One of the unique voices in an ever cluttered and often homogenous house and techno scene, the Hypercolour co-founder has carved a reputation for his interesting, trippy and quirky take on house and techno. Each release is different from the previous, and it seems the London based producer not only likes to avoid any pigeon holing but also refuses to take himself too seriously.
A glance through his discography and you can see why his modesty and self-deprecation is so endearing – Jones’ releases have graced the likes of Kindisch (including the brilliant ‘True Friends’ co-produced with Glimpse), Viva Music and Murmur. On top of this he has steered Hypercolour Records to huge successes over the last few years, unearthing new talents like Detroit’s Kris Wadsworth, as well holding down a new residency at the excellent Hybrid Life parties and launching a new label with a more experimental steer, Glass Table. Not bad at all, you may think, just don’t expect and self-congratulation. As you can see from our chat with him below, it seems like the hardest person to please is himself…
How long have you been producing for now? Do you still feel like you still have a lot to learn and discover when it comes to making music?
I’ve been producing now for about 6 years I think but I still have loads to learn! I don’t know what I’m doing really, I taught myself Logic, so although I’m quite good at some parts of the production process, I don’t actually know some of the basics. I don’t understand all the jargon either and I’m pretty useless at wiring things up. I’m very much a trial and error kinda guy! I’m always learning new things however, and I think that its one of the most exciting aspects of the whole art. My music evolves every time I get my head round a new bit of kit.
Was setting up Hypercolour just a natural progression for you as a producer?I think so. You see a lot of producers doing it. I think it’s a case of, if you’re into the geeky side of dance music (i.e. making it), you’re going to have similarly geeky pals who do the same thing which you can use on your label! For me it was Glimpse, Tom Demac and Shenoda. It was an opportunity to release not only my own music but also producers we (myself & Jamie Russell my label partner) enjoyed. I think it’s kind of a reflection of my own style of music in a way. I would never sign anything I wouldn’t have been happy making myself (or wish I could have made myself.) We’ve made a few duff decisions with Hypercolour, but very few in my mind.
How did you find those first few years as a relative newcomer – was there a lot of knocking on doors or did you have a lot of self-belief?Ha, I’m still knocking on doors! It’s a fucking nightmare. I have very little self-belief in what I do when it comes to music. I listen to so many great artists and think to myself, ‘what’s the point? I’ll never be able to do that.’ On the same note I also listen to a lot of other big producers and think it’s a load of shite. It’s tricky with the music I generally make, it’s a bit more off kilter than the norm, so labels weren’t and aren’t so keen to release it cause it’s not so ‘safe’.
As both a DJ and a producer, although you usually keep to the 4/4 structure, your sounds and samples and vocals are very quirky, almost experimental, often quite fun too. Would you say you’ve always looked to use influences from a wider range of sources as possible?Yeah, I suppose they are. I enjoy hunting for quirky sounding samples and vocals, I like things to sound a bit odder. I get bored very easily, and I hate this generic house sound that seems to be everywhere, so many DJs producers sound the same, it’s really taken the fun out of it all. I could go out tonight to three different clubs and could be listening to the same DJ playing the same song for all I knew, it all sounds the same. There’s no denying it works on the dance floor but you can’t remember any of it. I try and make music that stands out from the crowd, (try being the operative word)
Has this experimental side always been apart of your character?Ha ha, yes, very much so. I hate it when I hear someone say ‘I’m a bit mad me’ cause they sound like a twat, so I wont bother.
Is it always important to try and find a unique voice in production?Definitely. I think that’s what makes you stand out; it makes the music you release and you more of a brand. It’s always good to try and get a bit of your own emotions into music I think, it depends what you’re in the game for though…if you just want to make tracky club bangers, then perhaps you’d disagree. I think that a lot of people are in this game for the wrong reason, more the glory than the actual music itself.
What did you hope to achieve in launching Glass Table?The first release, especially Kyle Hall’s remix, again seems to exude a feeling of non-conformity, pushing the boundaries a bit?Little known fact this - ‘Glass Table’ is so called because of the glass table in my front room. Me and Jamie would (and still do) end up back at my flat, with a varying array of people generally out of our minds after being out or DJing at a parties etc, we’d end up round ‘the Glass Table’ listening to all sorts of weird and wonderful music. A lot of A&Ring for Hypercolour has taken place there; lots of artists have been signed (and then unsigned once we’ve sobered up the next day!) It can get pretty dark sitting round it sometimes as a lot of people can testify! Often were looking for something weirder and more challenging musically at that hour or in that state, so we decided to start a new record label in its honour… Glass Table. Not as cool as having a hotel, but it’s cheaper.
