Friday, November 30, 2012

An EXCLUSIVE interview with JUNKIE XL!






By Stephen SPAZ Schnee



Electronic music is constantly evolving. The moment technology advances, so does this ever-growing genre of music. There is no way to stop it, nor is there any reason to. The excitement of Electronic music reverberates through the industry, sometimes causing ripples but mostly making waves. Back in the ‘80s, when Synthpop was at its height, many older bands would start adding keyboards or Linn drums to their sound, hoping that they could seem hip and current. Most of the time, they failed miserably. But today, it’s not about keeping up with the Joneses anymore: it’s about keeping up with technology.

Forward thinking musicians like Dutch DJ/producer Junkie XL (real name: Tom Holkenborg) remain ahead of the game because their creativity anticipates the changes in technology and they stay at least one step ahead of the game. Take a listen to any Junkie XL release over the last 15 years and you’ll be hard pressed to pinpoint which year it was released. Whether its one of his artist albums or one of his remixes (the most famous being “A Little Less Conversation” by Elvis Presley in 2002), Junkie XL’s music never sounds dated. It’s as if it’s always been there, yet is still fresh and exciting.

Since 2008, when Junkie released his last artist album, Booming Back At You, a lot has changed in the world of technology and, judging by his latest release, Synthesized, he has remained at the forefront of the Electronic music genre. With a mixture of influences, the album title seems less about Synth music and more about the many different styles he manages to mix together to create a unique and utterly fascinating listening experience. With guest appearances from Datarock, Curt Smith (Tears For Fears), Isis Salam, Tommie Sunshine and even Timothy Leary, the album is like taking 12 separate musical journeys, all arriving at the same destination.

Synthesized is an awe-inspiring album that looks towards the future for motivation but is unafraid to embrace the past for inspiration. There’s always something interesting happening on Synthesized, whether it’s the Rock crunch of “Love Machine” (featuring Tommie Sunshine) or the dreamy-pop of “When Is Enough Not Enough” (featuring Curt Smith). The album is purely Electronic yet has heart and soul. Even the Ambient/Chill tracks that open and close the album are warm, melodic and atmospheric and worlds away from the often cold and lifeless Ambient tracks that have been released over the years. There’s not a boring moment on the album because it never stands still long enough to overstay its welcome.

Stephen SPAZ Schnee was able to catch up with Junkie XL to discuss Synthesized, the state of Electronic music, soundtracks and so much more…



SPAZ: Your new album, Synthesized, is just about ready to drop. How are you feeling about this project and the reaction you’ve received so far from it?
JUNKIE XL: When a record is done, you always look differently on it than when you are actually working on it. But I am happy with it. You always have things that you would have done differently. It’s a record that I made in a completely different way than all my previous ones. All the older records, I’d basically lock myself up in a studio for six or seven months and then I would open up the door and pass on the CD to the record company: “Have fun with it. This is it!” This time, I wanted to do It differently and I wanted to work with an A&R person who would constantly give me feedback on the music that I did. So, I found this guy, Joost Van Bellen, who is a Dutch guy. He’s like 10 years older than I am but he introduced House music in Holland, so that was a major deal. He still throws these really interesting parties with cutting edge new Electronic acts and DJs. He’s the type of guy that booked Lady Gaga when nobody knew who she was. And J.U.S.T.I.C.E. And Daft Punk. So, I wanted to collaborate on this album with somebody like that and I’m really happy with how it worked out.

SPAZ: The album itself is made up of little musical journeys that all take different paths yet the album, as a whole, is extremely cohesive. What was your mindset when going into to record the album?
JUNKIE XL: Thanks for that. I see that as the ultimate compliment because that is what I wanted to achieve with this record. I’m looking to my right in the studio and I have this wall of records: these records go back to the ‘50s. And my idea was that if I were to kick that record shelf and all the records would start falling out, let’s see what records land on top of one another and lets see if I can do something with that, figuratively speaking. A ZZ Top album would land on an Abba album… would land on top of the first Underworld album… would land on top of some ‘50s sci-fi stuff…. And I’d make a track with these elements. What made this music great to begin with and can I do something with that?

