Jason Distortionz

Leicestershire, UK

Breakbeat.ca Featured Artist:

Jason Distrotionz

Distortionz

Jason Distortionz Interview August-September 2004
Interviewed by Somsay.

Jason Distortionz Profile
Age: 58
Height: Tall enough not to need a box to stand on when DJing
Weights: Heavyweight
Average heart beat per minute: I see its going to be one of those interviews then….
Fingernail length: Long enough to scratch my ….
Bed time: After the injection
Colour of hair:
Favorite Pop Song:
Records: No criminal record but I am in the Guinness book of world records for being the first person to burp, sneeze, cough, fart and hiccup all that the same time and actually survive.
Band: Aid
Models: They all want a piece of me baby
Monsters: They mostly come at night, mostly….

The Interview
How many releases have you put out so far?
Jason Distrotionz= total, about 15

How is the underground scene in the UK in your opinion?
Jason Distrotionz=pretty poor compared to how it used to be. But it depends which city you are in.  London is certainly not all its cracked up to be and it seems the best parties are in the north.

Do you have a normal job on the side of breaks?
Jason Distrotionz=I work as the computer guy for a food company, and its as dull as it sounds. I only do that job to keep my feet on the ground and say “in touch with reality” because I am living the superstar lifestyle of an international DJ/producer by night and really don’t need this job… No… wait up…. daydream there… sorry I remember now…. the job pays the mortgage and the music keeps me sane.

How was the reaction at work...at your "normal job", when you released your first noticeable record?
Jason Distrotionz=the response is always something like “yeah, well, I haven’t seen you on Top of the Pops”, which is usually followed by a snigger and lots of sarcastic comments. Damn those little people.

Have you been to Australia yet? If so how is it?
Jason Distrotionz=Not yet… but I’m getting masses of interest from there so it wont be long.

Are people still using the Emu Ultra Samplers or any form of external sampler in the UK or have people got used to the ease of software samplers like Kontakt or the Esx24?
Jason Distrotionz=depends what you are used to and what sound you want.  I use all internal samplers including kontakt but I know plenty of other producers that use external equipment. One very well known group of UK producers still uses an old 12bit Akai S950 sampler for all their beats because they like the way it sounds. I personally hate being restricted to a small number of outputs and having all those wires everywhere.

Did you study music in school?
Jason Distrotionz=not at all, I studied girls and spent the rest of my time in the record shop.

Do you use music theory in anyway?
Jason Distrotionz=not really, in fact I try not to; you can hear in peoples music that they have been classically trained. I think you can get too caught up in all that when you need to be rinsing the beats and bass for the dancefloor, that’s what this music is about. But I do use a few chords here and there.

Is Breakbeat culture on the rise in the UK?
Jason Distrotionz=oh yes, more than any other music. It’s the only music to be coming with a fresh sound.  All other music scenes seem to be going a little stale.  When you have lots of big name house and DNB DJ’s jumping on the bandwagon (leeches) you know its something good

How does the UK scene differ from Australia?
Jason Distrotionz=Well I think breaks is pretty big out there as is DNB. They have always known a good thing when they see it. They have some big breaks parties.  I also know you need a whole new vocabulary to communicate effectively, for instance “Tucker” means Food, “Dinkum” means Genuine or honest and “Owyergoin” is a popular greeting. It seems easy to pickup once you know the basics.

Did girls call you more frequently since you started playing out? If so do they talk to you or do they just giggle and hang up?
Jason Distrotionz=The only girls that call me nowadays usually start the conversation off by asking me why I jumped bail and when I’m going to pay up.

Did you ever work on the Mac OS X platform for any productions that came out?
Jason Distrotionz=yes, a long time ago I did some DNB tunes in a friends studio, but that wasn’t OS X specifically. I could never get my head around the single mouse button. Especially since to emulate the second mouse button you have to press the “apple” key… so why not just have 2 mouse buttons?

Did you ever try digital performer? Any comments about this software sequencer?
Jason Distrotionz=nope, never used it.

Whats your main piece of studio gear and why?
Jason Distrotionz=my computer, because I use it for absolutely everything.

Do you see breakbeat music moving into a mainstream position soon?
Jason Distrotionz=well, its already mainstream, but it depends what you mean.  Pretty much anything that gets Radio 1 A-list status and is played on top of the pops I personally take no interest in, so if that is what you mean by mainstream I hope it never gets there because it will be all downhill on the slippery commercial slope after that.  But I think it will be the cheesy funky side of breaks that will do that.

