right. He sent me some music and I sent him back some vocals and this is what he came up with. It is one of two tracks on his album ‘Un’ which is out on Acid Jazz Records.

Dicky Continental – ‘Make Them Disappear (feat. Jo Sims)’.

This is the second track with Rich on his album ‘Un’ and was the first single released from it. It is out on Acid Jazz Records and has done quite well – it has had radio play on BBC Radio 6 where it was Huey Morgan’s record of the week.

Jo Sims – Bass, The Final Frontier.

This record means so much to me. I made the title track during lockdown when the novelty of quiet streets and clean air had worn off and I just wanted to cheer myself up. There were no live events or gigs happening and we didn’t know when or if we would ever be able to go back to that – everything seemed so bleak. I wanted to make a track that was fun and made me want to dance. The other three tracks I did for this EP were a natural progression from that but were made after lockdown eased up. I produced them all myself. My mission was to make an EP that was very listenable that will stand the test of time and I think I have achieved that – it is a solid piece of work that has a lot of love built into it and I am very happy with it.

A few final words by us.

Thanks for joining us on this unique journey through Jo Sims’ musical inspirations and milestones. We hope you enjoyed the ride, discovering the pivotal tracks that shaped her sound. Now that you’ve gotten a peek into Jo’s musical universe, be sure to explore her fresh EP ‘Bass – The Vinyl Frontier‘. Follow Jo on her social media platforms and Spotify to keep updated on her latest releases and upcoming performances. Remember, every play, share, and follow supports an artist – keep the music alive!

Tagged as: 10 Tracks, Interview, Jo Sims, Pamela Records, Q&A.

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Kono Vidovic

DJ | MUSIC CURATOR & SELECTOR | PODCAST MAKER | BLOGGER Professional online interpreneur. Coffee practitioner. Electronic music culture maven. Total music guru. Infuriatingly humble problem solver. Food & sports fanatic.

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