SPAZ: The album is very modern, yet you don’t hesitate to add reminders of the past into the songs. Do you feel that in order to move forward musically you really have to understand and embrace all that has come before?
JUNKIE XL: Maybe we would say that, but I’m sure there are a lot of younger producers out there that don’t feel like that at all. I am massively interested in what happened in the past. When I started Junkie XL, when I started producing, that past would maybe go back to the ‘60s or something. But now that I’ve moved to L.A., which I did 10 years ago, and I got more and more into film scoring, I started to get more interested in music that happened before that. I got more into experimental classical music that started in the ‘20s or ‘30s of the last century but even the whole baroque era and even choir work from the 13th and 14th century. It’s interesting to see that the rules of pop music haven’t really changed since the 1800s. I have a four year university course in Holland. It’s called Music & Media. There are kids coming in, 17 and 18 years old, and I had a video conference with the freshmen a few days ago. They rarely know what went on 10 or 15 years ago. They have no clue. If you hear what they are making, they are all on this path of fairly experimental Electronic music. Some of them have the ambition to go into film scoring, others want to be Electronic producers and others want to use Electronic music as an art form. But they have no idea what went on the last five decades. Its funny that, as an older guy, you keep saying, “Guys, it’s important to know what happened 50 years before!” And they just look at you and say “No, I don’t. And I don’t want to know.” I think that’s one of the reasons why certain styles keep coming back. It’s interesting.



SPAZ: Synthesized features melodies that can be quiet beautiful yet they are offset by a brooding darkness buried deep within the beats at times. Do you like this juxtaposition of emotions in your songs?
JUNKIE XL: Yeah, I really do like that. I go more towards film, which has been my biggest passion for the last 10 years. I work a lot with Hans Zimmer. For example, let’s take a movie like The Dark Knight Rises. It’s the same thing. You’re talking about a bunch of really dark characters but its offset by other things that happen at the same time. Now, we’re working on Man Of Steel. You’re talking about a person who, in heart and soul, is a really good person but it’s offset by all the dark stuff. Maybe those two are very commercial forms of that, but it’s still about the same thing. It’s the same with music, especially the concept albums that have been released, but unfortunately, they’re not being made anymore. Pink Floyd is a good example. On Dark Side Of The Moon, great things are offset by dark things.

SPAZ: You’ve collaborated with many different types of artists over the years and on this album, you have a nice variety of people including Datarock, Tommi Sunshine and Tears For Fears’ Curt Smith. How do go about choosing who you want to work with?
JUNKIE XL: It comes down to making a shortlist of people who have done really interesting things. You hope that person is willing to take a shot at a collaboration with you. Secondly, is that magic going to happen again with that artist without knowing them? It becomes harder and harder when you work and live in L.A. and all of these people live all around the world… to get together in one studio for a week and a half without anything from the outside world coming in and trying to distract you. It’s impossible. The only way you can do it nowadays is you send tracks over, you talk on the phone and e-mail, and that person records at their studio… That’s pretty much the only way it works nowadays. Everybody is busy doing whatever they love doing. When I was younger, I always used to look up. “Oh, I’d love to work with Dave Gahan from Depeche Mode. I’d love to work with Chuck D…. Gary Numan… this band, that band.” Now, as I’m getting older myself, I’m just looking down primarily and looking at the younger kids that are doing great stuff but aren’t necessarily well known.

SPAZ: When you collaborate with an artist, do you have a track that you feel he/she would be perfect for? Or did you send them a few songs to choose from? And do you provide the lyrics or does the collaborator have free reign?
JUNKIE XL: Sometimes, I’ve worked with vocalists where me and my friends would write lyrics and the melodies and we’d have somebody who had the right voice come in and sing it. Primarily, I love to work with people have their own strong identity and you send a demo with just a few bars of music to them and see if they feel a vibe. And then you continue working and you actually collaborate. Then you get the best results out of it. It happens so much in Electronic music where a track is completely done by a producer and then it goes to a vocalist that does some Pop lines on top of it. To me, that’s not where the fun is.

