– Jimi Jaxon
DD Hi there, how’s the day going?
A I’m doing alright, it’s been a busy day and I think I’ve caught a cold so I’m feeling a little rough. Right now I’m in Krakow attending the fantastic Unsound festival for an entire week – it’s been pretty amazing and intense so far!
DD OooO who do you HAVE to see?
A So far there’s been some really amazing concerts so far, but I’m really looking forward to the weekend with artists like Morphosis, Model 500, Andy Stott, Addison Groove, and Machinedrum!
DD Those are some awesome peeps. I just worked the Decibel Festival show for Machinedrum a little while back, you are in for a treat.
A I saw him play a few months ago already actually, at an outdoor festival, so I’m really curious to experience it in a relatively small venue.
DD “Make My Blood Red” is a favorite of mine on Soundcloud, what first got you interested in producing and what’s your creative process been like, getting to this point?
A I started producing a little when I was in university, I had a few courses on electronic music, and while I probably had a better grasp on technical stuff back then, I had no clue how to actually structure a song well, and most of my stuff was just experiments. I got more seriously back into producing over the last couple of years when I started DJing more and more, plus I helped start this Polish bass music label called Concrete Cut, which got me even more involved and excited in producing my own tracks. I think my evolution as a producer has been really slow actually because I don’t actually spend a lot of time making tracks, I usually just get a specific idea and sit down and do it. I’m never going to be one of those people with hundreds and thousands of unreleased tracks on my computer! But I’m comfortable with my way of working.
DD What kind of productions are you working on now?
A Right now I’m working on a couple remixes for some different labels, and I have some plans for new material that will probably stay in the more jukey rhythms of “Make My Blood Red”. But admittedly I also want to really work on material for Shoju, another project of mine where we do more ambient/post-dubstep/electronica/techno sounding stuff. We hope to release some new stuff by the end of the year. I hope it will blow everyone’s minds, haha.
DD I sure hope it does! Any last words?
A Thanks for listening and I invite everyone to check out my blog as well – HerBeats.com – all about women in electronic music! Byeeeeee :]
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Take Care –
Jimi Jaxon
DD Hi. What are you up to right now?
DFRNT Right now, I’m preparing 3 new EPs for Cut records – from three different producers. I’m also setting up a number of new EPs for Echodub, as well as a rather special Echodub project which I’m not going to divulge just yet.
As for my own production. I’m creating plenty stuff, in a variety of shapes and sizes, and I’m thinking about tying some of it together in an album (which I might be searching for a label to release), as well as some EPs. I’ve got one or two digital releases lined up on other labels, a 12″ forthcoming on On The Edge, and hopefully the follow up 12″ to my Nu Directions “Emotional Response” EP should surface soon, with the Jus Wan remix on it.
I’d say things are looking OK for now, but I’d like to find a label keen to put out my more housier tracks – but I’ve yet to really do a lot of promotion on that side of things.
I’m also cutting down on DJing, because I’m getting a bit sick of it. I feel like the gigs I do – only half the audience or less tend to “get it” and I don’t like the exposure of being on a stage behind the decks – I’d rather DJ from behind a wall, and have people pay more attention to the music than just wanting some mindless beat to dance to – I think there’s room for improvement in the way we consume music in clubs and bars. Bigger faster and louder are not necessarily better.
DD What to you is a main characteristic of your style?
DFRNT I’d like to think it was emotion, but that’s not entirely exclusive to me. I like to use plenty of synths, and I like to keep things smooth and well rounded.
DD Do you feel like your introduction to electronic music was meant to happen? Did it feel especially memorable or was it a slow developing kind of relationship?
DFRNT I feel like I probably got in to the sounds of electronic music because as a child, my dad used to play Tangerine Dream records for me – I loved the fact that they kind of freaked me out at the time, and it meant that when I started properly listening to electronic stuff, it was a natural thing – I didn’t think about the fact that some people might not consider it “proper music” or whatever. I have progressed through various genres, and ultimately my tastes are changing all the time, but electronic stuff has always seemed to be a mainstay of my library.
DD What’s been an encouraging interaction you’ve had with a fan of yours?
DFRNT It’s hard to say – I have a few people get in touch and wish me well – and it’s always nice to hear how my music is enjoyed by people. It was really nice to meet some folks while over in the USA on my short tour. There were people coming to my gigs and saying how much they were in to my productions, old and new – and it’s always very rewarding to think about how far and widespread these people are – yet they’ve all somehow heard of me. It blows my mind from time to time. Someone once made me a t-shirt with my logo on it too – hand-wrote me a letter and posted me a shirt. I still wear it to my gigs sometimes!
DD Plans going into 2012?
DFRNT Well I’m planning to relocate to New York City in around 6-8 months, which I think will give me a much needed refresher in terms of music and production, as well as inspirations and peers. I’m really looking forward to that.
Before then I’ll hopefully have a few releases, and see what happens with the DJing thing.
I’ve not really had time to sit and relax and really think long and hard about the way things are going. Some days I feel like I should just stop and pack it all in – start fresh with a new alias, and see what happens. Other days I think about giving all of my music away for free, and sometimes I just think “wait a bit longer and maybe something good will happen” who knows.
