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New Music – WD4D, Jimi Jaxon and Crebenebez

2019/12/18 //
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Hi there! Hope ya’ll are well. I’ve let this blog chill for a bit while I worked on some other areas, and now I have new productions to share. This past summer I collaborated with my good friend WD4D on a track. We brought our vibes together, this one showcasing more of his ideas and production, giving credit where credit is due. What came through is U Kno, a playful hip-hop tune with local remixes enlisted by Sphyramid and OCnotes. The artwork was done by Seattle local Jesse Danger Dyer, the idea being to create a new creature inspired by WD4D’s and my energies combined. Pins celebrating the release are available now through the Care Package Bandcamp. 

Over the last few years I’ve been experimenting more with creating ambient music. This was in a way centered around making background music that has played quietly on my Hollow Earth Radio Disco Droppings shows each Thursday (5PM-7 PST), and going through a personal grieving process about my mother. Recently I felt that enough material was gathered to turn into a release. I used a picture I took right here in Washington on the ferry as the artwork and had my friend Crebenebez master the 4-track release called Ambience. I would say this is the largest original body of music of my own that I have shared so far. Presented on 7 Deadly Records, the label I operate which joins a varied collection of music. This recently was lifted up by Dave Segal over at The Stranger, who named my EP one of the best local releases of 2019.

The same producer who mastered that ambient journey, Crebenebez, followed that up with an adventurous EP One on the Disco Droppings bandcamp. He is out of Vancouver B.C., friend and collaborator with my label mate Working Class, who is featured on 2 tracks. I am super impressed by the way they presented this release to me fully formed, needing zero constructive critiques on the music. I had one small suggestion laying out the artwork done by James Moore, which was for the most part, already realized. Big cheers to everyone involved with that release and Crebenebez for creating tunes with such vibrancy, and for allowing me to release them.

– Jimi Jaxon

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Project MMXV

2015/12/30 //
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Perfect time for reflection. In case you missed it, we had Disco Droppings first release a few months ago. “MMXV”, Free 7-track + mixed version from Sphyramid. Was able to get some of our friends behind the video, artwork and tunes to share their perspectives..

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Sphyramid, Producer

DD Knowing and working alongside you over the years, this seemed to be your most involved project so far. There were many elements coming together over what ended up being 6 months or so. Now that some time has past since the release in October, how do you reflect on it all?

SPH Well the whole thing is pretty coincidental, it started as a single track and video (Loud Enough). I didn’t have a computer at the time but my roommate was going to Mexico for a month which gave me the opportunity to use his computer to record the rest of the release.

This collection of tracks represents a huge release of negative energy. My father passed away in January of 2014, then I experienced an intense process of betrayal and forgiveness between a lover and a close friend the following October. then in April of 2015, I quit my food service job that I once loved but had become a personal hell. Somehow being driven to my most extreme state of overwhelming despair gave me the courage to look at my self and make that jump to being a creative professional. As soon as I left that mental and physical space of loathing to focusing on my art I received more and more opportunities. I started the video project with Tucker and put the call out for people to help. All of a sudden I realized that I had this huge crew of supportive, loving friends and fans.

I basically spent the remainder of this year fine tuning the tracks, getting them mastered, and corresponding with Alden for the artwork. Now that we are approaching the end of the year its fitting that we look back on “MMXV” because that is exactly what I named it (roman numerals for 2015). This might just be post rationalization, but this project was like some kind of offering to the gods, a sacrifice or something. It’s like saying, “Here take this darkness, I don’t need it anymore. But it has served me well.”

Next year I would like to re-release it as “MMXVI” (2016) with as many vocal edits and remixes as possible. But until I find all my vocalists and get that recorded I will continue my research and development for my next project. “MMXV” was like therapy, but it was also just a snapshot of a year in my life, a collection of ideas that happened to fit together. My next project will be a more cohesive concept album focusing on some more positive and playful feelgood vibes, I think I have earned it :]

 

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Alden Lee, Artwork

DD I was impressed with some of your previous pieces, and pleased to have you on board for artwork. How do you go about creating, and how was it being involved with this project?

AL I sift through magazines looking for anything that catches me eye and cut them out, and those cut-outs go in a bin. When I make something new I spread out all the paper pieces on the floor and see if any of them look good together. If they do, then I add more pieces and go from there.

It was a lot of fun contributing to the MMXV release. The design was inspired by some stills of the video shoot, and I wanted to make something that could key into those mystical and occult elements.

 

Tucker Grindstaff, Video Director

DD I remember being a small part of one of the shooting days for “Loud Enough” over in Everett earlier this year. You were noticeably apt at guiding a sizable group of people through the different scenes in a calm, upbeat way. What did you take from this whole process?

TG The “Loud Enough” video shoot was a party in a bedroom of Sphyramid’s house with all of his friends who were there to have fun, dress up, and get absolutely crazy. All I had to do was tell them when to party in the bedroom and when to eat tater tots to go with their champagne. I couldn’t have done it without my production team, especially Alexander Vincini and Adam Bagley who helped tremendously in wrangling the crowd; really my job was just ensuring that people knew there were tater tots to eat and where the tots were. The end product showed the fun and ‘maniacally smiling from the shadows’ vibe that drew me to Sphyramid’s music in the first place, and in the end I think it was a lesson in how to create an atmosphere that mirrored the artist’s intention. Really though, those tots took it to another level.

Sphyramid – Soundcloud Facebook

* Thanks to Lealia and anyone else that was a part of this project and was not mentioned.

– Jimi Jaxon

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Categories Free Single, Interviews, Mix, Video

IIIMIX

2015/11/23 //
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Jimi Jaxon here! And this is my new mix alongside Machinedrum in Seattle! In awe that this is the third show I’ve played with Travis Stewart. I consider him to be one of the best artists around, a serious gift to the universe. Disco Droppings draws influence from this dude, and I intend to continue holding my light for diverse sounds such as these.

Wide range, reppin’ allies from this site, 7 Deadly Records, and my local area ++

 

Ambalance – Outwarne

Ana Caprix – Strawberry Moon

Jimi Jaxon – S101115S

XI – Gamma Rain

youryoungbody – Bishop

Juakali – Rootz (XI Remix)

Nightmare Fortress – No Exit (Zoolab Remix)

Acre – Effected The Most (Original Mix)

Grimes – Skin (Sorrow Remix)

Lando – Run It

Hxdb – Mustard (Cure Remix)

Canblaster – Triple Ring

Walton – Frisbee

Airhead – Pyramid Lake (Original Mix)

Kingdom – Mind Reader feat. Shyvonne (Bok Bok Remix)

Sphyramid – Selling (MMXV)

 

Mastered by Greyspot

q nightclub
fwd
10.28.15

 

 

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Categories Mix

Newaxeyes Interview

2015/02/16 //
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For my first interview of 2015, I talk with Newaxeyes. We’ve become friends recently, and I wanted to share their mindset and energy both on the site, and at our monthly “Disco Droppings Presents” where they will headline this week. The band has donated some gif previews of their visuals, which you’ll see spread throughout the feature. Alright, let’s drop in..

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DD Whatsup Newaxeyes. I feel we have been drawn together for a reason. I connected with your diverse style, and willingness to push things. Happy to have you headlining “Disco Droppings Presents” at Kremwerk on the 19th.

NWXYS Thanks very much for having us. We’re thrilled to be a part of it.

DD It’s definitely been a trip for me, spending more time with your music. You guys have mentioned trances, how do altered perceptions play a role in your art?

NWXYS We generally seek to create sounds that reach the listener at a sort of pre-intellectual level, so that there’s less interference going on and the music can be taken in more directly. When we are at our best is when we feel more or less “entranced” and when we are letting the music happen in its own way, without the constant real-time analysis that can be poisonous to a piece.

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DD We’ve both been placed on a variety of music bills, where have been your favorite environments so far?

NWXYS We love to play with hip-hop beats people, psychedelic rock bands, modern composition types, performance art groups, harsh noisers, you name it. From the outset, we have always wanted to fluidly interact with a broad spectrum of styles and genres to carve our own chameleonic sound, so we’ve been happy to be invited to very disparate sorts of bills. Even better is that we tend to be received well by diverse audiences, maybe offering something atypical and challenging to the environment.

DD In addition to the music, I’m intrigued by your visual element. Tyler’s Instagram for example, definitely see an eye for catching things. And the logos and artwork you use work super well. Is this a group effort or do certain members of the band focus here?

NWXYS We all met more or less through our time at Cornish College of the Arts (Bret wasn’t a student but it sometimes felt like he might as well have been). Will was the only music student – Tyler was a photo/video art major and Jordan was in for graphic design. So it’s very natural for us to shape a visual aesthetic concurrently with the music. We’re lucky in that between the four of us we have the skill set to handle pretty much every aspect of the project. Tyler creates the majority of the photography and makes our videos. Jordan makes the logos, website, and most posters.

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DD Where have your most impactful inspirations for Newaxeyes come from?

