Somewhere between Tchaikovsky and SOPHIE lie Jockstrap: a London-based duo in their early 20s who blend their classical music training with hyperactive electronics and a crude sense of humour. Taylor Skye and Georgia Ellery met at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where they’re both fourth-year students (following in the footsteps of artists like Mica Levi and Shabaka Hutchings).

They were drawn together when Georgia started sending her piano ballad demos to Taylor for his feedback; when he added his off-kilter production flourishes to her jazz-influenced song structures, it was clear that there was a weird alchemy between them. See “Charlotte”, where the cavernous electronics swirl around Georgia’s haunting topline, and their most recent track “Acid”, which balances lush strings with queasy, distorted vocals.

“Acid” is the first taste of the pair’s upcoming hallucinogenic second EP, and their first for Warp Records. It follows their debut Love is the Key to the City, their subsequent demented remix EP, a feature on Dean Blunt’s Soul on Fire album, an appearance with Damon Albarn’s Africa Express, and a tour with Arizona hip hop trio Injury Reserve. (Somehow, Georgia also had time to appear in the BAFTA-winning 2019 independent film Bait.) With co-signs like that coming from diverse corners of the music industry, it’s clear that Jockstrap don’t only have experimental production and funny videos on their side, but something deeper. They’re writing some of the most original songs around right now. Or, as Georgia puts it, “We just followed The Vibe.”

What issues or causes are you passionate about and why?

Taylor: We care about many things. I meditate. Georgia knits. The mind is powerful and you must take care of it. We had no alcohol on our last tour. We don’t do drugs. We like quiet time and cycling. We don’t listen to music too loud. We wear earplugs. You need to take care of your mind before things go wrong because by that time it’s too late!

Where do you eventually want to get to in your career?

Taylor: If we can get to a place where we can buy our mums a choccy bar and a coffee without worrying about money, I think we’ll be happy! And if after we’ve done that, we can go to the studio with James Blake, that would be it. And tbh... if after we’ve been in the studio with James we can kick it with D’angelo for a bit... that would be ultimate vibes! That’s it.

“If we can get to a place where we can buy our mums a choccy bar and a coffee without worrying about money, I think we’ll be happy!” Taylor, Josckstrap

How has the Coronavirus outbreak affected you, your work, and/or your community?

Georgia: For us, much hasn’t changed. We’re in our respective homes, making beats and strings, sending wetransfers, living scrupulously. But all our tours have been cancelled… and it is scary. Day by day I guess.

What creative or philanthropic project would you undertake with the £10k grant should you win the Dazed 100?  

Georgia: If we could record a symphony orchestra for our next project, that would be GREAT. We have all the classical homies on speed dial, and we have the creative vision. All we need now is Air studios. If it could stretch to recording with the LCO (London Contemporary Orchestra) and putting on a run of shows at the Barbican, that would be a dream.