DD A few of your favorite songs of all time?
DFRNT Sasha – Bloodlock
Roots Manuva – Movements
Pete Rock & CL Smooth – Back On The Block (DJ Krush Remix)
A Made Up Sound – Rear Window
Most music made by Doves
Aimost everything Quantec has produced
Any of the Rhythm & Sound tracks
Leftfield – El Cid
There’s loads more!! The list is endless!!
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Thank you DFRNT. I’ll leave you with his track “Suspended In The Deep”. Here’s his comment on it…
“I urge you to listen to the whole thing for the proper experience.”
DFRNT on Soundcloud & Facebook
– Jimi Jaxon
I feel the bar has been raised here at Disco Droppings with the sounds of Liar. Member of the forward thinking label G5 music, out of Russia. Label mates include Maguett, Damscray and Nocow. To hear more from G5, head over to their Soundcloud and/or Facebook
DD If you ever feel you’re writing a story with your music, what’s it about?
L How much space do you have on your site? :]]] There’s a story to almost everything, from my very moniker, to EPs and albums, to individual songs. All upcoming releases that are in the works, including the nearest one, “Lichborn”, are concept albums in some shape or form. “Lichborn” is a story of my external life, for the past year, told through the analogy of an archmage’s gradual ascension to lichdom. Yet-to-be-announced Farver offering will be an account of my internal life, told through a broken analogy with chess. The sequel to Lichborn on G5 Music will be, for all respects and purposes, a true sequel, both in sonics and in narrative. And ultimately, my debut album, 2 years in the making, tentatively titled “Spirewards”, forthcoming on Origami Sound, will be a concept album in the most traditional sense: a literal account of a series of dreams I’ve been having for the past 4 years… dreams that connect, and have an inner canon, setting, and mythology… and other than “being aired out of order”, have steadily been placing a fairly contiguous story into my lap. A story that will be put to many uses, music being only the first of them.
DD “Stay Together (Liar’s ‘Changing Heaven’ Mix)” really stands out for me. The way it jumps around is really refreshing and challenging. How did you come across Averos?
L I didn’t. Herne of Origami Sound did. Then he came across me. And at one point he played me “Stay Together” in person. I literally jolted upright and adamantly demanded a remix slot on the spot. And I got it. :]]] What followed was a time of two weeks of listening to the song continuously until I could play it in my head and until the words started to sound like how I titled my mix. And from that little psychoacoustic glitch, the whole remix sprung into existence, first just in my mind, and soon after in audible form.
DD What would you like to be known for?
L Firstly, NOT gimmicks and NOT being a sound-alike. Ugh. Which is why is steer clear of workflows that would engender either. I have quite the rigorous philosophy to my music-making… every element is crafted with purpose, and to perfection. There’s very little left to chance or preset-jamming. I’m a pop songwriter, a proverbial rockstar, a basshead, a technical compendium, a beatsmith, an avid sound designer, a temperamental composer, an ex-junglist and a nerdy studio engineer all rolled into one. My very mindset is controlled – I always try to remove myself from my comprehensive musical cognition and write in a bubble. Even while asleep… I’ve gotten good at triggering lucid dreaming. And the rewards from that are hundredfold, with both lucid and nonlucid dreams gifting me so many almost complete songs, bubblewrap and bowtie and the works. :]] Even every tangential thing to music, from titles to supporting text to artwork, is important to me. So, in short, i guess what i am and what i’m going to be know for is “a control freak”. :]]
But I’d like to be know as that guy who literally makes dream music. Because I literally do.
(Also, the creepy cousin of G5 Music and the lambent rockstar of Origami Sound, cause that’s what I literally am in each of the two families. :0 )
DD When you’re not making music, what other interets occupy your time?
L (Skype – not an interest, not an occupation, but demonstrably the biggest timehog in my life)
Listening to music of course.
Although both timeframes of not making music and my interest in other things beside it are rapidly diminishing by the day… But otherwise i’m a cultural sponge. I don’t tend to miss any movie, be it arthaus or blockbuster, don’t tend to miss anything on US/UK TV, be it prime-time or cult… I almost don’t miss any videogame, in fact games are a huge inspirational and sampling resource for me. With books… I’ve sort of fallen behind on that… I’ve read quite of bit in the past, everything from classical and political phylosophy through post-modern fiction to Harry Potter. Nowadays I only thumb through my old Asimov books on the john. Additionally, all-too-common Web 2.0 addictions pepper my everyday.
A weekly delight is my quality time with my soul-mate and muse.
And of course there’s the odd period of abject hedonistic excess.
DD Where will Liar be heading for the rest of 2011 into 2012?
L Into “the studio”, i.e. my well-equipped loft bedroom. I have somewhat like 6 releases in mind until the end of this school year, plus I have several mastering assignment on my plate coming up. I will undoubtedly only be able to cram in like… half of this, but that’s good enough I guess. Vinyl is a big objective. My debut LP is a big objective. After that, hopefully starting to tour in midsummer 2012.
DD Last words?
L Never.
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On Soundcloud and Facebook
– Jimi Jaxon
dd 