Tell us about your new single, how different is it from your last, what inspired or influenced it?
My new single “The Jones” came about while working with The Outfit on our first collaboration, “Revolution”. He mentioned Apollo was looking for techy, acid bangers, so “The Jones” immediately popped into my head and I sent it over.
Do you make music with certain labels in mind, do you tailor it to what you think they might want?
I strive to make music that i want to play, but sometimes certain projects turn out having the sound of a label I like, so I’ll send to them in case they might be into it.
Who delivered the rhymes on the tunes? And how important is the content of the lyrics in house music? Should they be socially and politically aware?
I did the vocals on “The Jones” and pitched them down a tad. Lyrics are crucial to me, they’re another layer of art adding depth within the music that can convey so more emotion, feeling. I think they can be politically and socially aware if the feeling is authentically portrayed in the music, all dance music doesn’t need to be happy and cheerful, it just has to have feeling.
Dance music seems to be big in the US right now, when traditionally it has always struggled – will it last or is EDM just a blip, do you think?
New genres come and go, but the proper underground will continue to thrive, no matter how many cycles we go through. It’s an engrained part of our culture now.
What is the house scene in LA like? Is there one? Are you involved in it?
The house scene in LA is one of the best in the world. It is so diverse, so accepting, they have so many options, so much to do each and every day, from every style of house/techno you might want, to clubs, loft parties, warehouses etc. I have been very involved in the LA scene since the late 90’s, it’s a family, it’s home base no matter how long i’m ever away.
Does being from LA tinged your sound with extra sun, or anything like that, do you think?
Being from LA, I would say the sounds i grew up with influenced me equally as much as the sunshine. The weather is always nice so you probably get out a lot more than most places.
What else inspired or influences you musically? Any other scenes, label or cities?
Lately I’m most inspired by collaborations, I love getting a beat from someone, listening to it and getting into writing mode. Sometimes its more fun for me and theres less over analyzing than on my original productions. Lookout for new ones soon with DJ Sneak, Brett Johnson, Homero Espinoza & Jonn Hawley.
What gear do you have in your studio? Hardware or software? Does that matter to you?
When it comes to studio gear, I’m pretty simple. I have some of the new Roland stuff, and my go-to software like Reaktor, MiniMoog, but often times i use the built in plug ins on Ableton 9 just to get ideas down.
What’s next for you, what else you got planned/coming up?
My new project is different from anything Ive ever done. It incorporates my vocals/lyrics but crosses genres a bit from hip hop, R&B, trip hop, Blues, etc.. I started feeling like more space to write vocally was helping my creativity flow, so its an experiment of sorts. I’m just figuring out how to gel the different sounds together into one presentation, so we shall soon see.
The Jones EP is out 4th August 2017! Grab it here:
