DD: Are you a sly fellow? Your artist name has some sass to it.
Quite a hard question. The name started out as something people could easily remember. It was that or styleblenders. To go back to your question. I’m the kind of guy that normally is good with people (kinda like the good neighbor next door). But when I’ve had a glass or two who knows what’s going to happen.
DD: What kind of mindset do you feel you’re currently in? How does this affect your new productions?
My music is based on three things:
Love for the drums: Since I was 16 I started collecting drumbreaks (when I seriously influenced by Hip Hop). Now I have about 3gig with just breaks and drum loops. When you get older you start to listen to more electronic music. And so I started to collect samples of Drummachines. With the help from some Synth enthusiasts I have over 50 drumcomputers sampled. Last week I was listening to all my old productions and I quickly realized that almost none of my productions is really 4/4. I think this will not change in the future, the only thing I’m doing right now is creating drums with my modular gear and layer that with the drum computers or breaks.
Synths: I always wanted to have synths, a good friend of mine (and good producer) Olaf rubens told me not to buy them. Instead he advised me to work with plugins. I was stubborn and bought a Microkorg several weeks later. But didn’t do much with it because you don’t have enough control buttons and its not well arranged. So 2 years ago I bought my first (semi) Modular synth the Korg Ms 20 and it didn’t stop there. Now I have 3 modular synths (old and rare ones) and I’m waiting for a new modular synth (Only 50 will be made and I’ll have nr 16).
Nostalgia: My older brother had 2 big cases of cassettes and cd’s. Mostly hip hop but also a lot of rock (punk to metal) and some good DNB and electro. This was a good start for me. Now I search a lot of 60-70-early 80’s music, I always have the feeling that music was better in those days. Maybe because now there’s a lot of mainstream crap on the radio and nothing is really fresh these days. A great example of this is the first acid track made in Bombay 1982..
In the future I will have 2 pseudonyms, one as Dirtytrickz and the other will be analog. I already have some ideas and half tracks (even names for the pseudonym and names for the tracks). To do it right it will take me a couple of years to finish several tracks because making analog music is hard work.
DD: What’s the best show you’ve ever seen?
It would be Kraftwerk @ pukkelpop and Soulwax (Soulwaxmas in Paris).
DD: oh mannnnnnn! How about the best advice you’ve been given as an artist?
Don’t rush things, take your time to develop. Be creative but don’t forget to be productive!
DD: Final words? It’s been a nice pleasure.
Yeah some shoutouts to: Dieter D’hulster (He’s my dj compagnon together we’re called Jack 2 jack) He was always the first who supported me and I wouldn’t be this far without him! Sven Dobbels, made me believe in the power of analog gear and learned me the basics of dj’ing. Also gave me a different point of view about music. Michael Verscheure (aka Mr Clean) I played my first vinyl record at his place when I was 15, this is where it all began. And Olaf Rubens for teaching me how to produce music.
I’m forever grateful to all these guys.
Dirtytrickz on Soundcloud
– Jimi Jaxon
dd 