A few days ago I heard Isle of Capri off of James Egbert's EP Blackhawk and the tune sent me into a musical trance. I thought to myself I HAVE to know who this guy is because he is a musical genius. His EP has been on repeat on my computer ever since. IT IS THAT GOOD. Please show him some love by liking his Facebook page which also has his EP to download for free! Now without further adieu here is a little more about the up and coming electro artist James Egbert from Denver, CO!
So first off James tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get started producing electronic music?
I grew up into music as a drummer from a very early age. In high school, my band played a house party with a few dj's who were blasting out some drum n bass tunes, and I remember being awestruck with the drum-heavy sound. Also, the Postal Service album dropped that year, and I immediately fell in love with the synthesis side of that, so that was a very developmental album for me in regards to exploring my curiosity with electronic music. My uncle bought me an Apple PowerBook G4 a few months later as my graduation present, and I instantly began fiddling in Garage Band. That was the absolute beginning of my love with electronic music.
How would you describe the sound you produce?
I suppose if I had to use one word, it would be emotional. My goal with my sound is to create an emotion within the soul of the listener. I love the Blackhawk EP because every song stirs an emotion inside of me. I'm also very keen on the use of contrast in my music. Without the dark, we don't appreciate the light. Without hard, we can't appreciate soft. Without sad, we can't appreciate happy....and so on and so forth. So I enjoy that a lot of my music can create both ends of the spectrum in the same song.
There are so many people producing electronic music now. What do you think sets you apart from other producers?
I've had the rare opportunity to make music production (for bands and other electronic groups) as my "day job" for the past 3 years now. I've had the opportunity to learn a lot about production through writing every day, trial and error, album deadlines, and having to make sounds I don't personally want to make because they're difficult, but the artist I'm working with wants something crazy anyways. I've had bad days where I have to force myself to push through production projects in order to keep putting food on the table, etc, and a lot of other producers don't receive the blessing of that experience. So, I feel that my ability to produce some sort of electronic music all day, every day has really built up to a lot of experience.
Where did your inspiration for the Blackhawk EP come from?
I started this Electro House project under my personal name just about a year ago now, and I feel that whole time, I've been searching for "my" sound and dabbling with a few different things here and there. I had a fairly successful solo pop/electronica project a few years ago called "Portrait Of A Friend" (POAF) which I still feel a deep emotional attachment to. I went through the same process of trying to find "my" sound within the genre I was in, and it finally clicked with that project. I've been studying a lot of the Electro House sounds I love, and analyzing the producer's technical process around that, and I feel like Blackhawk has been a merging of the synthesis and overall sound from POAF with some of the production techniques of other producers I admire and respect.
How do you come up with track names? Are there any specific meanings behind them?
:) Blackhawk is a casino town located about an hour into the mountains outside of Denver. The track names are all casino names, and it's kind of just a tribute to my love of Denver and the fun times I've had with friends there in Blackhawk.
You recently performed at Global Dance festival and next to Zedd in Boulder. How was that for you?
Both shows have been phenomenal experiences for me not only on a professional level, but a personal level. They've both been highlights in my musical career and in my life. I think the craziest thing about those shows is that this project is so new. Global Dance Festival was my first confirmed gig I received with this project, and I ended up DJing twice immediately before Global...making the show with Zedd only my 5th show with this project. I guess I didn't really expect to see myself sharing the stage guys with Skrillex, Nero, Diplo, and Zedd so immediately within the creation of this project, so it's been a huge moral boost to put myself on that same playing field with the "big names" in the industry.
If you could perform at any music festival which one would it be?
I think Electric Daisy Carnival would be great. Early into my affinity towards dance music, I was living in Huntington Beach, CA, and EDC was the first dance music event I ever attended back in 2005, so I think it would be really cool to play it, having been an event go-er first. Also, some of the European events look insane. I'd love to go through some of the HUGE stuff they've got going on over there.
What are 3 tracks you can't stop listening to?
Hehe, since I work on music pretty much all day, I don't listen to much music outside of my work, just to give my ears and head a break. But, without giving away all the secrets to my live show, here's 3 tracks that I'm into right now because they are absolutely HUGE :)
Dinka - My Love Will Surround You (Dirtyloud Remix)
DJ Red, DJ Scotty Boy, Revolvr - Warface (Original Mix)
Metzo - Get Over It (Alex Mind Remix)
Who are some artists that you look up to?
I currently have a lot of respect (in no specific order) for Dirtyloud, Porter Robinson, Zedd, Skrillex, and Wolfgang Gartner because of their musical consistency and their devotion to keep pushing the envelope with their sound. Also, I haven't met all of these artists, but it's great to see that the ones I've met have remained very level headed and down-to-earth, and I really admire that characteristic in them. There's another slew of other artists that I'm really enjoying right now, but as a DJ who loves playing their material on a regular basis as my "best kept secret's" in my sets, I've gotta keep their names under wraps. But, I will say that there's definitely a good number of new producers on their way to making a name for themselves in the Electro House world though.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I'd love to be in a position to not be "on my grind" as much. I'd love to be retired from my other production work and be able to fully focus on the music I personally want to write, and have the financial support to do so. However, as long as I can continue to do what I love while putting food on the table, I'll be happy :)
Blackhawk EP:
James Egbert - Blackhawk - OUT NOW by James Egbert
AnnaC
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