Ever dated a stripper?
Jason Distrotionz=No, but I strip people I date.

What current projects are you working on and would like to talk about?
Jason Distrotionz=.  I run the Breaks Chart , which is the first worldwide break beat chart based on music sales. I have just setup the official Breaks Chart website (www.BreaksChart.com) and we have shops all round the world taking part, it’s getting a great response from everyone in the breaks scene.  It started off as a chart for Breaks FM, the radio station I have a weekly show on but I saw the potential and took it one step further.
I am setting up my new record label called “Bass Invaderz” which is gonna be HUGE with lots of quality producers so watch out for it. You can expect the first release late this year.  Send you demos to:
Bass Invaderz
PO BOX 7639
Leicester
LE4 8YQ
UK

Who were your first inspirations to originally got you into Breaks?
Jason Distrotionz=none really, not breaks producers anyway.  I am originally a DNB producer and I tried making breaks for a change. I got a taste for it and I like it so much now I spend most of my time doing it.  Breaks is a lot harder to make than DNB because you have to put a lot more into your tunes to give it energy because the tempo is slower. You know you have the formula right when you speed the tempo of a breaks tune up to DNB speed and it sounds too busy.  When I first got into breaks I was hearing lots of stuff that obviously wasn’t breakbeat even though that’s what people called it, like prog house with snares or funk/electro with overly vocoded vocals and I wasn’t feeling any of it… I just did my own thing.  I listen to lots of stuff so long as it has “balls” and “attitude” to it, DNB, rock, even gabber and I take inspiration from all of them.
 
Is it really about the music in the UK or its really about the drugs?
Jason Distrotionz=I don’t do any drugs and never have done so its always been about the music for me. But I think there are people who get into breaks not because of the music but because they think it makes them look good or enhances their social status.  So for these people it might be about drugs. For the rest of us all we need is a budwiser, some heavy bassline impact on the dancfloor and we are happy.
 
Do Mafias control everything?
Jason Distrotionz= If there is money in it, then gangsters will be in it too.  But since there is no money in this then we are safe for now.  What is more of a concern is the growing number of promoters and other organizations that involve themselves in the breaks scene simply for what little profit they think they can make from it. They don’t care about the music and they treat people badly because it’s just a business opportunity to them. That is more of a problem than gangsters, and always will be in any scene I think.

When Distortionz goes to press with a fat new track, do you use the same vinyl manufacturer?
Jason Distrotionz=up until now I have always released records on other labels and they have their own pressing plants. I don’t have any real preference so far. I think the mastering engineer makes more of a difference than the pressing plant.  Generally the pressing plant will simply cut any track you give them as loud as possible and so long as there is no noticeable clicks, pops or pits in the record they will be happy with that. The mastering engineer processes your track to prepare it for vinyl and if he’s good and knows what he’s doing (and what you want) you will get a good cut.  Lots of people think that they can get around having to pay to have their tracks being mastered simply by using some mastering software on their computer at home. It just does not work like that.

Have you ever heard a top quality American Press?
Jason Distrotionz= a few, but I don’t get sent many American pressed records.  Producers in the US who send me their tracks send a CD or MP3 most of the time cas its cheaper

Is it possible to get an American press that is as hot as a UK press? Why is the UK the best?
Jason Distrotionz=I have always been of the impression that more dance music vinyl gets pressed in the UK than most other places and there are companies here that have been around for many years. There is no substitute for an experienced mastering engineer and a tried and tested pressing plant, and there are lots of them about in the UK.  Maybe this is why.

What is your opinion on these music program suites(Fruity Loops, Reason, etc...) output real quality audio that would be effecient for any Distortionz productions?
Jason Distrotionz=I don’t use fruity loops (uurrrgg) and I don’t use reason but I know a lot of people that do use reason and there is nothing wrong with the quality. I use Cubase, Halion and Kontakt more than anything else.  Over the last few years I have been trying to prevent myself getting too involved in all the technicalities of how the music is made. I put all my effort into writing the music not fiddling around with software or geeking out on Internet forums.

Do you wear baggy clothes?
Jason Distrotionz=If that’s what you like baby, call me and Ill describe them to you if you want… (Calls cost £1.50 a minute)

What did you listen to growing up before your fat breaks productions?
Jason Distrotionz=Oldskool acid, rave, hardcore, jungle, DNB…. The original underground UK sounds. I would hate to think what type of music I might be making if I did not experience these scenes first hand.  They set me up for life and I gauge everything against them.  I don’t know what I would do if I lost my oldskool record collection.