SPAZ: Do you feel that, being an Electronic/Dance artist that you come from a whole different mindset when writing your material than a standard rock musician would? Or do you feel that your music can be interpreted as cerebral as well as danceable?
JUNKIE XL: Luckily, we don’t have to have a discussion right now that making music with computers is not making music. I had those interviews 20 years ago in the ‘90s: “You’re actually not making music because the computer is doing it!” We went through a process of explaining that a computer is not going to do anything for you. You have to see it as a hammer and a saw: you still have to make the table. Luckily, that discussion is gone. But still, even when the Electronic music industry is bigger than it’s ever been, people look at Electronic music and they put it in one big pile and call it Techno or whatever they call it. They still look at it with a demeaning look and say “We really can’t take that seriously, can we? That’s drug music for rave kids!” Having said that, the big commercial Electronic music styles went through a massive change: some of them got totally uninteresting and others got more interesting and have more depth to them than they ever have. Now, we have this whole league of bands, producers, musicians… God knows how to describe them but they have so much Electronic elements in their music. Radiohead’s Kid A… is that an Electronic album or a band album? There’s so many bands like that: MGMT, Hot Chip, Cut Copy, Empire Of The Sun…. these are all bands that have so many Electronic elements in their music, but still they are considered Pop bands, Alternative Rock… but its really hard to describe what that is. The cool thing with all those bands is that they all want to write songs and they all want to probably end up write up writing something like The Beatles’ “Yesterday”, but do it with an Electronic background so that it becomes this classic song. The possibilities are endless….

SPAZ: The album opens and closes with tracks that are soothing slices of ‘chill out’ music that compliments everything that came between. Did you initially envision these as the beginning and end of this particular musical journey?
JUNKIE XL: It’s not a concept album, lyrically, but it does have a musical concept. Commercially, the album is dead, but as an art form, its very much alive. Most musicians scratch their heads and try to figure out how to create something over 80 minutes, whether it’s a concert, a DJ gig or an album. Most of the people I talk to, that’s what they are really fascinated by. It’s the same reason people love films. People love a film that is 2 or 3 hours long and love how it moves you, makes you emotional or tense. Musically, I did that on purpose. I have been a big fan of the cool Ambient music that is out there, whether its from the ‘70s or ‘80s. Especially, when the Orb started with their first release. For some people, it’s really hard to draw the line between good Ambient music or horrible New Age music.

SPAZ: I’ve been a fan of Dutch music for years: Gruppo Sportivo, The Nits…. Have you ever thought about working with any of them?
JUNKIE XL: Traditional Rock music in Holland, apart from these really unique examples including Shocking Blue, there’s not that much interesting going on in Dutch Rock. When you listen to it, it feels like a terrible copy of what has been going on in other countries. I did get approached to remix “Radar Love” by Golden Earring and I rejected it because, to me, its too much of a classic song. If it’s a real classic song, I won’t touch it. Then people say “Why did you remix Elvis then?” And I say it wasn’t a classic song. It was a b-side, nobody cared.

SPAZ: What’s next for Junkie XL?
JUNKIE XL: I’m probably going to do 4 or 5 big festivals around the world next year to promote the album, and it’s fun to do so. In the near future, I’m working with Hans Zimmer on Man Of Steel. I’m doing my own movie that I’m not allowed to talk about yet. I’m also writing a symphony that’s being performed in late April next year in Holland. So, its going to be busy.

SPAZ: What are you currently spinning on your CD, DVD and record players?
JUNKIE XL: That’s really funny. Let me tell you what I played this morning. I was asked by Hans and Ron Howard to look for a track for a movie that Ron is working on. I started listening to some stuff from the ‘50s and I got completely caught up in the vibe because I remembered these tracks from when my dad would play when I was really young. One of the tracks I played this morning was The Dreamweavers and the song is called “It’s Almost Tomorrow”. (He proceeds to play it over the phone).

Thanks to Junkie XL
Special thanks to Robert Greenwood and Jason Croke

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

THE DOOBIE BROTHERS/Let The Music Play: Official Documentary now available on DVD & Blu-Ray!




So, where's the respect and love for that motley Rock 'n' Roll band we call The Doobie Brothers?


