Interview: Jimpster

You’ve been DJing and making music for around 20 years, WOW! How have you managed to stay on top of your game and keep the fire burning all these years?
Well thankfully music continues to inspire me enough to want to keep making tracks, and I'm lucky enough to get to play great clubs and events which definitely keeps the fire burning. Without playing parties every weekend, I think it would be a lot harder to stay inspired and keep the momentum up, but whilst I'm busy I don't have a chance to stop and think about it.

Having a dad who is a musician must have been a huge influence, but are there any others that helped shape your musical mind in those early years?
Yeah, both my parents definitely influenced me as far as being taken to live gigs and studios from a young age, and also just having music always being played around the house. But I would say there were also a couple of very influential older friends that I was hanging out with when I was around the age of 11 and 12. One guy's sister was working as Daniel Miller's assistant at Mute Records so she was passing him all the first Depeche Mode releases in the early 80's which we spent endless hours getting into. Then a few years later another guy introduced me to the likes of Renegade Soundwave, Meatbeat Manifesto, Tackhead and also the On-U sound label, which also had a major influence on my musical upbringing in my early years.

How has the music industry changed over the last couple of decades from your experiences?
I'm not sure it's changed as much as people sometimes suggest, especially in terms of underground dance music. You still get big tracks or artists blowing up out of nowhere and there still seems to be as much hunger and desire for new music and trends amongst music fans. Obviously the digital revolution has changed the way a record label has to operate and the music buyers' habits have changed, but it seems that clubbing and live music are still as relevant and popular as ever.

Last year, you were everywhere from Spain to Italy, Germany to U.S.A and everywhere in between. Which was your stand out gig and why?
There are always a few that stick in your mind and I think these are often when you're playing a city for the first time. Last year I had a great night playing in Minsk at a tiny club called BBQ. Was just really intense and a bit crazy with everyone in a really excited mood and loving the music. I also really enjoyed playing Zoo Project in Ibiza last year (although this was for the third time) which is a different kind of thing - outdoors, much bigger production, capoeira dancers on stage etc, but a lovely atmosphere with really good people in the crowd.

You’re currently working on your 5th studio LP for Freerange Records. What can we expect this time round and when is it scheduled for release?
Yeah, the LP is called 'Porchlight and Rocking Chairs' and will be out in on 20th May. It's actually more of a continuation of my last LP 'Amour', focusing more on home-listening, some more downtempo stuff but quite raw and still housey. I recently got lent some hardware synths and dug out some of my older hardware, and found it really inspiring just playing and tweaking stuff live as opposed to doing everything in the computer. Hopefully you can hear this in the LP. It's definitely got a lot more noise and random elements going on in the background.

Which artists are you impressed by and think we should look out for this year?
Detroit Swindle seem to be going from strength to strength, with every release seemingly better than the last. Hannes Fischer, Panthera Krause (who is from the group Marbert Rocel), Usio, Angelo Battilani for more experimental stuff. And then of course guys like Axel Boman, Roman Flügel and KiNK continue to floor me with their stuff.

The Garage recently won DJ Mag Best Small Club 2012, and was listed as one of Mixmag's top 10 clubs of 2012. Are you excited about making your debut at this new club, and what can we expect from your set?
I've heard all about the accolades and seen the kind of bookings they've been doing. I also know Tristan from way back - in fact I think he might have booked me for my very fist DJ gig in Leeds over 10 years ago - so I know the quality and attention to detail that's going to be involved in the place. Definitely excited about this one.  Oh, it's my birthday that night too so another reason to be looking forward to it! Hopefully see you there!

Catch Jimpster at The Garage Leeds on Saturday 2nd March with Matt Cooper, Leigh Lerwill and more. Tickets are available through Skiddle below. 

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