Jas and James
Below is a mix James and Jas have given us for our soundcloud page. We hope it’s a good indication of where their “wobbly, psychedelic, atonal techno” will be going this season, both on the Terraza and in the Discoteca. It’s apparent on listening how their sound has developed from “hip-house crunkadelic poonstep” to a love of unadulterated, long-form, four to the floor acidic beats.
SMD will be releasing a series of 12″ singles on their new imprint Delicacies. Each track in the Delicacies series “will take the name of an exotic, and often bizarre, delicacy from around the world.” The first release is Aspic / Nerve Salad a set of driving instrumentals, dark beasts with enough futurism to keep your brain occupied.
You will find Simian Mobile Disco playing an exclusive residency in Ibiza for We Love at Space this summer on the following dates – Sunday 4th July, Sunday 8th August, Sunday 5th September and Sunday 19th September. They bring an infectious brand of hypnotic minimalism meets maximal electronica and their sets are guaranteed show-stoppers from start to finish. So come on down for an act you won’t find anywhere else in Ibiza this summer.
You’ve got something to do while you listen, take a read of SMD answers to our 11 Questions. James and Jas, over to you…
Is there one book that you have read that has been life-changing for you?
James: The first book I really remember having and impact on me was The Twits by Roald Dahl. It was gruesome and funny and really opened up my imagination as a child.
Jas: Über Sinn und Bedutung by Gottlob Frege is one of the most interesting books I’ve read. Not exactly a page turner but it outlines an alternative logic to that set out by Aristotle. The paradigm is not without it’s flaws but it was instrumental in opening up enquiry into the basic logic of language and meaning rather than assuming it to be sound.
Did your parents encourage you to work in music?
James: There was always a lot of music in the house when I was growing up and my parents forced me to learn piano, which I hated but now I’m thankful for. My dad played in a band so there were often instruments around the house that I could learn on. I was playing in a band by the age of ten so my parents had no option but to support me, although they often asked when I was going to get a “proper job”.
Jas: No, quite the reverse. In fact they still ask me when I’m getting a proper job. Slightly annoying but I can’t really blame them, the music industry is irrational and unfair and not something that you would recommend anyone to get involved in. That said, I love making music and never forget what a privilege it is to be paid to do something that you love.
How do you apply your past experiences to what you do today?
James: The good thing about music is that you can never totally figure it out. It’s black magic. Every day you learn something new which you apply the next time you make music but just because something worked once, it doesn’t mean it will work a second time. The more experience of making music in different circumstances, with different people, the better. Every day’s a school day.
How did you begin to work professionally in music?
James: I have played music from a young age and been in many different bands ranging from a 20 piece Sun Ra type outfit to playing in clubs. The first time I earned decent money was probably when I started drumming for 808 State in Manchester, although I was still at college. I suppose I became “professional” when our band Simian got a record deal after college?
Jas: I’ve been making music since I was a kid, playing violin then guitar and keys in bands. At college I got into recording and James and I started building a studio with some friends. The first time I could really have been called music my profession was when Simian got signed but I had been doing music seriously for many years before that.
Where is your current studio and what is it like?
James: The studio where we make SMD tunes is in Hackney. It’s a room basically filled with analogue synths, drum machines and odd sound processing boxes we pick up on the way. Each bit of equipment has a quirk or an interface that alters the musical decisions you make at every level. We have a computer but we try to use it like a tape machine. Most of the sounds are made with real machines and our hands. I think it makes you use a different part of your brain than when pushing a mouse around?
Jas: It’s slowly grown from a dodgy computer and an old mixing desk with a few guitar pedals in a bedroom to a rented room in a rehearsal studio with pro-tools, a vocal booth, tons of synths and some nice bits of outboard and a better mixing desk. Many of the old guitar pedals that we started off with still get a lot of use though and I still think that a bedroom studio is a valuable thing. All the fancy gear in the world is no help if you can’t get at it when you have an idea in the middle of the night.
How much have you had to consider marketing issues since embarking on your career and how has that affected your creativity?
Jas: We don’t worry too much about marketing, I’m still a fan of the idea that good material sells itself.
James:I think any modern musician is aware of marketing to some extent. It’s hard not to be. There is a danger of being too self-aware though. I’ve been in a few situations where trying to second guess peoples expectations is detrimental to the music making process.
How would you describe your work?
James: When we started SMD we were aiming to make “good old fashioned analogue party music”. We have strayed through many genres including electro and pop but at the moment we are aiming to make techno. Wobbly, psychedelic, atonal techno.
Jas: I feel lucky to say that my work involves messing around in studios and then playing the results in some of the best clubs around the world. It really is fantastic and I don’t take it for granted.
Who were your teachers?
Jas: There was a shop in Manchester called Pop records and the guy in there recommended me a new record every week. Some I liked immediately, some it took a while to get my head round. He got me into many great bands, nice second hand vinyl copies as well.
James: Lots of people have inspired me. Some of them I have met, some I haven’t. The ones that come to mind are: Joe Meek, Brian Eno, Phil Spector, Graham Massey, Conny Plank, Rick Rubin, Vangelis, Aphex Twin, Oliver Huntemann, Carl Craig, Moondog, Prince, Raymond Scott, Delia Derbyshire, Sun Ra.
Your home is burgled but fortunately the culprits are caught and your possessions returned to you. What would you deem a suitable punishment for the burglars?
James: It really depends on the situation, what was taken, was any violence used, what were their motivations? To a certain extent, it someone was desperate and trying to feed their families then you wouldn’t want them to be severely punished. I would leave it to a judge and jury. Someone who spends their whole lives trying to administer fair punishment is surely in a better position than me to decide what should happen.
Jas: They’d have to wire my studio back up.
You have to make one species of animal extinct. Excluding insects, which species would that be?
James: Excluding insects makes it difficult, as I would definitely get rid of wasps. I hate wasps. Pointless, spiteful creatures. I’d maybe get rid of rats instead then?
Jas: Let’s go for chickens. A strange choice you might think but lets face it, everything tastes like chicken; we are not going to miss it. Yes, eggs are nice too but other animals lay eggs and they are just as nice.
If you could spend one week in any period of history, which period would you choose?
James: I reckon the week leading up to man landing on the moon would have been pretty exciting. That, mixed with the late sixties cultural explosion and acid would make for a pretty fun week.
Jas: Quite probably a week working at Moog Music in the 60s, tinkering with synths and establishing the logarithmic 1-volt-per-octave pitch control and separate pulse triggering signal.
Many thanks to James and Jas for taking time out of their hectic schedule to answer our 11 Questions, check out below to get an idea of the kind of thought process which goes into every aspect of their work…
