The non-binary artist discovered their true identity with help from novelist Sarah Waters. Now, they’re spreading a mission of self-acceptance to a euphoric disco beat
When
India Jordan came out as gender non-binary last year, the world brightened. “I’ve been hard on myself all of my life,” the musician says. They write a diary to work against “negative self-talk”, and say that it’s only in the last few years that they’ve tried to practise self-care. It seems to be working: the last few years have also seen them deliver some of the UK’s most joyful dance tracks, rays of light through a clubland dominated by darker, harder techno.
After winding down their new age and ambient event and record label, New Atlantis, in 2018, Jordan cranked up the beats-per-minute count. Last year’s solo EP, Dnt Stp My Lv, and a collaborative release with Manchester-based producer Finn, HURL/FURL, saw Jordan dip into the ’ardcore sherbet: both releases softly fizz with sweetness, as
UK garage, happy hardcore and bassline – sounds that first pulsed out of Jordan’s headphones on the school bus – meet disco and the “filter house” sound made famous by Daft Punk and Stardust’s
music Sounds Better With You. This month, Jordan releases a second solo EP, For You: a self-addressed collection of tracks that, in part, reflect on their queerness.