There's no denying the majesty of their string of early hits including "Listen To The Music", "China Grove", "Long Train Runnin'" and "Black Water". The band created a perfect blend of Southern Rock, Pop, Country, Blues, Soul and Rock 'n' Roll and sounded like nobody else.

So, why aren’t they on top of every Classic Rock ‘favorites’ list, year after year? Their songs rival anything from the catalogs of their ‘70s contemporaries like Black Sabbath, Boston, The Eagles, Steely Dan, Aerosmith and Deep Purple. They sold millions of albums and singles. They became one of the biggest bands of their era. Even with all of their achievements over the years, they don’t receive the respect they so rightly deserve.

Now, don’t get me wrong: people LOVE the Doobie Brothers. Almost everyone I know can name at least a few Doobie songs quicker than they can name a Sabbath tune… and they can usually sing the chorus to those songs as well. The problem I have is that the Doobs deserve more. They deserve to be immortalized in bubblegum cards, iPhone apps and viral YouTube videos and they definitely deserve to have have highways and hoagie sandwiches  named in their honor.

And “Listen To The Music” needs to replace “The Star Spangled Banner” as our national anthem.

Forget about their appearance on What’s Happening (“Which Doobie you be?”). Forget that Michael McDonald eventually shed his Classic Rock and Soul roots and became more of an adult contemporary artist. Forget all the nonsense and just imagine a bunch of extremely talented friends smoking a few joints, plugging in their guitars and creating some of the greatest Rock music of our generation.

During a 24 month period that saw a new album (World Gone Crazy), the untimely death of drummer Michael Hossack, reissues of their back catalog and more general activity than usual, along comes this fantastic documentary that will hopefully earn the boys a lot more respect.

Containing rare and unreleased footage plus interviews with all the key surviving members (including Tom Johnston, Pat Simmons, Tiran Porter, Jeff Skunk Baxter, Michael McDonald, etc.), Let The Music Play is the perfect re-introduction to a band that we all know and love. For us fans, it could have been an hour or two longer, but I’m not going to complain because it actually does answer some questions that have roamed the halls of my brain for ages, so it definitely delivers.

Well, apart from when they skim over the severity of Tom Johnston’s illness in the mid ‘70s. Perhaps I was temporarily mummified during this part of the documentary and missed it, but they talk about TJ getting ‘sick’ and make references to it, but its not really explored as well as it should have been. Maybe it’s a private issue and nobody wanted to talk about it, but it’d be nice if they discussed it a little more. But that’s a minor complaint.

Interestingly enough, many of the people interviewed seem to view The Doobs with Tom Johnston and The Doobs with Michael McDonald as two separate, but linked, identities and not merely a continuation of an ever-evolving band. This way of thinking makes total sense in hindsight, but I’ve always thought of them as one and the same. I just preferred the Tom Johnston years over the MM years. But there’s no denying that McDonald’s “What A Fool Believes” (amongst others) is an amazing tune….

And what do you mean you have no idea what I’m talking about when I mention the Tom Johnston era and Michael McDonald era? Perhaps you need to sit down and watch this. NOW!


Perfect for music fans. Perfect for Doobie fans. Perfect for Michael McDonald fans. Perfect for Classic Rock fans.



Perfect.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

NAKED EYES: Burning Bridges: First time on CD! Available December 4th, 2012!







Digitally remastered and expanded edition of the British Synthpop duo's debut album (which was later rejigged and retitled Naked Eyes in the U.S.). Burning Bridges featured singles that charted on both sides of the Atlantic. Their cover of the Bacharach & David classic 'Always Something There To Remind Me' peaked at #8 and its follow up 'Promises Promises' reached #11 - both in the U.S. Hot 100 chart. This special edition contains 12 tracks from the original album plus six essential bonus tracks. The bonus material features two 12" versions of 'Promises Promises' including Jellybean's extended version featuring his - then unknown - girlfriend Madonna on backing vocals. Tony Mansfield's American Remix of 'Always Something There To Remind Me', the US 7" remix of 'Promises Promises' and two b-sides 'Pit Stop' and 'Sweet Poison'. This release has been made with the full co-operation of Pete Byrne - the surviving member of the band.


BMX BANDITS/BMX Bandits In Space: Available November 27th, 2012!








