Triphouse frontmen Steven Pieters and Khalil have, of course, invited Steve Mensink (with live vocals by Loes Jongerling!) to come and perform a live set at this edition of WAREHOUSE. These guys are well known for their sets at many of the country’s premier house and tech-house events. Down here you can find their set from last Pakhuis NYE. Click on the ‘read more’ tag for the video recording by Grooveline!

In ’95 his international career in house music also took of with his own label ‘Ibadan Records’ (named after his Nigerian hometown). He became good friends and produced a lot of instant classics with the likes of Joe Claussell and Kerri Chandler. Later on he took the tech-house genre to another level together with Dennis Ferrer.

“Jerome Sydenham is a masterful producer that spans many genres and he is constantly inventing new sounds and styles of music”

Nowerdays Jerome is one of the best and most respected producers around and heads multiple labels like Ibadan, Apotek, UK Promotions and Avocado Records. Click ‘read more’ for a really strong interview by Adam Beyers Drumcode label. Of course we also added this promo mix he made for Fabric last summer!

Interview by Drumcode

For more than 20 years, Sydenham has worked in dance music, both in the underground trenches as a committed DJ and producer, and behind the scenes as the owner of five record labels.

Capable of producing a kaleidoscope of club sounds, the Berlin-based artist has released all manner of grooves from classic house, tech house, and deep house on his respected label Ibadan (which he co-runs with Dennis Ferrer), to heavy hitting techno on his Apotek and Avocado imprints.

In December, Sydenham released his second Drumcode EP ‘Trombipolution’, a five tracker of deep and energetic techno that showed the producer’s flair for creating techno with an edge of funk, something which he is renowned for.

With Sydenham’s Drumcode Radio show guest mix available today as a podcast, we decided to interview Jerome to find out more about him as an artist, his ideals on techno, and his approach to DJing.

Words: Terry Church

How did you and Adam Beyer first meet?

I moved to Stockholm after I left New York City. I lived there for about six months and got to know the Swedish music scene.

Then after I left Stockholm, I called Adam to do a remix of ‘GSXR 810′ for me on Apotek, and he returned the favour by asking me to remix ‘Forming Dies’ for Drumcode. We also crossed paths on the DJ cicuit , and you could say that our relationship really took off from there.

It’s quite surprising you guys didn’t connect properly before 2008.

The thing is, I was trying to develop the Apotek brand, and I wanted to do that before reaching out to other techno labels that I liked, like Drumcode. It was important for me to give attention to my label first, before spreading the love around.

So how many labels do you have?

Well, there’s Ibadan, which is the parent label I guess. And then Avocado, which is a pet project for Rune RK and myself where we release just our own music. Apotek is specifically for techno, whereas Ibadan does everything from house, to techno, tech house, electronica etc.

I’ve also got UK Promotions, which is my new label that has a tougher more sample based sound. And there’s also Public Service which is also a bootleg label, but that’s really defunct now.

Where did the name for your recent ‘Trombipolution’ EP on Drumcode come from?

It’s actually a very rare funk record from early ’80s, which I love. The original track had a lot of bravado and punch, and when I made ‘Trombipolution’ it reminded me of that record, even though they’re not the same genre. The track has a certain freedom to it, so I decided to use that title.

How did the EP come about?

When I make a track that I think fits Drumcode, I send it to Adam. If Adam feels the track I then progress onto the development of the EP.

‘Trombipolution’ has five tracks on it, which it quite unusual for an EP, and that’s because I was digging through some old work I did after we were ready to go, and I found this really interesting track that I thought would go perfectly with the others. I did it a while ago, and I totally forgot about it.

Which track is that?

‘Bite’ – it has an edgy stamp to it, and it’s quite versatile so it can easily be played in tech house or techno sets. It’s one of those modern accessible techno records that you can slow down to house speed, or pitch up for techno sets. It had enough energy to be on Drumcode anyway. Whereas ‘Trombipolution’ is an out and out techno record.

There’s a good variety of techno on the EP. You’ve always been about variety. Why is that?

That’s just my basic, simple love of music. I still enjoy most forms of music in my own time, including country, classical, world music, even weird folk music. Omitting, stupid commercial pop music of course.

I love things that are emotional and have been creatively made with spirit. When I make music, it has to be something that compliments my DJing, so I’d never do a folk label for instance, except maybe when I retire from DJing. I really love David Byrne’s label by the way. But right now, I’m loving the nightlife and dance music scene, and I need stuff that I can touch.

How has Berlin’s nightlife scene affected your music?

Berlin is pretty good. I love Berghain, and some of the more underground, darker places in the city. There are a lot of reasons why I’m here though. I really like the simplicity of the city – it’s 24hr, affordable, still very free and creative, and there’s not much traffic.

Its techno and house reality is flourishing of course, and because of its location it’s really easy to fly out to gigs. It’s so easy to get to London, Madrid, or Stockholm. New York on the other hand is so far away from everything and it’s dance music scene is not as thriving as it once was, although it has had a bit of a comeback recently.

How long were you based in New York? How is the scene there?

I was there for 25 years so I know a lot about the scene. There’s some good stuff happening in lower Manhattan right now, and there’s some good parties in Brooklyn. They’re booking some good international DJs, and there’s a healthy local scene too. But the amount of music coming out of New York, compared to like 10 years ago, I’d say has more than halved.

If you think about all the big New York DJs – guys like Roger Sanchez and Erick Morillo – they’re still DJing, but production wise they’re very quiet. They don’t contribute as much to music as they used to, and that’s seems to apply to the whole of New York.

Why do you think that is?

That’s probably just a reflection of the market place in the US, although appreciation for dance music is hopefully coming back. That’s what everyone is saying anyway.

Your sounds always seems to evolve, never faltering for more than a few months on one groove. How would you say your sound has changed over the years?

I always look back to check what I’ve done, to make sure I’m not stuck somewhere in no man’s land. When you’re in the middle of a transition, sound wise, you can sometimes get lost. So I listen to my old tracks, so I have something to compare my new music to.

There’s no real plan with me, I’m influenced by the things around me. Sometimes I get tired of something, or I hear something new and that will affect my music. Even a great DJ set will affect my music, and I’ll go into the studio and try to make a track that could have been played in that DJ set.

When I find a sound I’m happy with, that can stretch for a few months, or sometimes even a year. When Dennis Ferrer and I made ‘Sandcastles’ for instance, that was us being tired of the same old New York shit. We had got so bored of it, and wanted to break out creatively. ‘Sandcastles’ was our departure from the New York sound, and it was very original when it came out.

It actually made me more relaxed about music. If you’re not relaxed, I think you deny yourself self-expression. So I sort of slapped myself in the face and relaxed, and that got me into making techno.

What would you say is the difference between the techno you produce for Drumcode, and the techno you release on Apotek?

There are certain records that I’d do on Apotek, that I wouldn’t bother sending to Drumcode. A certain energy is required for a Drumcode record.

For example, ‘In The Zone’ which is included on the ‘Trombipoltion’ EP, I’d never have sent that to Adam as my first EP track. It’s a perfect first track for Apotek, but it’s more of a B side for Drumcode. I don’t mind putting out high energy stuff on Apotek, but I occasionally will drop some deeper stuff on the label too.

Actually next week, there’s a very deep minimal techno record coming out on Apotek called ‘Vanishing Point’. It’s probably the best record I’ve done over the last year, and it’s a good example of the kind of sound Apotek is about.

Which producers or DJs are you currently digging?

Recently, I’ve been really influenced by… well, I’m in nowhere land right now. But six months ago, maybe a year ago, I was definitely heavily influenced by the early Blueprint and James Rushkin stuff. Like the early 1990′s techno and music on Deconstructed. I was re-buying all of that music.

Even though my music doesn’t sound like that, I found the way they approached music very sexy and it inspired me. It made me work hard, and it had a positive influence.

What about the Berghain guys like Ben Klock and Marcel Dettmann – have they influenced you?

Yeah, I love those guys. They have definitely influenced me. I play all the time at Berghain, and they have this amazing venue and play this style of techno which I love. You can definitely call it Berghain techno. And then you’ve got James Rushkin, Luke Slater, and the other great talents of techno pushing at the other end.

That’s the thing with me, I’m influenced by positive people who care about what they do. Quality control is so important, and all of these guys know exactly what sound they want. It’s great to be around such talents. It’s fun, and I feel very at home.

You’ve done a special guest mix for this week’s Drumcode Radio show. What can we expect from the mix?

Actually, when it comes to my DJing, I play whatever I’m feeling at that moment on that particular day. So the guest mix feature the records that I’m playing right now. Like, if you asked me to DJ at a club right now, these are the records that I’d play. And maybe a week later, it would be different.

I’m completely spontaneous when it comes to DJing. I don’t rehearse. I just grab my vinyl or CDs and mix on the spot, so my set is really guided by my emotions at that moment in time.

The same goes with my club sets. I play based on the response of the crowd, how I’m feeling that day, what the DJ is playing before me, etc. It’s spontaneous emotion really.

Surely when promoters book you though, they request that a certain Jerome Sydenham turns up?

Yes, promoters often tell me what kind of music they want beforehand, and that’s cool. I always do research on the club before I play there, to find out who plays there, and what I can get away with, and I will never show up at a gig with the same records that I played the night before. I would never play the same music in Madrid for example, that I played in London the night before.

And then depending on how the first three or four records go down, that really dictates the mood of the next hour or two. That stuff is never planned. I always bring enough techno with me to last several hours, in case I have to play a long set.

I know that a lot of DJs have pre-arranged sets, and that works for them. But if you don’t change your set very often it simply becomes repetitive.

So no Traktor or Ableton Live for you then?

I’m learning about digital technology right now, and I’m not against it. It’s just my preference to play vinyl and CDs. If I play a long set, in Tokyo for example, then I can’t bring too much vinyl with me so I bring a tight 30 vinyls and then lots of CDs.

Some places that I play don’t even have turntables these days. It’s happened to me so many times in the UK recently. At least I’ve got my CDs.

Some friends of mine use digital technology to DJ, like François [Kevorkian] uses Traktor, and Kerri [Chandler] uses three computers now I think. I will always call those guys if I need help or tips on DJ technology, as people like Kerri are always three steps ahead.

I have played with Ableton. I bought one of those APC40 machines the other day, but I haven’t plugged it in yet. It looks like fun. I’m no technology snob though – I think it’s good the be knowledgeable about all these things.

Source: Drumcode

For the fans we have another nice interview by the British Musicology Magazine. It talks all about his love for music and technology and how Kerri, through his father (who also was a DJ), already played in clubs at the age of thirteen. Of course, we also have a musical addition to this post. For a nice soulful start of the weekend this set of Kerri recorded at the Q Bar in Bangkok (2010). At his artistpage you can find a more recent House Music Culture set that is also definitely worth listening to!

“To me the best thing is to make some music on the something I’ve built, to go to a place and play all the stuff I’ve made, to have it come out of a system that I helped develop”

House lovers, bow down and kiss the ring. It’s King Kerri!

The house music scene across Britain is seeing the emergence of a brand new wave of listeners. House music snobs will say their beloved underground club nights, are being invaded by kids who have outgrown the ‘Migraine Skank’ and kids who have outgrown the ‘Migraine Skank’, will say that UK funky isn’t really anything to do with house music anyway. Irrespective of which side of the fence you sit, whether your genre of choice has been derived from house, or you are a real house music lover, there are certain people at the very foundations of the scene that made it possible to even have this kind of hauteur, or see the evolution of these spin off genres.