NWXYS It’s all over the place. When we started out, we were listening to a lot of Oneohtrix Point Never, Death Grips and Demdike Stare – electronic-oriented stuff that tends to be simultaneously physical and cerebral. But we all have such eclectic tastes and personal influences that it would be difficult to answer generally. From a non-musical standpoint, we are all fascinated by data, the societal effects of the Internet, and forces of power and influence hidden from public view.

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DD Lastly, how would you describe your upcoming live set alongside Sphyramid, Raveghost, Dream Beat, David Comito and I?

NWXYS We have this super inconvenient habit of writing new material and reshaping old stuff until pretty much the day of the show, so that’s a bit hard to answer. We’ll be playing some bangers though. Being that it’s Kremwerk and Disco Droppings, we’ll possibly lean more heavily on dirty dark dance vibes.

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Newaxeyes – Twitter Soundcloud Facebook

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– Jimi Jaxon

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Categories Interviews

A. Flores Interview (Ssleaze / DJ Guano)

2014/08/26 //
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ssleaze

Summer 2014 in Seattle coincided with the beginning of the Disco Droppings monthly at Kremwerk. In keeping with the spirit of the site which pulls together a wide spectrum of sounds, I’ve featured some of my favorite local artists including DJ Veins, Sphyramid, and Bardo:Basho, along with my residents Zoolab, Mascara and Greyspot. This month I will show just how wide my interests are, Dave Segal at The Stranger says it much better than I can..

“Los Angeles trio Ssleaze push a strident strain of synth punk, aggro vocals and all. They seem to play with a perpetual sneer on their mugs and probably find Throbbing Gristle to be too genteel. It’s as if Ssleaze are channeling the disdainful attitude of the cast of Liquid Sky into their craggy, cranky songs. They sound like particularly nasty dominatrices who’ll leave welts on your ears. Fellow LA peeps Egrets on Ergot play uptight, frantic new-wave rock that has similarities to early-’80s groups like Pylon and the Lines—and it’s damned danceable. Seattle’s Ononos make for an ideal opener. What’s curious about these glamorous minimal-synth malcontents is that they only have two songs online and no official releases. Five years deep into their existence, one would think, Ononos should have a sizable discography. But this just makes their club appearances all the more special. They’re one of this city’s most riveting live acts. This extra-raunchy edition of Jimi Jaxon’s Disco Droppings night also includes Jaxon DJing with Dorsia, DJ Guano, and Mascara.”

 

And here is an extra special gift to go along with this interview with Andrew Flores. The exclusive first listen of “Love Market” off Ssleaze’s upcoming release ‘The Thirst Is Real’. Now onto our fun conversation..

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DD Hi Andrew :]] How would you describe your band Ssleaze, and you as DJ Guano?

AF In broad terms I’d say we are an Electro-punk band heavily influenced by the darker sides of music and life. But people have called us “MOLLY GOTH”, “PARTY PUNK”, “BACK ALLEY PUNK” & “RAVE PUNK”. As far as DJ’ing goes, I don’t know how to explain that. I usually try and showcase the history of electro & darkwave.

DD Were you interested in bands first before getting into DJ’ing?

AF Yeah totally. I remember being really inspired in my teens from various bands that made me want to start doing it myself. Dj’ing kinda came into place when I realized I had always thrown super great house parties, and was approached to start doing club parties.

 

DD And what are your parties like down in LA?

AF Juicy, plain and simple.

DD I’m down.

AF People don’t really get to pick if they are or not. I like to beat them into the beats.

DD We’re similar. I’ll make em’ like it, or it’ll be too weird and they’ll leave.

AF Yup!

DD Last time you guys were in Seattle you played Cockpit. Sad I missed it, you guys had a pretty wild time yeah?

AF Yeah! I knew the night was going to be killer because we had the honor of sharing the night with butcher and Ononos. But I wasn’t expecting the warmth and acceptance we received from the crowd. Everyone was just going so crazy! I honestly to this day still think Seattle showed us our best show ever. I have easily never had more fun before.

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DD Hyped to bring you back this month! SSleaze were just recording new material. How’s that feelin? And will you be showing off any of these tracks at this month’s Disco Droppings Presents @ Kremwerk?

AF Yeah we actually just finished last night, and it feels amazing. These songs have so much heart and I couldn’t be any happier with how they came out. We worked so hard on this album. I think the best part is when listening you can tell how exciting and thrilling it was for us. And yeah we will be playing its entirety at Disco Droppings!

DD Special vibez. Well thanks for stopping by the site, if you have any last words feel free. See you ina few dayz Andrew:]

AF Hmmm, when yr highness barks “you bitches better werk,” you better werk. Thanks for having me! Can’t wait to get juicy.

Ssleaze – Facebook Bandcamp 

– Jimi Jaxon

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