[i:Vibes] Interview with Jaytech!

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Interview with Jaytech!

21:23 - April 28, 2009

by miles schmidt-scheuber

Jaytech – The Australian Mr. Funk

Jaytech, aka James Cayzer, has carved himself an enviable reputation as a supremely credible producer, DJ, and live talent. Uplifting, but never obvious, his music is well-thought out melodic house that’s equally at home in a Sasha or Desyn Masiello set as in a headline slot from Above & Beyond (Jaytech is also their opening DJ of choice).

Hailing from Canberra, Australia, Jaytech had his first production signed at the age of 16 (having started producing at 14); ‘Music 101’ was a precocious start and achieved worldwide recognition. Though his exams were deemed the main priority by his parents, he spent his daytime hours on both his studies and his classical training (as a pianist), while at night, holed up in his bedroom, he perfected his programming skills.

Hard work and an early start has certainly paid off, with a discography that runs into double figures and includes notable releases such as ‘Genesis’, which won widespread support from everyone from Desyn Masiello to Tiesto - who included it on his ‘In Search Of Sunrise’ compilation - ‘Spacelift’, and ‘Pepe’s Garden’, which similarly found favour with Sasha, Armin van Buuren and everyone in between.

Now with his academic studies behind him, and with a debut album under his belt, Jaytech’s entering the next stage of an extremely promising career.

i:Vibes: Hi James, thanks for taking some time to talk to i:Vibes. When listening to your tracks, the word funky can only come to mind. Where do you think that you got your talent for making such mind boggling tunes?

Jaytech: Definitely comes down to hours and hours nerding it up in my little bedroom studio in high school - I was playing piano and learning music theory at the time then as well so they sort of went hand in hand.

i:Vibes: If someone had told you four years ago that you would be Anjunabeats’ top non-trance act four years later, what would your response have been?

Jaytech: I think I would be really glad to hear I'm on the right track - I was pretty hell bent on getting my music out there back then and I think I am even more now – here’s hoping I can say the same thing in another four years!

i:Vibes: You were born and raised in the capital of Australia, Canberra. When Australia comes to mind, one usually thinks of the big cities Sydney or Melbourne. What was it like growing up in Canberra?

Jaytech: I've always loved it down in Canberra - it can be a really slow paced way of life sometimes but for me the city is just gorgeous and I have always been surrounded by such great friends and family there. I spend more time abroad nowadays than I do in Canberra but I am always ecstatic to go back. :)

i:Vibes: When and how did music come into your life?

Jaytech: When I was about 5 years old my mum took me to my aunt’s place for a preliminary piano lesson - I still remember them on the day saying “He’ll write music for films one day!” From then on I started playing piano and ended up doing it for the next 12 years, which led onto the dance music. I never made any music for films - maybe one day.

i:Vibes: What was your first record that you bought and did that influence you in any way in terms of music making?

Jaytech: Sasha & Emerson - Scorchio. I love answering that question as most people usually have a pretty embarrassing answer, but if you ask me ‘Scorchio’ is a pretty rocking first record. When I got it home and had summed up the courage to carefully place the needle on the vinyl, I was amazed at how warm and punchy the sound was on wax.

i:Vibes: Who were your early musical inspirations as you were a kid?

Jaytech: In the world of classical/romantic music Chopin and Rachmaninov were both big influences in that they were revolutionary musical thinkers for their time. Rachmaninov even flunked most of his music classes - go figure. In a more modern sense, I was still a kid when Paul van Dyk was making waves across the world and I used to order his CDs on import from Germany. Hats off also to Ferry Corsten, who was the first DJ I ever saw play and sparked my interest in this whole business in the first place.

i:Vibes: You had classical training as a pianist. How important has this skill been for your producing?

Jaytech: For my producing it’s been very important. I think for producing as a whole you don’t necessarily need classical training, it just changes the way you think about your productions. I have a hard time writing something that’s completely tech oriented because I’ve grown up writing pieces that are so heavily based on chords and melody. I still really like some techy tracks for use in my sets but for my own stuff, classical training definitely helps me to tell my story a bit better.

i:Vibes: How would describe the 2009 Jaytech sound?

Jaytech: I think my sound is growing up a bit and it's getting more club-friendly. I'm still learning so much about different techniques you can employ in your music to make people go crazy in a club. Perhaps some people focus on this side of things too much, and you end up with these tunes that are more DJ tools than pieces of music. I'm avoiding going too far down that route, as I think the world has seen too many melodic producers becoming strictly tech-house producers overnight.

i:Vibes: You got signed quickly to one of the top trance labels Anjunabeats. Do you remember what you were doing when you heard that they had signed you?