With the constant UK funky V’s funky house debacle, we thought it only fitting to pay tribute to house music royalty and also introduce some of our readers to one of the founding fathers of deep house. Long before the ‘Swine Flu Skank’ and ‘Who’s That Lighty?’ Kerri Chandler was at the birth of house. A DJ and producer of over 25yrs, the music he made in the 1990s will still tear down a club today and at 41, he is in more demand to DJ than ever before. So house subjects, bow down and kiss the ring… It’s King Kerri.

Words: Trina John – Charles

It all started at a very young age for the New Jersey born, DJ and producer. At just 13, Kerri had his own club residency and by 17, his own record label. Along with that, also came huge interest from Warner Brothers and Atlantic Records. Although financially secure and at top of his game from a very young age. That was by no means a free pass to abandon his education or drop out of school.

I absolutely had to finish school. Are you kidding? (laughs) My father would have killed me if I didn’t! Oh my God… leave school?’ He says, with shock and horror. It really started with my Dad DJing. He used to take me to the club and he busted me on his set one day. It would happen every week. I had my own little crowd. They used to call me ‘little man’ (Laughs). I kind of grew up around that situation and vibe. Then I went to work at a cable television studio as an intern. From there, I went into sound, lighting and engineering. I was DJing on weekends at a place called Club America, but I still had to go to school.

At around 18/19yrs, the music thing just really took off. I didn’t expect it to at all. My hobby became my job and my job became my hobby. It was crazy. I had all these major labels basically telling me to do my bidding. Coming from barely making a living and not even having enough money to buy records to DJ every weekend, to flying all over the place. Atlantic and Warner Brothers basically just told me to write my own cheque! It was so funny to me.

I graduated college, where I took electronic engineering, because that’s what I wanted to do. I always wanted to figure out how things worked, so I went into that branch of things, engineering and designing equipment. Technology has always fascinated me.

It was his solid college background that enabled him to further explore his other passion in electronic engineering. Kerri’s DJ sets have been known to include laser systems and virtual decks, all of which he builds by hand.

I just do everything I love. To me, it’s like, if you can do it and it creates a curiosity, then why not? I do stuff that people never see. I’m crazy that way, I like to experiment.

So unbelievable in concept, some have questioned whether or not the equipment Kerri designs and builds himself are real and /or if they actually work in the way he says they do.

I was DJing at Cargo once, when I first started doing the lasers. A girl came up to me and she was like, ‘that doesn’t really work, you’re lying. It’s a gimmick’, so I told her to come up on stage and break one of the beams. So she broke it and there was like a huge crash like a thunder storm. She was like ‘Oh my God’ and she started screaming, and she jumped off the stage and ran into the crowd like, ‘Oh my God, it’s real!’ then she jumped back on stage and said, ‘can I do it again, can I do it again?’ then she broke the beam, there was the big crash and she ran into the crowd again (laughs), it was so funny.

The equipment I make doesn’t actually make my life any easier. I’d love to walk into a venue with just CDJs, that would be the simplest thing on the planet, but I’d feel like I was cheating. I’d feel like I’d be cheating the people that know my stuff and know me and I’d cheating myself, because I’m taking the easy route out. Why not incorporate everything I know and love into something I do? I’m having fun building what I love to build and doing what I love to do. That’s how I see it.

When you see what Kerri has engineered in action, it makes you wonder why these items are not produced on a larger scale and sold at the Apple Store. However, Kerri has no plans for mass production and intends for his equipment to stay completely exclusive to Kerri.

The only thing I’ve done that is like mass produced is the stuff I did with Pioneer. Like the CDJs, the turn tables and the mixers, the effects units… those kind of things. I helped them developed that stuff. I’ve done a few things like that, but I really just don’t have time. It is really time consuming, one thing can take about a month.

These toys are like my babies, I would never just give them away. I really don’t need that side of things to make money. I only do that for my friends. Like, if they really want something that bad, then I’ll sit and I’ll make something up.

To me the best thing is to make some music on the something I’ve built, to go to a place and play all the stuff I’ve made, to have it come out of a system that I helped develop, for people to dance to it. It’s like… I helped develop the whole process from start to finish. To me that’s amazing. To see all that stuff actually come into fruition and to see people having a good time with it. Or if somebody used something I’ve done better than I did, or if I never thought of using it that way… That stuff is so amazing to me.

For someone that has owned a record company for over twenty years and was at the very beginning of house music, what does Kerri think of the current state of the music business and the effect of the digital age?

I always say this… the music business is wonderful. The record business is in the tank. The music business is flourishing. It is the best thing that could ever happen. However, the record business is in the toilet, it really is. You have never in your life had as much choice as you have today. Before, all we ever did was complain about stations…

When I came over to London, everybody was listening to the pirate stations and no one was really diggin’ the commercial stuff. Then the pirate stations became commercial stations. Kiss was my favourite all those years ago. I was around when it was a pirate station and I knew all the DJs, Bobby and Steve… the whole crew and we would hang out every time I came to London. The station got picked up and they started firing people. But the problem was still there, people want good music and a choice of music. Not being spoon-fed a commercialised monopoly. You will hear the same thing all day long – Brittany Spears, who no one gives a rats a** about, it’s not music that makes you think at all. It’s easy listening. It’s very easy to digest that music. You know where the hook is, you know when the chorus is coming, there is no pain and suffering, its all auto tuned… everything is there. Then you are bombarded with commercials… ‘you gotta go get your Coke. You gotta get your Kit-Kat bar’. That’s all it is, just one big a** commercial.

In terms of the music… when we started out it was a lot more localised. Now music comes out of everywhere, you don’t even know where it’s coming from anymore. In one way it’s a good thing because house music has really grown and I get to DJ all over the place. I was DJing before, but not like I’m doing now and not getting paid what I and getting paid either. I guess I am lucky in that, if I release a song, people will still buy it, I am very blessed that way, but now music is everywhere and it’s free, so it’s hard to make a living off that.

Mr. Chandler comes from a very musical family. His father, being a DJ himself, influenced Kerri’s career immensely. His uncle and cousins are also DJs and his grandfather was a jazz singer. One of Kerri’s biggest hits, ‘She’s Crazy’, features his grandfather’s vocals. Originally put together as a B side, ‘She’s Crazy’ completely took over and is seen as one of Kerri’s many classic records.

I have a ton of stuff with my grandfather on. He used to come down to the studio and he would always sit around and watch the other singers, because he thought it was interesting. But he would get so toasted – he used to really get ripped (laughs). He would have a gin and tonic and just start laughing at people. He would be like, ‘you boys don’t know how to sing!’, ‘That’s not singing, in my day…’ and everybody just loved him. So I used to do stuff with him all the time, just to sing with him and mess around.

‘I had to do a bonus track once for Movement Records and I couldn’t decide on what to do for a single. My grandfather came down one day and he said, ‘put me in the booth, I want to sing something’, so I said, ‘ok, why not?’ Every time he would get really drunk, he would sing this song called ‘My Lady’, it’s a song he made up. It goes, ‘My lady, my lady, she’s cockeyed, she’s crazy, has bandy legs, pigeon toes, my lady don’t wear no underclothes, they say her breath smells sweet, but I’d rather smell her feet…’ It was that kind of song, one of those old, weird, ‘Dad songs’. So I was working on this track and I said, ‘ok, sing it and let’s see what happens’. It was the funniest thing I’d ever heard. I couldn’t stop laughing. I thought ‘I have got to put this together because it’s just too funny’ and I made the song ‘She’s Crazy’. It just worked so well, every one loved it and it just took off. I never expected anything like that. Everybody started playing it on the radio over here, it was the funniest thing.’

