As a special promo for this fine show, I’ve got 2 free tickets to give away! First 2 people to send me an email (iamdjphantom@gmail.com) get em, you gotta be 21!
x
– Jimi Jaxon
Archives for the month of: July, 2011
The music in this video was edited by Max Bent, it’s also up for listening on the Disco Droppings Soundcloud. A wonderful composer who collaborates with film and video producers. He’s got this nifty website called Max Makes Music.
INTERVIEW
DD: Your music has wonderful depth to it, how are you Max?
MB: Thank you. I am well, thank you. Trying to keep it all together. =)
DD: How’s the electronic community over in Baltimore?
MB: Baltimore is a very interesting place for electronic music. Some important artists known outside Baltimore: Dan Deacon, Animal Collective, Rye Rye.
I mention these three artists to demonstrate the spectrum we have in Baltimore. Dan Deacon is dope and goes wayyyy back. He’s been making electronic music forever (I’m seriously not sure how long) and has been a major catalyst for live music in Baltimore, including events like Whartscape. Animal Collective is a good torch bearer for the “live electronic band.” Although it might be an over-simplification to describe Animal Collective as an electronic band, they use electronic instruments in a real unique, powerful way. Rye Rye is an artist on M.I.A.’s label N.E.E.T. and she represents the Baltimore Club/Uptempo rap sound very well and if you haven’t heard of her yet, you will soon. So basically, we have it all, from the experimental sounds of the annual High Zero event, to electronically twisted chamber performances of Mobtown Modern, to the pounding electronic beat of Baltimore Club (check out Rod Lee’s Dance My Pain Away). =)
DD: Where would you say your music is at currently? Is their a consistent sound to you? Where would you like it to head?
MB: Currently as a producer I am focusing on how music and visuals interact. I am taking all the techniques I’ve learned from years of production work and figuring out which are relevant to visual presentations. I do not have a consistent sound so much as a constant intention to bring my music to life. This is accomplished through focusing on the big picture of the overall arrangement and, at the same time, the small details (effect processing, etc.) Ableton Live has proven itself the perfect tool in this task of bringing sounds to life. In the near future I see myself using a lot more hands on manipulation of sounds and creating systems that allow the sounds to live and breathe on their own with occasional “pokes and prods” from the outside…:) If you’re familiar with Ableton Live, I am referring in particular to the use of Racks, which are grouped chains of instruments, effects (both audio and MIDI) and associated controlling parameters. In the past I would spend hours on programming specific intricate details. In the future I will spend hours on discovering where sounds can go when given the chance.
DD: What’s been your best show so far?
MB: I am only now starting to blend the worlds of production and performance. For years I have performed as a beatboxer but I am actually bringing out Ableton Live for the first time…well, live….on March 31st at Sonar in Baltimore. We’re using a session with the songs for the show stored as individual clips, and we’ll have an EQ and a delay on that channel, and also included in the session will be a live drum machine (a drum rack that I’ll be triggering with a trigger finger). So I’m taking a pretty straight forward, low CPU approach, and in rehearsals we’ve had some great results even with this relatively simple system. I hope some folks reading this will join us at Sonar and check out my man Blizzard on stage.
As far as performance spaces in Baltimore, you can actually catch live electronic music at a variety of spots…there aren’t a lot of really good sound systems, though, to be honest. I’ve performed at a lot of venues in Baltimore, but a highlight for me was beatboxing with Matisyahu at Rams Head Live (although I couldn’t hear myself at ALL!!!)
DD: Any last words for the readers? It’s been very nice interviewing you.
MB: Thank you, it’s been a pleasure.
Max Bent on Soundcloud
– Jimi Jaxon
Keeping the sexy alive while you blow things up.
INTERVIEW
DD: New mixtape from Rubix! You are a prolific fellow! Whatchadoin right now?
Producing my next ep right now… hoping to release it somewhere in august.
DD: How’s the gigs and productions been going?
Gigs are going really well… Going to do a tour in france in the near future
DD: What’s helped you hold onto this laidback, groovy style you’ve got going on? It sounds like a nice mindset to be in =)
I was inspired by that old skool house feeling so i’m making some more groovy stuff
http://soundcloud.com/iamrubix
– Jimi Jaxon
DD: For those who aren’t familiar with Rinse.fm how would you describe it? A little while ago I had it on all day while I worked on things, even got a few shoutouts! It’s influencing me more and more, I feel a closeness between the music, DJ’s and listeners.
Rinse is an underground music station broadcasting from London, and it aims to paint a “proper” musical picture of what musical trends are happening on the dancefloors here and also what musical trends are emerging. Its been running for 16 years or so and has just been given a legal fm license so I guess things are really gonna start kicking off from here onwards.
x
DD: Have you done much touring in the U.S.? Ever been to Seattle?
NO!!….I havent!!…(hint hint) lol….but hopefully in the not too distant future I will get the chance to showcase more of my productions and djing sets in the US and Seattle. I get alot of U.S. listeners on my radio show and recent U.S. tours by Roska and Zed Bias show me that there is definitely a market for the music we’re playing/making here.
DD: What keeps you going as an artist? What do you feel is a good approach for young electronic artists who are just starting to push out into the open?
What keeps me going??…..hmmmm?….I cant put my finger on a “thing” because this feels like second nature to me….I get up, brush my teeth…then jump on the Logic. It doesn’t feel like work and you ultimately get a lot of self-satisfaction of seeing something take shape from nothing. My big advice I would give to young electronic artists out there would be to listen to all genres of music…especially if your producing. As you can draw inspiration from different places, but at the same time retain your “self”. Being “unique” is a unique selling point….if that makes sense!
x
DD: Any final words? It’s been an honor to talk with you, much respect!
….ah what?….the end already?!! lool…well big thank you for showing interest in me and my work. Check out my latest work the DUTCH EFFECT EP out now on iTunes and look out for more releases forthcoming this year on my label Houseology.
http://twitter.com/FunkButcher
http://www.facebook.com/FunkButcherHOUSEOLOGY
http://soundcloud.com/funk_butcher
and now tonight..we will go hard!
– Jimi Jaxon
dd 