'Yeah Ive always been massively into Daft punk. As a yout, it was one of the first electronic albums i properly fell in love with and ever since I became a DJ , have always wanted to remix a track by them . When Specimen A & I sat down to write a collab, we always had a bootleg in mind. Many ideas were bought to the table, Aerodynamic being one of them. We were really keen to rework an iconic classic and bring it up to date, but it needed to be something that hadn't already been done to death. Aero fitted the criteria really well. It was anthemic enough to catch peoples attention, but not nesceraily the most well known track from daft punk out there . It was such an enjoyable experience to write and we both had a tonne of fun writing it . Prob why we carried on with the collabs to this day.'
As mentioned you collaborated with DJ/Producer Specimen A? How did you guys meet?
'I met Specimen A through my work with Funkatech records. At the time I aside from my DJing career, I was also putting on a few shows in Brighton of various natures. Funkatech asked me to help them put on club night for them, which also doubled up in to the video shoot for Specimen A's "Chasing shadows" track.
Not long after meeting Phill here, and as my association to the label as an artist grew, I was invited to his studio for some jokes and vibe sessions, and the rest as they say , is history.'
You seem to be naturally moving towards production, are there any tunez that you would just LOVE to remix??!! AND, are there any producers that you'd like to work with? Who'd you rate in the industry and why?!
'Yep, as my career has progressed it has become essential to a degree to output a certain amount of production. Its something that was obvious and also detrimental to the development of my path. As you know, I only started professional production a year ago, and in that time I've put out 10 tracks, so I'm pretty happy with what I've done and whom I've worked with already. However, re working with new producers is always something I'm up for. Right now, I'm really looking forward to writing some music with PYRAMID and getting back into the studio with Specimen A to finish our Daft Punk Bootleg trilogy Who do I rate in the industry.. Well, tonnes of people, just like there are tonnes I don't ha. I think one of the hottest new production outfits to enter the scene last year was the McMash Clan from Circus records. Their tracks are extremely DJ inspired, and its really refreshing to here someone approach their writing with that in mind as opposed to how much frequency range you can fill or not . Re tunes Id like to remix, well, I'm not going to give that away, i never remix anything I don't want to, so you'll see soon enough'
DJing...I've seen you play twice now and was not disappointed by the tunez or the showmanship that I was told to expect. Talk us through your set up. How have you evolved technically since you started DJing?
'Well thank you very much Ive been Mixing for roughly twelve years now and my format has changed a little bit since I started, not massively though. When I started out , it was on a pair of belt driven Numark turntables with a gemini mixer ( the one with the EQ kill ) and i was mixing hardhouse ,trance & funky/electro house haha A couple of years later , as i progressed through my regional scene, I started to receive a lot of music on cd promo and my residency had apair of CDJ 900'S . As my sound expanded into DnB & Breaks also, I found it pretty essential to have a wider , transportable music collection so I started to hone my craft again on cdjs. I was also really luck at this same residency, to play alongside the likes of Eddie Halliwell, Alex Kidd, Lisa Lashes who were all paving the way with CD deck tricks at the time . This was something i never let go of and took with me into Bass music. Ten plus years down the line and i play out on 2/4 Pioneer 1000's and my Allen & Heath Xone DB2 mixer. Im really lucky to be endorsed by A& H , as they have really helped to develop my standing as a technical DJ online and in the club. This path of technicality is only something i intend to pursue more, with a notable collab DJ project of note coming very soon, as well as my first commissioned location demo video for Allen heath before the summer.
Aside from the clever mixing and banging tunez, I loved your interaction with the crowd. What's your view on people who talk to you over the decks??!!
'Quite simply, Your only as good as the crowd is happy. And generally that means getting what they want. Its ironic, as the DJ is often seen as a person with power and influence in a club. But when it comes down to it and your standing in front of them with the task to entertain, you are very much at their will . So when people talk to me over the decks, even know 90 percent of the time I cant hear them or even begin to understand, its really important that you give them the attention they want and engage with them of your own back as much as possible. Despite the fact that the crowd are in control, they generally will still always have a united love for the artist, so its important that you step up to their expectations whatever they may be . So talking over the decks, if thats what they want to do, then I will always do my upmost to give them what they want. Because remember, without the dance floors supports, no one would be anything.'
What can we look forward to this year from James D'ley?
'This year is set to be my biggest yet it would appear. Having already held down a non stop gig schedule since January, and lots planned for the pipeline, to say I'm excited about this year is an understatement. Aside from my international tours, festival plans and a slew of remixes planned, my main focus this year is working even closer with Allen & Heath, delivering some top end mix tapes I've been commissioned to do and generally raising the awareness of me around the world to new heights. In a nutshell, you can look forward to everything from me getting even more polished, my output level being raised and lots of new exciting stuff that you wouldn't expect' .
Give us a random fact about yourself!
Hmmm .. A lot of people don't know that previous to being a DJ I trained as a water sports instructor and a chef. thats about as PC as i can get!!
Ha ha! Ok. What's your favourite tune of the moment?
'Now this is always the obviously difficult question in interviews. Im going to pick two... 1) Buzzkill - Rough math - A complextro electro Banger at its best, literally has the dance floor wetting itself when i drop it . 2) Terminal Ft Texas - Mediks - A rolling techy DNB number that has one of the most funky intricate bass lines I've heard recently in the genre. Gets me going every time '.
YAY JAMES D'LEY!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR THOUGHTS WITH US @ THE BASS BOUTIQUE!!
You can catch James D'ley on Twitter @JamesDley and Soundcloud.
Check out the BASS BOUTIQUE for more on Funkatech Records including Specimen A, Pyramid and MORE!! MWA HA HA HAAAAA!!
Much Love LittleMissDMT <3
