Chibuku resident James Rand talks Berghain, blogs and musical discovery

James Rand is a Liverpool resident. From a mere high-school student, to a lover of the clubs to the master behind the decks, Rand has grown up in a city that inspired him.

Now as a resident DJ with nightly spots at Korova and Chibuku, Rand is progressing swiftly and for the first time in his four-year career it was London’s mega-club Fabric that called upon his services. Better suited to a Saturday, Rand took his Friday slot as a challenge to dig deeper into his crate pulling out “old Switch records and older more interesting house records; it was kinda fidget before it was fidget”.

With an analyse then approach method, James Rand reminisces about trips to Berlin’s Berghain where Sunday sessions are anything but ‘seedy’. “You can learn a lot there… There is trust in the promoter”.

London-born, Liverpool-bred James Rand talks to Jasmine Phull about dissecting audio and delves into the past for some quality tracks.

You’re a key player on the Liverpool club scene. Are you still based there?
Yea I am. I am looking at possibly moving down to London at the end of the year but it all depends on a lot of things. Just trying to build up a bit of a studio really and afford all the things that I can’t afford in London. (Laughs).

Where did you grow up?
I was born in London but I grew up mainly in Liverpool.

What was the music scene like there?
I only noticed it when I was 16-17, around the time that I started going out. There was this fantastic bar called Korova, which was an integral part of everything really. It was owned by Ladytron and all the bands that I was interested in, like Klaxons, CSS and Soulwax, would play there. I started getting into DJing and started playing there and through that I played at Chibuku and a few other places in Liverpool. That was probably the key point for me in Liverpool. I think there’s a pretty good scene in Liverpool, now especially, there’s a lot of good bands and DJs living here at the moment.

So were the visits to Korova bar what kick-started your interest in music?
Yea. Around 2007 a lot of people my age got into the Klaxons and through them discovered people like Erol Alkan.

Do you remember the first album you bought?
Basement Jaxx- Remedy. My dad bought me up on a diet of The Smiths and The Beetles’ White Album - stuff like that. I think I was probably just rebelling against him even though now I’ve grown to love that more than Basement Jaxx.

How do you source your music?
It’s from all over the place, really. Good DJs get their music from as many different locations as possible. I keep up-to-date with a lot of other DJs but then I do a lot of my own digging. What I really love is electro records from 2006-2007. It’s a time when electro-clash was becoming something a little more aggressive and darker. I’ve started to lot meet a lot more DJs who seem to be interested in that sound as well.

Are you big on the blog scene as well?
There’s really only one blog that I visit and that’s Keytars and Violins. I know Leighton Jones who writes it and they’re just on top of everything really. With blogs you’re only really gonna find something that someone else has gotten on to. There are far too many obsessed with getting the latest track, you might as well look into the past a little bit.

How does being an artist affect the way you hear other people’s music?
I started studying Audio Engineering about a year ago and now I do find myself dissecting sounds a lot more. At the end of the day you’ve got to go with your gut feeling about what your –initial- response is because that’s most likely what the creator is going for. The point usually isn’t to intellectually break it into pieces. A few trips to Berlin have been quite integral to how I respond to music, especially house music.

How so? Do you mean from going to the mega-clubs like Berghain and seeing people’s responses to the music?
Spending a Sunday afternoon in Berghain you’ll learn a lot. In January we saw Patrice Baumel playing in Panorama bar and that was just.. (pauses). It pains me to go home. I don’t think it’s seedy at all. It’s an environment that you can’t really imitate in Britain.

Do you think there are a lot of people that go to these mega-clubs to appreciate the music? More than what most people may think?
Yea I do but I also think there is trust in the promoter. They believe that if they go to this venue the promoter will have booked someone they want to see. I think a lot of people will go to Berghain on a Saturday night/Sunday morning because they know someone good will be playing.

You played London’s Fabric this month. How do you translate that ‘Berlin mindset’ into your sets?
You got to look at the background of the club; who you’re playing with, the time and what you wanna do with it. Although I would be more suited to a Saturday I was playing on a Friday and instead of seeing it as a negative I saw it as a positive opportunity to play some different records. I went back to some old Switch records and older more interesting house records; it was kinda fidget before it was fidget. My approach is to analyse what you are going into but whilst you’re there don’t be afraid to go a tangent if you feel it’s right.

You’ll be playing at Parklife Festival. Have you got a plan of attack?
I’m playing in a tent with Doorly, Boysnoize, and Fake Blood so I’ll possibly use a similar approach to Fabric. I imagine I’ll be playing the first hour so I warm and accommodating tracks would be best. At that stage they’ll just be trying to get people through the door.

Do you produce music as well?
I have got a few tracks to my name but I’m holding it down at the moment. I’ve got positive feedback from people but I want it to be really really good as opposed to all right. I imagine an EP will be out in the next six months.

Interview by: Jasmine Phull
Twitter.com/j_fool

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James Rand will be playing in the Chibuku tent at Parklife Festival on Saturday 11th June. Get tickets for Parklife below.

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