Life as a superstar DJ isn’t all champagne and cocktails. Kerri takes his live sets very seriously and is the most meticulous DJ I have ever come across. He has become infamous in club land, for his attention to detail and when speaking to him, you realise that he really does prepare for all eventualities. (So much so, that I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t have the common quote, ‘Failing to prepare is preparing to fail’ actually tattooed somewhere). Not what you would expect from a guy so well revered and pandered to.

‘I have to do my sound checks. That is one thing I am a stickler for. There is always one thing that goes horribly wrong. Like when there is a drum & bass party the night before and someone just blows out all the speakers. Or the mixer has beer in it or something like that. Crazy stuff like that happens all the time. There is always something.’

‘Even though we send through a technical write up before hand, I always bring like a bag of connections and wires. Two laptops, soundcards and some diagnostic equipment. If the club doesn’t have something, I usually try and improvise. I’ll easily do a whole room over. Sometimes it takes much longer for me to do a sound check and fix the room to how I want it, than it does for me to actually do the set. That is me being an engineer I guess! (Laughs).’

Source: Musicology Magazine

“Jamie Odell aka Jimpster and Audiomontage has been producing, remixing and DJing for the last 20 years and co-running his Freerange Records (voted Best British Label 2007) label for the last 15 of those. His musical upbringing and early introduction to production (his first release was on UK label Jumpin’ & Pumpin’ in 1990) and DJing have helped him forge a sound that is at once warm and deep as well as being innovative and club friendly.”

Click the read more tag for an interview Jimpster did with DMC world about his label Freerange Records and his last album Amour. You can find even more info on his artistpage and for all the soundfreaks we’ve got this amazing set he played at one of the best clubs in the UK, Londons Fabric.

Interview by DMC World
They say time flies and it certainly has for Jamie Odell better known under his deep house alter ego Jimpster. It’s hard to believe that fifteen years have surpassed since Jamie started up Freerange records initially as a means to release his own material. Over the years, the label has garnered a word wide fan base showcasing a variety of quality electronic music from a wealth of talented artists such as Shur-i-kan, Milton Jackson and Swell Session.

Having been born into a musical family he started showing an interest in synthesisers from a young age and started to produce his own music which resulted in a debut release on Jumping and Pumping Records in the early 90s. From there, Jamie’s production talents went from strength to strength creating a unique underground sound with an influence of Chicago house, Detroit techno, soul and Jazz.

Apart from running Freerange, Jamie has released three studio albums as Jimspter, the most recent Amour having received much critical acclaim. His has also released slightly more dance floor orientated beats as Audiomontage with hints of nu-jazz and broken beats. For a number of years Jamie toured with The Bays, a collective of musicians who performed live sets without prior rehearsal or prepared material. Each piece of music was entirely improvised, drawing inspiration and ideas from the crowd.

Words : Pete Rann

Welcome to the DMC World Jamie. Freerange Records is celebrating it’s 15th birthday, tell us more…

“Yes, my partner Tom Roberts and I set up Freerange in 1996 whilst we were both at college and here we are fifteen years later still releasing electronic music. We’ve survived against the odds having been victims of numerous distribution collapses as well as losing our entire back catalogue in the recent warehouse fires caused by the London riots. It’s no mean feat I tell you!”

No doubt you’re having a prolonged birthday tour, where have you been playing? Where to next?

“We wanted to try and do some nice label parties throughout the year, putting on more of a showcase together as opposed to just myself playing. We’ve had great events so far at clubs such as Trouw in Amsterdam, Smart Bar in Chicago and I Love Deep in Budapest. We also did on a very special one-off event in London at The Corsica Studios on 3rd December with Isolee and Session Victim who played live alongside DJ sets from myself, Andre Lodemann and Craig Smith from 6th Borough Project.”

The label has gone from strength to strength over the years, any particular high points for you?

“There have been a fair few high points whether it be discovering and releasing music from the relatively undiscovered (and now hugely successful) Switch, being awarded the best UK label at The DJ Magazine Awards 2007 and putting on successful label showcase parties at ADE and Sonar. The most important thing to me has been getting to work with some of the most talented and interesting producers making house music today.”

You must be very proud running such a well-respected label. Tell us more about the other artists on board.

“I am indeed very proud that we’ve managed to keep things going over the last fifteen years and built the label to the point where it is today. As far as our current artists go, we have Manuel Tur’s LP pretty much in the bag and due for release in early autumn next year. Lovebirds, Alex kid, Tony Lionni and Andre Crom all have upcoming singles and we’ve got remixes from the likes of Axel Boman, Nebraska and Radio Slave all being released in the coming months.”

How did you start Freerange and what was the concept behind it all?

“We started off the label originally as an outlet for my own productions which I’d been making during my time at college but soon started coming across like-minded producers up in Manchester that were mixing live musicians with electronic production while experimenting with drum and bass, trip-hop and house. Around 1996 the music and club scene was very open musically so there was a lot of genres and styles. We took our inspiration from labels such as Mo’Wax, Compost, R&S and Warp.”

Under your moniker Jimpster, you’ve had string of prolific releases. Tell us more about your background in music and how you got started.

“I grew up in a musical family with my dad being drummer for the group Shakatak and mum being a semi-professional jazz singer. From an early age I was spending a lot of time in studios where my dad would be recording so I would go off in a side room with a drum machine or synth creating sounds and rhythms. My dad also spent a lot of time in record shops so he would take me there and we would both grab big piles of vinyl to listen to in the booths. He was checking the latest Blue Note or ECM releases and I was listening to the Street Sounds compilations or early hip hop and synth pop like Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, Whodini, Jean Michelle Jarre and Eurythmics etc. I soon developed a passion for electronic music which coincided with my love of breakdancing so I began making basic tracks on my ZX Spectrum computer hooked up to a Roland SH101 and TR808.”

How do you work in the studio? Where do you get your ideas, inspirations and influences from?

“My studio is pretty streamlined now with my old keyboards beaten up after years of gigging with The Bays so I just have a Mac running Logic, a Fender Rhodes and a few little toys. When starting a track, I usually take a selection of vinyl from my collection and sample a load of random bits to see if there are any strong hooks/loops or drum and percussion sounds. I find old disco, jazz and fusion (Lonnie Liston Smith or David Axelrod for example) the most inspiring in terms of sampling while the more static, clicks/ pops are better to get some dirt and grit in there. I build up a groove around some initial ideas and keep building sounds/layers into a 4 or 8 bar loop until there are enough good parts to start arranging the track which is always the hardest part. I guess that most of my inspiration comes from playing in clubs every weekend, seeing how people respond to certain tracks as well as being able to test my own potential releases on the crowd.”

Your last album Amour did extremely well and showcased a diverse range of genres. Can we expect to hear a follow up next year?

“I work really slowly in the studio unfortunately so LP projects are a real labour of love and can take me at least a year to get together. I’ve not really had the desire to try and do another one until quite recently but I’ve just started making some rough sketches of tracks with a view to releasing something late next year. Obviously my remixes and single releases tend to focus pretty much on deep house but I’m looking forward to branching out again and making some more experimental, down tempo and home listening music again as well as being able to collaborate on some tracks with vocalists.”

How would you describe your club sets?

“I play house music from right across the board but I guess the overiding vibe is deep, warm and underground.”

What does the future hold for you as an artist and the Freerange label?

“Hopefully, we can continue to build our fan-base by releasing top quality music from both new and established artists alike. Our Freerange podcast/radio show helps us reach out to countries that aren’t always possible to be playing live in, so this has become an important way that we can spread the word and help our music get heard globally. I’m looking forward to working on some interesting collaborations for the next Jimpster LP which is something I’ve still never really done. Hopefully, this will throw up some interesting directions for the music helping to keep thing fresh and appealing.”

Source: DMC World Magazine