Do you think things can easily become stale in certain sections/genres of electronic music? Is the MP3 culture fuelling this?For sure, It’s so easy to make music nowadays, you don’t even need to play any notes, you can just buy a loop bundle, chuck it into Ableton or something similar, copy it a few times, and bam, you‘ve got a track. You can probably get it released as well due to the huge volume of small digital labels now.
The main problem is it costs these small digital labels nothing at all to release MP3s! Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great that so many people now have the opportunity to make music, I think it’s one of the most enjoyable experiences there is in life, everyone should get into it if they truly enjoy electronic music, but, I don’t think some of the music these people are creating should see the light of day so soon!
There’s no real quality control left in the industry. It costs a lot of money to press vinyl, the cut, the shipping, the sleeves, the artwork, the print process, In the case of our Glass Table imprint we do picture discs which are a hugely expensive process and with the state of the vinyl market today being as it is, you’ve gotta release something pretty special to even see a return on it! So the music can’t be second rate.
Have you enjoyed the launch of Hybrid Life? It seems your bookings are keeping things nice and broad and not just focused on mainstream house and techno?Yeah, Hybrid life has been great; Dominic Cools-Lartigue runs it (the man behind fuse). It’s an online magazine www.hybridlife.tv that Dom has been wanting to do for years now and has finally got round to making it happen! He asked me to help design the look of hybrid life (I’m a graphic designer by trade originally) and help curate the line-ups. It’s amazing, I tell Dom who I’d like to play and he’s just like, ‘yup, ok’ and sorts it out! Dream residency really. The music policy is diverse because it’s to reflect the style of the online magazine that accompanies it. We’re after a boutique feel that offers something more than the norm. To offer a snapshot of what is currently happening across the board in electronic music at the moment.
Is the residency important to you? Apart from a select few DJs, it seems to be becoming a dying art?Yeah, you’re right, come to think of it, it is a dying art. I’m really happy to have it, the parties being as good as they are and the line-ups being so special.
How do find the experiences of working in a studio and DJing compare? Do you ever feel like you would like to bring your work in the studio into a club in the form of a live performance? DJing for me is a lot more fun I think, you have a crowd to feed off, where as in my studio I have a Mr Potato Head and a talking Vicky Pollard doll to feed off. There are often things when I ‘m DJing I would love to be able to do like I can when working in my studio and haven’t been able to in the past. However, I have just started using TRAKTOR and it’s amazing! You can be really creative with it; I think it bridges the gap that was missing for producers in the DJ world. I’m looking forward to seeing what I can get out of it.
I do think though the next logical step for me is to start playing live, I’ve got everything I need to do it, but the main problem is I use Logic, not Ableton. Well actually the main problem is I’m really fucking lazy. I shall however attempt to get a live set together for next year.
Are you a technology geek or do you find raw talent and a lot of hard work can make up for all the gadgets in the world?As I said earlier, I don’t know what I’m doing! I’ve spent a lot of time recently using vintage synths mostly of the Roland variety - SH101, 303, 808, 909, and as amazing as they are, I’m fucking useless with them. They’re a nightmare to sync etc (well, probably not if you know what you’re doing) and it’s been a lot harder for me to use them with Logic than when I see my pals using them in their studios with Abelton. I end up wanting to cry, it’s a far cry from seeing Cobblestone Jazz live.
Recently I’ve come back to basics, I’ve recorded a lot of sounds from the machines and I just use the samples from them and a handful of soft synths that I know really well. I don’t see the point in having every VST under the sun cause you’ll never figure out how to use them all properly - they are each individual instruments that you need to get a feel for. I sometimes just play the 101 over the top of things, it makes some mental noises (probably because it’s broken) that I can then cut up and use as I please. I also use a Korg Electribe a lot. I’ve had it for years, the quality is gash, but you can create some superb sounds from it, and it always works.
Finally I have a glorified Midi keyboard in the shape of the Moog Little Phatty that I’m too thick to use properly. There’s some other bits of hardware knocking around that just make the place look cool and that’s it. So in answer to the question, I think its hard work and raw talent that is the key to not just being a good producer, but anything really. Sadly I’m lacking in the talent and work ethic departments.
Where do you see yourself in five years time? Are there any big challenges on the horizon?I hope my music will get better. Well it has to really! I hope also to tour with the label more, doing more show cases with our core artists, perhaps with an album under my belt, maybe even two? I’ve been a fair bit of doing sound design for television recently, and that’s something I really enjoy. I hope to be doing more of that, perhaps starting my own sound design agency and generally being a bit more grown up. I think that’s the main challenge on the horizon, stop acting like such a dick and grow up.