This man. I can’t get enough, dude is just always on his own trip. Jimmy Edgar continues to dazzle the world with every one of his artistic endeavors. I knew when Machinedrum got the go ahead for an Essential Mix, his best buddy Jimmy wasn’t far behind. Head to Ultramajic lands now, this man is the supreme guide.
Jimmy Edgar – Twitter Soundcloud Facebook Youtube
Jimmy Edgar – Disco Droppings Interview
– Jimi Jaxon
The vibes are golden with the return of Strip Steve. It’s been a while since we last talked on Disco Droppings. He’s been appearing in my sets for quite a bit now, latest favorite being “I Bump My Head :(“. You best check out his Crowd Control EP which features that one, along with “The Funktion”. I was playing his trax the other day and thought, “this dude is so underrated around here. I should see if he wants to do another interview.” Happy to say he was down, so here we go! For all you gear porn junkies out there, this dude is for you! We also talk about Seattle, his recent fabulous Rinse Mix, Ron Hardy and what he’s got cookin’ next..
DD Hi Theo! Nice to hear from you again, what are you up to?
SS Hey man! All good around here, currently working on the second part of the << Crowd Control >> EP in Berlin. :]
DD We met in March 2012, when you played the Boysnoize Records showcase at Chop Suey. I got to open for you, and I had sooo much fun chatting with Djedjotronic and Housemeister. Fun dudes! I believe this was all of your first time’s in The Emerald City. What did you think of Seattle?
SS Yes, part of a quite big tour in which we visited many American cities for the first time, so it was super interesting. Seattle seemed super chill & fun, especially the people, but we didn’t get to stay for so long so I can’t tell you much more sadly… Ah! If I’m not mistaken, the venue was split between under aged and adults with a clear barrier, that was an odd thing for us Europeans I must say…
DD Attack Magazine went inside your studio last year. I’m not a gear head (yet), but the pictures and the energetic way you described your set-up has me really intrigued. What’s the most unconventional piece of equipment you have?
SS Well, when I think about it I find myself working with pretty conventional equipment. The interesting thing would be how to use them in an unconventional way, how to go beyond their limited aspect (as opposed to a software like Ableton Live where you can virtually do anything). That can be anything – from chaining them without preconception of how it should be done (with FX pedals, cv or midi control etc.), to cranking the gain up to make it compress or saturate within itself before recording for example..
That’s what I love about making music with seemingly simple or limited machines, that creative will to transcend their boundaries.
DD That feature felt special. It’s intimate, taking everyone inside your music sanctuary of sorts. I imagine the person behind the songs more clearly, controlling all these machines. It looks like a world you could really get lost in..
SS It is an intimate place. And I’m very much in love with it, that’s why I felt I should share it. And yeah it’s definitely a place to get lost in. That’s really the purpose; losing a sense of reality when making music is the best feeling, and the environment plays a big role in that. My studio is like a cockpit & a playground.
DD Your Rinse Mix starts off so blissfully beautiful, bravo right off the bat. Was this your first time mixing for the station? I’m curious about what it’s like on the inside..
SS Thanks man! Yeah it was the first time, Manaré from Clekclekboom opened this Rinse France branch recently in Paris and I was there for a gig, so he offered me a 2h slow. I don’t know why but I love radio, I find it somehow romantic ahah…The studio is pretty simple, it’s just a small basement under a gallery, with a couch and some blinking internet servers.
DD Daft Punk are my biggest influence. Their Alive 2007 performance was the first electronic show I ever saw in Seattle, and that inspired me to become a DJ. This led to producing, starting Disco Droppings and eventually, connecting with you. I’m constantly thinking about their mindset when it comes to my own artistic work. You have a Ron Hardy shirt hanging in your Berlin studio, what about his life and contributions keeps you going?
SS Daft Punk was also a big influence to me. When my older brother bought Homework we were just listening to that in a loop for months… but that was way before I thought of producing. Later when I started really discovering electronic music I searched for more French House stuff, that lead to Chicago House, Ghetto House, and their origin: Disco & Funk.
I just love Ron Hardy’s shit, his tracks & edits feel somehow very advanced for his time, and you gotta check his recorded mixes, they had a certain ruffness & energy which I’m very sensitive to.
DD What’s next for Strip Steve? I hope our paths cross again!
SS A new remix for Funk D’Void out on Soma Recordings in the next few weeks, new EP’s on the way. I’ll maybe start writing a new album too soon but that’s too early to talk about it. :]
Yeah man really hope I’ll come back to Seattle someday and meet again!
Strip Steve – Twitter Facebook Soundcloud Discogs
– Jimi Jaxon
Of course, the man mentored by my favorite DJ Erol Alkan is nothing short of marvelous. The more I learn about Daniel Avery, the more of a connection I develop with him. He’s got an open-mind and is now known for switching it up: playing anything that works to him, while still holding a strong narrative with his sets. The superb Quietus talked with him late last year, lovely conversation.
He’s enjoying this time period, where territorial attitudes towards dance genres are breaking down. The younger generation just wants something they can feel.
Journey into the world of Daniel Avery. A main room resident at Fabric, signed to Erol’s Phantasy Sound (hear Drone Logic) and dead set on reaching legendary status. Warning: this Essential Mix has blown speakers and brought people to tears.
Daniel Avery – Twitter Facebook Soundcloud
– Jimi Jaxon
As mentioned in this post title, I believe Jimmy Edgar has some crazy dominance over magical properties. His productions, and overall aesthetic have some spell over me. There’s something about the sound and look of each element, and his use of effects. Every day at my house, one of my roommates and I are playing something from this man..I think I woke up yesterday to “Qlinda”. Most recently we were gifted with his RA mix. Cut to VINYL, people, Edgar has gone the extra mile to give a specific, warm sound quality. One thing I really like about this mix, is I can put it on and get distracted by something, come back to it and the vibe is unbroken. He also takes his time building the energy, it creeps in all sophisticated like, and before you know it, you’re off. It’s a well-built mindset, and it’s that execution that I look for in a superior mix. It’s also just as much a mental journey as it is a physical one. I can imagine myself at one of Jimmy’s shows (Played before him and Machinedrum at Decibel Festival 2012, saw him and Jets at Decibel Festival 2013), or I could just have headphones on and travel throughout my psyche.
Born in 1983, It’s insane to note that by age 15, Edgar was DJ’ing Detroit raves alongside Techno pioneers/wizards Juan Atkins, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson. Soon after, he signed his first record deal, and by 2004 he had his first Warp Records release entitled “Access Rhythm”. It’s Edgar’s skills as a visual artist that grab me just as much as his music. Almost every single time he posts some graphic online, I’m like “wow”, or “like”, or “what the fuck? this is rad.” Take for example this above picture which he captioned, “Ultramajic office”, or the below one saying “One of the few shots without the model from Me and Pilars photoshoot.”
It’s that multi-sensory precision and ultra class that puts Jimmy in a total other realm. This 2013 Redefine Magazine Interview said it best, “While it begins with solid musical foundations of intricately-crafted, analog synth-driven club jams, it (Edgar) has grown more and more to incorporate art, music, and metaphysical ideas into one cohesive artistic whole.”
From Vedic and Hindu religion, to magic and quantum physics, founder Edgar with collaborators Pilar Zeta and Machinedrum weave their spiritual and mathematical fascinations into an already incendiary record label + design house + metaphysical portal called Ultramajic (Est. 2013). With sound as their foundation, the label is making huge statements right out the gate; powerful tracks that easily influence dance floors and consciousnesses. You may feel the releases demand movement, or just simply, trip people out. My eyes are glued to Ultramajic until further notice; with future releases from Jets, Sophie, and plans for club nights and gallery events.
*Just Released on Ultramajic* Danny Daze – Silicon EP
Jimmy Edgar – Twitter Soundcloud Facebook Youtube
Ultramajic – Soundcloud Twitter Facebook Tumblr
– Jimi Jaxon
As I begin searching for tracks to include in my next set, I checked on my old buddy Djedjotronic. It’s been a bit since I opened for him, Strip Steve and Housemeister in Seattle. They’ve all been doing rad things since, and each deserve their own features. My eyes are now on Djedjotronic, and these creepy new productions. After hearing just a few seconds of the title track from his recent Zone Music EP release, I knew I was going to be down.
“Abyssal Zone” has this old school feel, dominated by cold energy and ominous techno. It gets me so hyped, and I feel like it sets a perfect tone, confidently pulling you into this pitch-black environment. The other two tunes in the EP, “JunkBox” and “Trouble” add to the bleak vibes, while still encouraging movement. Definitely worth picking up the entire collection.
I’ve also included his ‘Abyssal Zone Mix’ for Mixmag, enjoy..
Djedjotronic – Facebook Soundcloud Twitter
– Jimi Jaxon
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