The sixteenth release from Duglas T Stewart’s group comes surrounded by lots of big news.

The first big news is that this new album includes the return of two of BMX Bandits' original members, neither of whom have worked with the group since its beginnings, sometime around 1985. Jim McCulloch (Snowgoose, The Soup Dragons) is not only back in the line-up but also participated intensely in the song-writing process for many of the tracks, and Sean Dickson (The Soup Dragons) wrote the album’s opening and closing tracks.

Second, another regular collaborator who has returned to the fold is the ubiquitous Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub), who plays several instruments and coproduces the captivating “Still”. Finally, what we have here is a kind of space-pop-opera - one of the best records from one of the most charismatic characters in the history of indie pop.

“BMX Bandits in Space” tells the story of a man travelling through time and space in search of forgiveness and a way back home. Throughout the trip there are small flashes – some are memories and some are figments of his imagination. “Every song, every flash of music is like a piece of a puzzle that helps our hero discover how he wound up lost and wandering infinitely around in space, and what his particular idea of love was.”

THE ROLLING STONES/Grrr! Greatest Hits.... Pick your poison!

THE ROLLING STONES

GRRR! (GREATEST HITS)

AVAILABLE NOW!


2012 two CD edition containing 40 tracks including two brand new recordings. The Rolling Stones are Rock 'n' Roll legends. Released to coincide with the band's 50th Anniversary, Grrrr! Greatest Hits is an excellent overview of The Rolling Stones' entire career beginning with their first single, cover of Chuck Berry's 'Come On', and culminating with two tracks recorded especially for this collection: 'Doom And Gloom' and 'One More Shot'. Against all odds, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ron Wood (who joined in '75) are still together and rocking more convincingly than bands 1/3 their age!


2012 three CD digipak edition containing 50 tracks including two brand new recordings, The Rolling Stones are Rock 'n' Roll legends. Released to coincide with the band's 50th Anniversary, Grrrr! Greatest Hits is an excellent overview of The Rolling Stones' entire career beginning with their first single, cover of Chuck Berry's 'Come On', and culminating with two tracks recorded especially for this collection: 'Doom And Gloom' and 'One More Shot'. Against all odds, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ron Wood (who joined in '75) are still together and rocking more convincingly than bands 1/3 their age!

Deluxe three CD edition containing 50 tracks including two brand new recordings, Comes housed in a DVD-sized box with rigid lift off top, five postcards and hardback book. The Rolling Stones are Rock 'n' Roll legends. Released to coincide with the band's 50th Anniversary, Grrrr! Greatest Hits is an excellent overview of The Rolling Stones' entire career beginning with their first single, cover of Chuck Berry's 'Come On', and culminating with two tracks recorded especially for this collection: 'Doom And Gloom' and 'One More Shot'. Against all odds, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ron Wood (who joined in '75) are still together and rocking more convincingly than bands 1/3 their age!


Super deluxe five CD edition includes bonus 7'' single, five art cards, a replica of their first ever gig poster and a hardback book, all housed in an attractive box. The first four CDs contain 80 tracks including two brand new recordings. The fifth CD contains additional recordings. The Rolling Stones are Rock 'n' Roll legends. Released to coincide with the band's 50th Anniversary, Grrrr! Greatest Hits is an excellent overview of The Rolling Stones' entire career beginning with their first single, cover of Chuck Berry's 'Come On', and culminating with two tracks recorded especially for this collection: 'Doom And Gloom' and 'One More Shot'. Against all odds, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ron Wood (who joined in '75) are still together and rocking more convincingly than bands 1/3 their age!





Friday, November 9, 2012

MADNESS/Oui Oui Si Si Ja Ja Da Da: The NEW album available NOW!







2012 album from the veteran British Pop band, their 10th studio album overall. On Oui, Oui, Si, Si, Ja, Ja, Da, Da sees the band team up with a number of new producers, the first time in their illustrious career they have decided to do so, to create an album of incredible pop songs. Oui, Oui, Si, Si, Ja, Ja, Da, Da offers up artwork from legendary British artist Sir Peter Blake (Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band), who has designed the artwork for this album. Features 'Death Of A Rude Boy' and 'My Girl 2'.