London, UK

J Bass

Name: James Bass
Age: 32
Height: 5’7”. Not sure what that is in metric.
Average Heartrate (BPM): No idea
Heartrate when mixing(BPM): A little higher, but still no idea.
Fingernail length: Short
Bedtime: Don’t you mean “Pass out time”?
Favorite Pop Song: Pop? Whats that?
Favorite Nursery Rhyme: The one from Nightmare on Elm Street
All-time Favorite Breakbeat Choon: Yet to hear it
Band: Depeche Mode
Model: BMW M3 or Angelina Jolie…either one will do.
Slush/Snow Cone Flavor: Anything but a yellow one.
Movie: Usually a historical, bloody epic of some sort. Or a movie with loads of twists.


Interview

Did you start out as a DJ, a producer, a promoter...?
DJ

Describe your taste in breaks (what kind of breaks do you /play/produce)? Heavy, Rolling, Tech, Urban, Funky, Party Breaks.

What/Who got you started?
My grandfather. I was about 7 or 8 when he bought me my first tape recorder. I used to memorise Hip/Hop electro raps and record myself rapping over the instrumental versions. Eminem watch out!

What are your past and current breakbeat releases so far and are you proud of ‘em all?
I’m over-critical about my own tunes, so I’m never entirely happy. I’ve only had one release out on my label. This is due to me spending so much time on other projects..mainly iBreaks.co.uk Radio. I’m proud of all the tunes I’ve signed though.

BI001 – Det Selectaz – Damn/The Gentlemen – Chrome Spinnin’.
BI002 – J-Bass vs Journeyman – Yush/Muzik
BI003 – Journeyman vs Barrcode – Time 2 Unite/Ctrl-Z Remix

Do you have to actually buy any records now?
Yes, of course. Although I’d love to be able to walk into a record shop, choose a load of records and walk out without paying. But I think that’s considered stealing these days. How dull.

Do you do all of your own eqing and limiting and compressing for your phat breakbeat sound?
Yes..But that’s where my partner in crime, Ian (Journeyman) comes in. He physically engineers the tracks as I’m more involved in the writing and production. Our tracks also get mastered before pressing.

Whats your take on compression? Do you use a hardware compression unit or simply the wave plugins?
I can answer this!! It depends we try both. Whatever sounds the phattest. But most of the time it’s the plugin that wins.

Whats going on with www.Ibreaks.co.uk, not many of us North Amerians know about it, please tell us how it began and whats going on with it.
iBreaks.co.uk is a Breakbeat Internet Radio station. It was setup in October 2004 but only officially launched in April 2005, Our schedule includes some of the biggest names in Breaks, such as Matt Cantor of The Freestylers and Rennie Pilgrem. We also have shows provided by labels and dj’s at the forefront of the Breaks scene. I’m also a partner involved in the station.

We broadcast live 6 days per week and have Saturdays reserved for our Live events. So far we’ve aired HUM @ SE1 and Chew The Fat @ The End. What makes us stand out from the rest is the ability for listeners to download all of our archived shows which change weekly and, we offer such a diverse range of Breakbeat music. From the bassline and tech stuff to funky and chilled breaks. Its like a one stop shop that satisfies your Breakbeat thirst. We stream in high quality 128k. If you’re into breakbeat you gotta check us out.

What other residencies do you host/play at…any other weekly/monthly events?
iBreaks.co.uk every Monday @ 8pm GMT WET.

Where is you favorite place to DJ so far and where have you played out so far?
So far, I’ve played gigs at Turnmills and Ministry of Sound in London.
Slackers Convention in Brighton. The Couch Club in Nuremberg, Germany, Locos in Marbella, Spain. My favorite gig was Glastonbury 2004. Mud and shit everywhere but a wicked vibe!

Don’t you just love the breakbeat beat ladies dancing to your tracks? Is that one reason you do it?
I wouldn’t say it’s one of the reasons I do it. I DJ purely for the love of the music. But seeing ladies dancing and bouncing around to tunes that I play, does raise my testosterone level somewhat.

Got any good groupie stories (come on we know you got some)?
hmmm. Not really.

Did you ever use any real drums in your breaks from a drummer session? Yes. I know a fantastic drummer called Killian Madden. He used to drum for drum n bass don, LTJ Bukem. He’s one of the tightest drummer’s I’ve heard. You got to be to tight to keep up with DnB, especially in a live set.

What's the craziest thing that ever happened to you on a road trip?
I was attacked by a 6’, 15 stone leather-clad woman whilst playing a gig on the Isle of Wight. She was so wasted that she tried to take over the decks by climbing into the booth. The bouncers didn’t see her and she got in and tried to physically “eject” me and the rest of the crew who were in there. The bouncers soon turned up and got rid of her.

