In 2023, I released an article on my top 10 Boiler Room sessions from the past year. You can read that article here and while I need to get that list running again since I didn’t release one for 2024, I’ve been fortunate to see some artists live from that first list.
This includes X CLUB., an Australian born, UK based techno duo comprised of Jesse Morath & Ben Clarke. Usually, I have to wait for these shows to come to Vancouver, but that wasn’t the case this time as X CLUB. brought their sound to Victoria’s Capital Ballroom on February 7th, 2025.
Rocktographer’s had a chance to speak with duo before their Vancouver Island debut, where they talk about their first Boiler Room set at AVA Festival in Belfast, the creation process for their songs, how Fosters Beer isn’t what it seems, Kangaroos, and what’s next for the duo.
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Welcome to Victoria. How are you liking your time in the city so far?
Jesse Morath: It’s been pretty cruising, man. Honestly, we haven’t seen too much. We got in quite late, so we’ve just been relaxing, walking around, seeing the sights. But it’s been pretty, it’s been cruisy really. Cruisy.
Ben Clarke: Yeah. We haven’t seen too much here, but I like what we’ve seen. It seems calm, everything collected mostly, but it seems like it kind of, it gives me like tourist, but also like, I don’t know, calm city vibes. It doesn’t seem like too intense here.
Is it reminiscent of Victoria, Australia at all?
JM: Well not in that sense. Victoria in Australia is a whole state, so it’s huge. There’s multiple cities which maybe be similar, you know?
BC: Yeah. But definitely quite different. Like when we were flying in, seeing all the palm trees and stuff, it’s like totally very like Northwestern Atlantic. It’s so different to like the south area of Australia where it’s all, it’s hot in Victoria most of the time.
JM: But it’s cool to be somewhere named the same.
My first time recognizing you two was from your Boiler Room set at AVA festival in 2023. That set looked insane, and I just want to ask about the atmosphere of that show. Like how did it feel?
JM: It’s cool man! I mean that festival was a big one for Belfast in Northern Ireland. It’s a huge festival over there and that Boiler Room especially is pretty iconic, so it was amazing. Yeah. There with all our homies. Evan (KETTAMA) was also playing that same day before us. It was crazy ride man. Obviously like our first Boiler Room too. So, it was kind of nerve wracking for us, but also really sick.
Let’s talk about your track, Block Rockin’. Great song with a ton of energy. Can you tell me a bit about the thought that went into that song?
JM: Honestly, we write so much music all the time and we sample a lot of music as well. We do a lot of sampling of vocals, chords, parts, everything and Block Rockin with Chemical Brothers sample and we just started to realize it worked in that kind of techno world. So when we kind of landed on the track and finished it, we realized it was something good and the energy is really good in that song. So, I mean, when we were playing it out in sets, we realized it worked really well.
BC: I think the vocal sample really makes it like it was a song to start with but then it just, you know, it just needed some sort of vocal moment to connect with the crowd and I think that just fits so perfectly. The original sample is from something really old. Chemical Brothers also sampled it. That’s how we found it. But yeah, it was the perfect fit. it’s such a hard vocal sample.
It really is. You both tend to use pretty hard samples, including for your newest song, Frankie Knuckles. Tell me a bit more about that track.
JM: It’s honestly king of similar with this sample. We were looking through just vocals, like fun things and vocals with a similar kind of vibe. And we found this vocal by Mike Dunn and there was like a bunch of sample packs that he had done or like a bunch of vocals and that one kind of just like worked in this kind of rental that we had.
BC: Yeah, I feel like usually we have an idea once we find a vocal sample, that will kind of then bring the Rest of the song.
JM: Yeah, totally. It’ll kind of dictate kind of how it’s done.
BC: We found this one, which I think was a track by Mike Dunn, where he’s just talking about legends of house, Frankie Knuckles in particular. And I’m like, oh this is sick. There’s so much in this that could fit this vibe and definitely because that song is more of a house leading song.
JM: Totally and Frankie Knuckles, especially all the Chicago house scenes have been inspiration for us and how we make music, so kind of makes sense to put out a track like that, you know?
Now it’s time for Yay or Nay: Australian Edition. I’m gonna say something and you give it a yay or a nay.
XC: Sounds good!
First one: Fosters
JM: Nay, nay. A hundred percent nay.
BC: It’s a misconception that we like it
JM: No one drinks Fosters in Australia. Legit. No One.
BC: You actually barely see it.
Woah, is it a media lie?
JM: It’s a media lie. It’s an Australian marketing thing I suppose you see like over here and the UK but it’s a marketing thing.
BC: There’s so much better beer in Australia and one in particular is called Victoria Bitter. That’s VB. It’s the best beer.
JM: For real, its like the most iconic, Victoria Bitter.
Fucking eh. Next up: Marmite
JM: Nay
BC: No, I not really into it.
JM: Vegemite, that’s the Australian one.
BC: I’m not really into either.
JM: I like Vegemite but not Marmite.
BC: Feels like it’s very divisive.
Next: Kangaroos.
JM: Yay. they’re awesome.
BC: They’re sick. They’re weirdly built.
JM: They’re scary and also mysterious.
BC: I feel like Australia’s unique identity comes from how unique the wildlife is and kangaroos are perfect of that. Nothing on the planet is like those things and they don’t fight.
JM: Yeah. The way they act in their instinct is crazy. They’re a fucking amazing animal. So definitely yay!
Final one: Mallrat
JM: Yay. She’s from Brisbane and I mean she’s always been doing cool shit to be honest in the Australian scene. There’s a lot of cool pop music coming out of Australia but there’s also a lot of the same shit.
BC: I respect, Yay.
What can we look forward to for X CLUB. in 2025?
JM: Ah, so big releases. There’s some really good music that we’re excited to release. Also our next Boiler Room, which is coming out very soon and it’s a really big one because after AVA, which was the first round, this one was filmed at home in Sydney and I think it was the biggest room they’ve done, like 20,000 People. So that’s gonna come out. We’re really excited about it and that set will be displaying a lot of new music.
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Their new Boiler Room set from Sydney has since released and you can find it below.
Finally, a huge thank you to Jesse & Ben for speaking with me, Blueprint Events and Midnight Project for making the interview possible, and Katie Brynjolfson for providing us with some incredible photos.