How long did it take to learn and master all your equipment before you found the sound that you were looking for and you were comfortable enough to produce what you wanted?
Jason Distrotionz=when I first used a hardware studio it took me a while but I was working with other people back then so I was never in it alone. 

Are you using mac os X?
Jason Distrotionz=no, macs are way too expensive and I don’t need a flashy computer to make me look good.

What do you think of PC's?
Jason Distrotionz=they are ok if you know what you are doing, if you don’t get a mac and learn some anti-pc jokes

Do you think knowing synthesis is necessary when producing or do you think its not entirely necessary? What is the extent of your knowledge on the subject.
Jason Distrotionz=I hardly use any synthesizers. 95% samples. Even if I create a sound I like on a synthesizer I will re-sample and run it through various filters and fx to give it the sound it needs.  I can’t even imagine making a track without samples, it’s an alien concept, although I am sure it happens.

Any plans for music videos?
Jason Distrotionz=none yet, a few ideas though, but nothing that would be legal in any country of the world and certainly not playable on MTV.

Any tips on making fatter breaks?
Jason Distrotionz=yes, USE BREAKBEATS!!! As in live drum loops.  Work the percussion and give it some energy.  If it hasn’t got impact on the dance floor then I’m not interested. It’s got to hit me like a hammer and inject pace and vigor into the rave. I hear far too many monotone bass lines, 2-minute breakdowns and plod step beat patterns these days, ok for the radio I guess, but in a club it’s just dull.

Can you tell us about the ravers in the UK...any funny ones?
Jason Distrotionz=well, they all go to raves in the UK and some of them are funny.. what else do you want to know?

Do you think girls like breaks more than Drum and Bass?
Jason Distrotionz=I think girls generally like house more than drum and bass, but you don’t see many girls wearing high heels in a DNB rave and you don’t see many girls wearing trainers in a house party. But you do see girls wearing high heels and trainers in a breaks rave.  The girls in high heels tend not to dance much though, can’t think why.

Have you ever worked with an MPC to produce drum loops?
Jason Distrotionz=cant say I have, I get breakbeats and chop them up in recycle.

Do you use alot of sample cds for sounds?
Jason Distrotionz= 100’s of them, but you still have to search hard for the good samples.  Sample CDs tend to be made by people who don’t produce the style of music the CD is aimed at, for financial reasons I guess. Hence you don’t get too many usable samples.

Do you synthesize allot of your own sounds?
Jason Distrotionz=very little

Have you ever found your music on any mp3 servers such as Kaza? And if so, how does this make you feel and how does this affect you?
Jason Distrotionz=yes, every producer that has released a record will find their music there. People who file share don’t care a great deal about the music or the scene and ultimately they just don’t like spending money.  Some people say that they would by MP3’s if record labels sold them but because you can’t buy music in the format you prefer does not give you an automatic right to download it illegally. Some people also claim they only download MP3’s to hear new music, which they then buy from a shop – YEAH RIGHT! And I’m sure they delete the MP3 file from their hard drive after once they have listened, of course.  If you want to hear all the latest breakbeat go to a club or listen to www.BreaksFM.com, it’s free and you will hear music that’s so fresh it pisses on anything you would find on file sharing networks. Above all you have to share music in order to download it (else people ban you) so you just perpetuate the whole thing and make it worse.  JUST SAY NO KIDS

Are there any candy ravers left? And if so... would you touch thier pants?
Jason Distrotionz=candy what now?  Are they people who dance on a sugar buzz or something?

How did you feel when you first djed in Spain infront of a massive crowd? What was the experience like?
Jason Distrotionz= In the south of Spain everyone is into breakbeat, it’s quite surreal. Its something you have to experience to understand what its like.  Their raves don’t start until about midnight and go on until about mid-day with the main sets being around 3-7am in the morning. The breaks scene in Spain now is like the oldskool rave scene was in the UK 10 years ago, i.e. raves with 10000+ people and everyone was into it. People go to raves to dance themselves stupid, not to look cool or stand in the corner chatting or stroking their chins all night.  Its very refreshing. 

Any future aspirations or Words of wisdom?
Jason Distrotionz=If you wake up with something poked into your mouth DON’T SUCK.

Please check Jason Distortionz Websites and download his excellent dj mixes!

www.distortionz.com

www.breakschart.com