Artist Introduction
What’s your name and where are you from?
Aristoski & Jacques Dingle, both from West Yorkshire, UK.
What’s the story behind your stage name?
Aristoski is a crudely Polish-fied homage to the philosopher Aristotle. A tribute to my Polish roots and focus on deep thought lyrics that try to go beyond common rap themes. Jacques Dingle originates from a salt-of-the-Earth character from A Yorkshire soap opera (Zak Dingle) and honours his humble northern background. Whilst Jacques, an aristocratic French name, refers to the philosophical and sophisticated nature of the music he makes.
Describe your musical journey in three sentences.
Always written bars for fun and had a deep passion for all genres of music. Spent years as a feature and chasing to be on tracks, finally took the decision to make solo stuff during an epiphany when I was pretty sick. Now I live a mundane 9 to 5 by day, undercover wordsmith by night existence and constantly balance answering to the boss whilst being the boss of the music I make.
Fan Engagement
Share an interesting experience you had while creating your latest track.
When we were both brainstorming ideas and the ‘Lucky 7’ theme came about, it was almost like a self fulfilling prophecy; once you start to notice patterns of numbers you will see them everywhere. It almost seemed like these signs and sequences were presenting themselves to us for the track and after that, the verses just wrote themselves. Also, shout out to my cat who always seemed to find his way into the recording booth or managed to plonk himself right on the laptop. Always shied away when I gave him the mike though…
What message do you want to convey through your music?
Committed to a focus on solid flow, interesting themes and thoughtful wordplay. We want rappers to know they don’t have to talk about the same old topics that can dominate the genre. Say something different.
Behind the Music
Tell us about a challenge you faced during production and how you overcame it.
I (Aristoski) currently live in Cairo, Egypt whilst Jacques Dingle is in Madrid, Spain. J.Crackstar features and he’s in the UK. You can imagine the challenges when making a track across two continents. And as much as I love living here, internet upload speeds mean it can take hours to upload anything…all part of the fun.
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?
The late MF DOOM (RIP) would be the obvious choice. However a recent gig watching RA The Rugged Man, his energy and the way he rocked the crowd was insane- would love to be a part of something like that.
Future Aspirations
Where do you see your music taking you in the next year?
In a parallel universe we’re thinking world tour and rocking out stadiums. Back on planet Earth, if our music reaches a wider audience and we gain some fans who appreciate the music then that would be a win. Wherever it goes, we’re just having fun.
What’s the next big step for you as an artist?
We’re both completely content with where we are at the moment and really enjoy the process of making music. Anything after that, such as more collaborations or live performances, are a bonus.
Recent Work & Contact Info
What is the best way to contact you if fans want to give feedback or if other artists/producers want to collaborate?
Email aristoski.uk@gmail.com, or contact either Jacques Dingle or Aristoski via DM on Instagram.