Jaytech: Clipping my toenails!

i:Vibes: ‘Spacelift’ is a track that will always stick in your mind and many will be able to say in ten years, “Yes ‘Spacelift’, Jaytech 2007.” What was your inspiration behind this track?

Jaytech: I was in Buenos Aires with Matt Rowan, and we had a couple of weeks to kill in town - after seeing the sights and drinking lots we eventually ended up buried in our headphones on our respective laptops for a few days and that’s when I came up with ‘Spacelift’. I was missing home a bit at the time so I wrote it all down in this tune and it helped tremendously.

i:Vibes: Was this a track that was difficult to produce? What was the most difficult thing you had to conquer in the studio so this track would sound perfect to you?

Jaytech: ‘Spacelift’ came about pretty easily - it's not always like that though. The most difficult thing for me is remixing somebody else’s track. Usually when I hear the track to remix I think “Cool, I think I know how this is gonna go.”, and when I sit down to do it, it always turns out completely different. Some remixes I’ve done, I’ve come up with like three or four different versions before finally settling with a finished one. That can drive you a bit batty, but it’s worth it when it’s done.

i:Vibes: Your debut album ‘Everything Is OK’ is out. How long did you work on it and how happy are you with the end result?

Jaytech: It was about 18 months from start to finish until all the tunes were done. I am really happy with it - like any album release there are ways it could be better or more cohesive or whatever, but for me it’ll always be a real milestone in my life. The most satisfying thing for me is that other people out there are listening to it and actually getting it, which is a nice little validation for me that I’m not stark raving mad.

i:Vibes: Why did you name your album ‘Everything Is OK’?

Jaytech: It came about because I've always loved that photo, taken at the San Francisco Pillow Fight (yes, there is such a thing!) in 2007. The barricade tape was there to kind of let passers-by know that it was all in good fun - I guess I just love the idea of someone actually walking past a public pillow fight and thinking something was seriously wrong.

i:Vibes: Anjunabeats/Anjunadeep rarely give an artist the chance to make an album. Did you have a lot of pressure in making an album that would be accepted by everyone?

Jaytech: Quite the opposite actually, I felt like I really had free reign on this one. If I try to write a track based on how I think people are going to perceive it, it's destined to turn out bad. The only way I can really write original music is produce whatever and trust my gut, so that's what I do.

i:Vibes: What kind of studio equipment do you have? What is your most prized possession in your studio that you could not live without?

Jaytech: Macbook, my Sennheiser headphones and some little half size Fostex monitor speakers. I use some other stuff occasionally, like keyboards or the equipment in the Anjuna studio, but for the most part my computer does just fine. I am used to keying in notes and patterns in my sequencer as I've been doing it that way for years. For tracks like ‘Drive’ on my album though, I don't think I could have done that without playing the parts in myself. My most prized studio possessions are my plugins.

i:Vibes: What are your goals for 2009 and what else can we expect to see on new releases?

Jaytech: I have commenced work on a new album - I have no hesitation in saying that because it’s not a trade secret, I haven’t made any concrete plans for it yet. I also can’t say with any certainty when it’s gonna come out, but it’s in the works – I’ll be doing the majority of work on this in June, when I have a bit of a break from touring. For the rest of the year I’ll be travelling, playing, and finding ways to expand, whether it be my radio show, productions, websites, whatever. As far as new releases go, my new double single ‘Metro/Wannabe’ has just come out on Anjunadeep, and expect my new tune ‘Delta’ to drop in a month’s time.

i:Vibes: How would describe a three hour set from you?

Jaytech: Depends on what the warmup DJ is playing, but if I can I like to start with more laid back housey stuff to begin with and work into more progressive material from there. It also depends on the vibe of the night, but if it's cranking I'll generally play big chunky stuff in the second hour and techy and epic stuff in the third.

i:Vibes: With what producer would you like to be locked away with in the studio for 24 hours and what result would come out of this experience?

Jaytech: Imogen Heap - great vocalist and really top-notch self taught producer as well. She has a great attention to detail - I think if we were in the studio for 24 hours the result would be a chunky progressive tune with a kickass vocal!

i:Vibes: If you had to decide tomorrow between tech and melody what would you choose?

Jaytech: Tech, because otherwise I would just be Jay. Hmmm, actually no, melody, because otherwise ‘Gray Horizon’ wouldn't have a vocal.

i:Vibes: What are your hobbies?

Jaytech: I guess my work is my biggest hobby - I spend nearly all my free time working on ways to move things forward or just learn something new. I make sure to get some relaxation time in every now and then, so I catch up with friends for that usually. For me the greatest feeling is being on the road to a new adventure, so I'm probably in the right line of work.

i:Vibes: Thanks James for the chat. Good luck in the future!