Profound Sound is one of the most exciting events companies and record labels Newcastle has to offer the Garage and House scene. With a team made up of three graduates who began the endeavour in their second year, the events and music they’ve delivered have only continued to grow. Despite sets from the likes of Tommy Villiers and Skeptic under their belt they’ve managed to remain community based and loyal to the music amidst a scene that may favour diluting your brand. I interviewed co-owner Jack Sweetbaum to find out where their passion comes from and how he became involved.
by Blind in One Ear, Deaf in One Eye
Asking Jack, otherwise known as his pseudonym ‘Hyphen’, about his entrance point to garage and running Profound Sound made the hunger behind the brand clear to me. ‘I’ve always loved music, I just never thought about it as a viable path’ he explained. This was true until his move to university in 2020 placed him in what he referred to as ‘a different world.’ He continued to express, ‘When I was seventeen I’d snuck into a few clubs but I’d never experienced going to places like World Headquaters or seeing my favourite DJs live. For me, after going to events in Newcastle I was inspired.’
Before the idea for an events company, Jack’s own musical pursuit had placed him in the scene already. ‘I DJ’d and I used to MC a bit too. I’m glad I did that because it set me aside from other DJs.’ While it may have given him a unique selling point, importantly this is also where his name came to be. ‘Me and my mate Barney would make a load of music. For some reason when we’d name songs I’d always use a Hyphen in there to make it seem cool. You know what though, it kind of works’ he laughed. Even though he eventually moved away from the mic, opting wholly to be a DJ, the Hyphen stuck with him into the next phase.
by Blind in One Ear, Deaf in One Eye
Beginning Profound Sound was an all or nothing operation. ‘I didn’t want to start off going the traditional route of being a rep for an events company, I wanted to really give it a go’ he informed me, so that’s exactly what he did. Jack approached Will Holyoake, who had been his best friend since they were eight, in June of 2021 with the idea. At this point they didn’t have anything more than the concept but after getting their friend Will Hand onboard, the trio was set up and the status quo was about to change.
‘I guess until we came up with something concrete it wasn’t always going to be life changing’ he reflected. The idea was finally solidified after going through a lot of trial and error, turning away names like ‘BuzzBox.’ ‘I’m claiming the name. I remember it was a lightbulb moment, like “oh, it actually works!” Jack told me. The logo came shortly after when they were inspired by a comparison a friend of theirs made between two animated DJing jellyfish from the Dreamwork’s film ‘Shark Tale’ and Jack and Will Holyoak.
Having now hosted multiple events across Newcastle in venues such as Cosmic Ballroom, Studio, Revolution de Cuba and more, it is evident that they are becoming a staple in the nightlife of the city. Given the reputation of Newcastle’s nights out, one may expect running an event here to be an easier task in some respect as there’s always people to play to. However, with students, locals and visitors alike all known to frequent the Toon any day of the week, how does one go about setting themselves apart from the rest of the city? Jack asserts that ‘Everyone goes out a lot but not everyone is going to events’, drawing a distinction between ‘general clubbers’ and ‘event goers’ in his words. Profound Sound in response to this aim singularly at the event goers in order to cater to those who truly care for what they’re doing as a brand.
by Blind in One Ear, Deaf in One Eye
‘For us, the headliners haven’t sold the tickets. It’s the community feel of Profound Sound. We’ve extended our passion onto a load of people who become somewhat involved. Whether thats them coming to all the events, playing for us once, releasing a song on our label or by being a rep. There’s a real community sense and that’s what we feel has sold us most tickets.’
This perspective is beneficial for building loyalty and relationships with those around them, yet is absolutely necessary to stand apart and be financially viable despite their great lineups and music. Jack explained ‘I don’t think that in Newcastle, especially compared to a lot of other cities around the UK, the DJ you put on a lineup pulls.’ Despite this, he couldn’t emphasise enough how Profound have remained music orientated throughout. ‘We’ve never wanted people at our events off the back of us promoting cheap drinks and tickets. We want them here for the music because we’re a music centred brand.’ By building a community then, word of mouth sells their tickets as they continue to ignore an industry standard and push for events here focused on talented names from the scene around the UK.
by Blind in One Ear, Deaf in One Eye
Questions about the future of the brand were met with a range of ideas and with more events coming soon in 2024 there’s a lot to be excited about when it comes to Profound Sound. The focus on music certainly won’t dwindle any time soon either, with Jack notifying me ‘I would like to incorporate artists that rap and sing, combine them with everyone else on our roster that’s a DJ and producer. I think thats the future of garage music.’ Accompanying plans of more pre-parties, bigger events, quality merchandise and more with a forward thinking care for the state of garage and house music, Profound Sound may be the safe hands that Newcastle’s scene needs.
Listen to Profound Sound here: https://soundcloud.com/profoundsound1 and follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_profoundsound/ to keep up to date with events.
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