Drum & Bass DJ, Jess Rhodes, chats to Remix about her iconic opportunity with McDonald’s remixing the legendary ‘Make it click’ jingle
For decades, the legendary ‘Make it click’ jingle has been more than just a catchy tune - it’s been a soundtrack to Kiwi road trips and a cultural touchstone, reminding Kiwi’s to stay safe on the roads. Now, this nostalgic anthem is getting a modern revamp (a remix if you will), courtesy of rising drum & bass sensation Jess Rhodes. Already, Jess has made waves in the Aotearoa music scene, performing at well-known festivals and local parties. But her latest gig? Remixing one of Aotearoa’s most beloved McDonald’s tunes, turning it into a reimagined anthem set to dominate the upcoming summer season.
Can you tell us about your journey into music and what inspired you to become a DJ?
I’ve been really interested in electronic music for ages since I was probably 11. And then in high school, I started going to house parties and stuff and people there were DJing and I was like, oh my God, that’s so cool! Surely if they can do it, I can do it as well. And so I saved up my money, brought decks, and then just started practising, literally every day at home, much to my parents' horror. All through lockdown as well, that's all I did. I was only 17 when I bought decks, so I couldn't even go out to clubs or anything. And then once I turned 18, lockdown had just finished and I managed to suss myself a gig and pretty much ever since then it's been non-stop. It's been the wildest ride.
How’d you get involved with McDonald’s and how’d the opportunity come about for you to remix the iconic ‘Make it click’ jingle?
It was very unexpected. It came about after I had announced my New Year's shows like RnV and I very unexpectedly got a call from them. I had to sign an NDA and everything, which was crazy. I was like, What is this? I’ve never done anything like this before. And when they told me what it was about I was like, this sounds so fun. I’m in! It’s going to be crazy. It’s already evolved so much from when we first chatted, it was like, oh, we’re thinking of doing this, and now it's a massive campaign.
The ‘Make it click’ jingle and TV ad is considered one of New Zealand’s most memorable TV ads…. How do you feel being the DJ to bring this legendary memory back to life?
Yeah, it's nuts. I’ve been thinking about this since they first asked me, and I’m just like, how is this even happening? It’s such an honour. It's crazy. It’s so iconic and such an honor to be the face of it and it is something I’m gonna be bragging about to my future children for sure, for the rest of my life.
Can you give us some insight into the creative process?
The timeline to produce the remix was very tight, but I was really lucky to work with a great producer to ensure we would create the remix on time. We sat down one day and just word-vomited a bunch of ideas. It only took about an hour to be honest, to get a really rough outline and from there we had to go back and forth with the creative team asking, do you like this? What do we need to change? And then go back and do it. It was very back and forth. Drum and bass can be really intense, even I hate some of it. So we had to be so careful not to go too far into that world and scare people off. It was quite a balancing act. I was worried about that, but I think we managed to pull it off.
How do you think the remixed jingle will take-over Aotearoa’s summer experience this season?
I hope it'll be the roadie anthem for Summer 2024/25 and people listen to it on the way to the festies or going to their holiday destinations and stuff. I think it'll be a nice light-hearted reminder to be safe on the roads. You know, wear your seatbelt, put your phone on, do not disturb, that sort of thing. So it's fun but it also has a good message as well.
Do you have any other exciting events or promotional activities lined up with McDondald’s for the summer season?
I’ll be playing the remix in my set at RnV, so we’ll get some pretty cool footage of that. We are playing the remix during my set at RnV, so we’ll get some pretty cool footage of that. We’re doing some stuff with George FM, I think as well. And a documentary, road to rhythm thing, which ties in perfectly with what we’re doing.
What else does Jess Rhodes have in the pipeline for the summer season?
At the moment, I’m just doing Northern Bass and RnV, two of the big ones, which will take a lot of my energy. I think I’ll smash out those, the best that I can and then have a little bit of a rest. (29th Northern - driving down to Gisborne 31st RnV)
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