After being the new kid on the block, called a genius by a lot of people, James sits down, to answer some questions for i:Vibes.

Hi James, thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for i:Vibes.

First of all, can you tell us a bit bout yourself? Hobbies, passions, college, girlfriends, pets (hamsters?), and other stuff you want to mention?
James: The answer to this one's not that interesting - I am just quite normal. Hamsters are called Jorj and Timo. Girlfriend is called Gemma and she is very nice.

How did you get in contact with music and producing? Through your parents?
James: My dad plays the piano for fun, and so I wanted to learn it when I was young and he taught me, which is where it comes from I guess. My physics teacher at school gave me feedback when I was just starting to write music and it was him that made me realise about the structure of music and things like that.

You are still young, but you are already a household DJ and producer, how do you handle the pressure, fame?
James: I’m not so famous really. Sometimes there is a bit of pressure - it took me a long time to write 'One For You' and I don’t really like that track any more, but now I have a better routine and good friends to play stuff to. I am finding writing music easier. Sometimes i regret letting people take my photo but I guess that is something you have to go along with if you want more people to hear your music. The only thing I cant take is criticism so I avoid reading it.

Your first production under your own name ‘Horizons’ was a shot in the bull’s eye. Did you expect that all the top jocks like Sasha, Digweed, Seaman, … would play it?
James: I didn’t think s+d did play it? Anyway, I was a lucky fucker… I owe a lot to Nick Warren because he was the one that spotted it off a CD I sent to him - if it wasn’t for that I'd have got nowhere.

The B-Side of ‘Horizons’, ‘Pacific’ is something totally different. Any specific reason for that?
James: Not really, it was just another track I'd done round that time. Sounds a bit dated to me now - it was kind of before I'd begun to get a proper direction

How did you make your first mix album ‘Fear Of A Silver Planet’?
James: I played around with the vinyl for a while, then computer mixed it because I thought a mix CD on two decks is a waste of £15 as every 15 yr old boy in the country can beat-match… With the computer you can approach it like production and rearrange the tracks so they do exactly what you want to make them fit in the whole album perfectly.

Is it true that you made the artwork for it yourself?
James: Yeah. I like doing everything myself - I am kind of a control freak like that but I really enjoy drawing covers for records even if they do look like a 7 year old did them. A lot of music is very impersonal which kind of makes it not music any more, so I think every artist should take more control over their releases maybe.

You manage your own label ‘Easyaccess’, what do you look for in future producers, releases?
James: I am pretty picky about music when I listen to it now - but a lot of what we've signed recently has been really exciting. 'Perc' is a great example - he has his own sound, which is something I think is really important. We get a whole load of demos that sound like stuff on Bedrock or whatever, and it is probably good music but I don’t want to sign any imitators - everyone on the label seemed to me to have their own take on the music and their own sound, as well as having dope tunes, and I think that is important.

Lately, you have been in the market as a producer, to what do you contribute the demand for you?
James: I’m not really in the market as a producer for other artists - apart from a couple of things I am only doing my own records now - I can see the attraction of being a producer and I respect a lot of them, but I don’t think the whole big-studio-big-producer-big-name thing is the right way to write music. The future is people who can do it all themselves, as it is only when the artist, engineer and producer are the same person that things can move to the next level - where the production becomes a part of the creativity rather than just some polish and imitation.

Are there any plans for maybe another mix album, or a collaboration with a vocalist, DJ, musician?
James: My next single (?maybe) (called nothing to hold) is a vocal tune. Also I’ve done a track with Sasha which is nearly finished and I think is going on his album. We're both pretty happy with that too.

Do you think that there will be a full album with only your own productions coming out in the future?
James: Yeah. It is what I am working on at the moment. I am enjoying it but it is a daunting task.

What’s your favourite song of 2002 so far? And ever?
James: I decide my new favourite tune every hour or so… At the minute the Acid Dub of 16B's 'The Game' is the thing that makes me dance the most behind the decks, but there have been a whole lot of great records recently. After a really shit period this winter it seems like there is more and more exciting music around at the moment.

Are there hidden talents that you know, that the masses should know?
James: Not really. I don’t have many talents at all in fact - cant catch or throw or run or dance or anything useful at all. I make a good mushroom stroganoff, good chips and good cheese on toast but mostly everything else is a disaster.

You have achieved so much in a short time. Where do you see yourself in 3 years?
James: God knows. Everyone plateaus after a while don’t they. I think I am getting better at the minute still but you never know. I might be an accountant or something..

Your 3rd release under your own name is yet again pure quality, where do you get the inspiration for it?
James: Thanks!! I don’t know where ideas come from at all, and it is probably best not to think about it. Solstice was done on the summer solstice - hence the name - I just felt like doing a tune and stayed up all night with the half-light still lighting up the room, then when I was trying to think of a name Gemma pointed out I'd done it on the solstice so that was it.

Even before ‘Solstice/ I Have Put Out The Light’ got an official retail release, you could get it on mp3. What’s your opinion about the whole mp3 scene?
It is hard to decide. On the one hand I started writing music so people would enjoy it, so I am happy that people want it enough to bother downloading mp3s. But on the other hand, Silver Planet is an independent label, and neither me nor them make a lot of money. It is extra frustrating when it appears on mp3 before it goes on sale - not only because promotion works like it does for a reason, but because someone we have trusted with a limited promo copy has violated that trust and stuck it out on the web. But we know who it is so they're going to have to go to the shops like everyone else next time they want some SP stuff.

On ‘I Have Put Out The Light’ there are vocals done by Jenny Holden, is she family of you?
James: Yeah, she is my little sister - she plays the violin (better than I can) and the piano (better than I can) and sings (better than me too) - the vocals came from years ago when I found I could put fx on a microphone live on the pc when I had just discovered the software I use now - so I had her singing stuff to test it out with it recording in the background. And iIve sampled that singing about 5 times now… Hers is the soft singing later on in the track.

If you weren’t a DJ/producer, what would you be doing now?
James: God knows. I am an awkward kind of person and I don’t know what I would be happy doing. Hopefully something useful.

What’s the funniest thing that has ever happened to you when you were DJ’ing somewhere?
James: Just the usual DJ monkey business, nothing particularly worth re-telling though.

What’s the scariest thing that has ever happened to you?
James: Touch wood I cant think of a single thing.

Do you have anything else to say to our readers?
James: One thing - the most interesting thing about solstice/ihpotl is the logo on the bottom right corner of the back of the record. House music is sometimes more than a little shallow and there are more important things in the world and I hope everyone that buys the record at least visits the www.stopesso.com site and reads it and forms an opinion. The first time clubbing really blew me away was a free party in Leicester where I lived at the time - and I still don’t think much compares to that because it is people coming together for a common cause other than $$. And now it is all about superstar DJs and superclubs and major labels and it is about as underground as tescos. And the people to blame are the people who buy into it. I could rant for a while but maybe if people didnt take everything at face value they would soon spot who is taking the piss and who still has their soul.

Thanks a lot James. I hope you stay this successful.