Where you once a raver…once upon a time with big fat pants?
I was into the music in a big way, but not your typical “raver”. I used to go to events such as Sunrise, Biology and Energy back in 1988-9. So if you want to tarnish me with the “Raver” brush I won’t argue. I never owned a pair of white gloves, but blew a Klaxon horn a few times.

How many hours/week do you spend mixing/producing?
Mixing about 6-8 hours per week and producing not as much as I’d like to.

Describe your current DJ mix.
I think this mix covers many of the styles of Breaks that I’m into. I usually go for the big sounds, and main room vibes. Probably due to my Raver days. I’m not one to play a mellow set. Unless its at an after party of course.

List some of your favorite breakbeat producers (past/present):
Way way back: Most of the electro/hip hop producers of the 80’s. Arfika Bambata, Public Enemy, NWA, Grandmaster Flash. LL Cool J. Run DMC to name a few.

Way back: Hardcore rave and drum b bass veterans such as The Prodigy, Shades Of Rhythm, Fabio and Grooverider, Flytronix, Goldie, Andy C, Ed Rush.

Last few years: Freestylers, Drumattics, Plumps, Rogue Element, Future Funk Squad, The Breakfastaz, Baobinga, Control Z, Nitro, Koma and Bones…..there are so many lately.

Who is your favorite breakbeat producer right now and why?
There are so many breakbeat producers that I really like, so it’s almost impossible for me to say. I’m also known to change my views like the wind changes direction. Someone I may not have liked last year, I may love this year.

Are there any upcoming collaborations you'd like to let us in on?
Nothing planned as yet, but as soon as there is you’ll be the first to know.

Do you work in your own home studio or some where else?
I work with Ian (Journeyman) at his home studio.

What sequencer do you use, and on what computer platform, and why?
Logic 5.5 on a PC because I’m used to logic and know PC’s inside out.

Did you ever invite your parents to come out and dance to your breakbeat madness?
No way. All I used to get was…”turn that noise down”!

Whats your inspiration to continue to make and play breaks?
I’m always hearing such great music. It keeps me alive and kicking.

When non breakbeat heads ask you (you know the normal people)…whats a breakbeat–what do you tell em?
I hit em with some Human Beatbox style Breakbeats. That hardly ever works so I give them a CD.

Who you love to chill with at the moment and why?
I love to chill with a lovely lady called Dani. She inspires me and is an amazing woman. Unfortuantely, because of distance, we cant see each other as much as we’d like.

You first started out as a drum and bass dj in the 90’s, why did you make the switch?
Drum n Bass was always known for its inventiveness and cutting edge sounds. I found that in it’s later years it began to lose those qualities and become stale. The events also started to become moody. Once I discovered Breakbeat, I found the same “hardness” in the music, without the aggressive vibes, tempo and annoying mc’s chatting nonsense all over the tunes.

What’s up with marriage?
Why? You need some counseling or guidance? Don’t ask me. I’ve never been married.

Can you play when you are COMPLETELY wasted?
I can play when wasted, but if you ask “do I play well when completely wasted?”. Probably not.

Do you ever get nervous while you are DJing?
I get nervous a couple of hours before the gig. I think it keeps me on my toes. But as I get into my third mix (and Jack Daniels) I relax and start to enjoy.

How about Albeton Live or traktor…what do you think of laptop sets? Did you or will you ever try it out for your sets?
I come from the Old Skool of vinyl mixing and personally prefer to do it that way. Lately I’ve had to succumb to playing cd decks too, due to so many CD promos being sent to me. I think that Vinyl mixing is an art form that every DJ should learn to master. One day I may get the urge to try a laptop or similar during a set, but it would only be to “enhance” my vinyl.

Do you play strictly breakbeat or do you mix in other genres?
I find that Breakbeat has such diverse styles that its all I need to play. I may throw in the odd old skool house, techno or drum n bass tune in.

Did you ever go to a music school or take classes to learn an instrument?
I never went to a music school, but I tried to learn the trumpet and sax during my school days. I hated the things. My parents refused to let me learn the drums. That’s what I really wanted to learn.

Do you have any advice for aspiring DJs/Producers/Record Label owners?
Yes. Get into Banking or Real Estate, you’ll earn more money. No, seriously…believe in what you do and why you do it. But I would suggest having an alternative means of income too.

What’s up next for you?
We’re planning some iBreaks parties in London for Autumn and in October I’m playing 3 gigs in 3 cities in the Czech Republic. Really looking forward to that.

Tell us some words of wisdom that you live by?
You got to speculate to accumulate and don’t get caught with your pants down.

Shout outs?
To all the Breakbeat soldiers out there making things happen.

WWW Links
www.ibreaks.co.uk
www.j-bass.net

London DJ Coverage:

J Bass

Record Label Affiliations: Born Idle

Interview Sept 2005

Interviewed by Somsay.