INTERVIEW: Damon Jee Is A Master Craftsman
Ahead of his debut Australian tour we sit down with the high-flying Frenchman for a very rare interview…
Damon Jee is currently on an impressive production streak that stretches back to 2016. His sound is uncomplicated, yet hard to execute. Using very minimal elements he produce tracks that sound as huge as mountains without being overbearing. It is music aimed straight at the dance floor, a sound that blends rock music’s confidant strut and disco’s jocular stomp. It is a blueprint the Frenchman deploys with an absolute proficiency.
It might come as no surprise that the producer has been honing his sound for over 15 years, and he has been DJ-ing for way more than that. After years of staying true to his sound, his music is finally getting the attention he deserves. As they say ‘patience is virtue’, and Damon is finally cashing in on a cheque he signed over 20 years ago: Acts like Dixon, Solomun and Adam Beyer are just some of the more high-profile names reaching for his tracks. And releases on labels including Correspondent and Suara is becoming regular features on dancefloors across the globe.
The Frenchman will finally head to Australia for his debut shows in Melbourne and Sydney in what will be his first time Down Under. In Melbourne he will headline the new Darklove night at Glamorama, before heading to Sydney to show Goodbar how they do it in France. The producer rarely does interviews, so we are pretty excited that he had some time to take our questions…
Hi Damon, thank you so much for your time! Before we start, where are you currently and how has your day been? Also, what was the last gig you played and how did it go?
I’m currently near Mimizan in the south-west of France with my family, it’s summertime so indulging in some good food and sun is key. Last weekend I travelled to Lithuania for the Karklé Festival, it was awesome and featured a stage on the beach where I played to over 1000 people. Whenever I play there, the crowds are always really responsive, and it was a great opportunity to meet lovely artists like Zakmina and Bad Habits… they are very talented and funny guys. Hot tip: don’t forget those names 🙂
In your earlier years, you produced a lot of music alongside fellow Frenchman Olivier Giacomotto for the esteemed Definitive Recordings. Did you do a lot of DJing back then too or was your focus purely on producing?
I actually DJed before I started producing, which was in the mid-90s. My first DJ residency was in Spain at a club called Pagoa (2001-2009) alongside Demian, who you might know from the Kompakt label. It was in that period that I met the person who would turn out to be my production mentor and one of my best friends: Olivier Giacomotto. My first release was co-produced with him, and in 2006 we made a name for ourselves in what was then a new sub-genre called electro house. So yeah, I was touring a lot back then to places like South America, Spain, Canada and a lot of Eastern Europe.
Your release on Correspondent Records earlier this year was quite the revelation, gaining support from a whole host of big DJs including Dixon, Solomun and Adam Beyer. But your work has slowly been gaining more traction since 2016. Since that year, you have released well past 30 tracks and remixes. Can you pinpoint the moment things changed for your career?
It feels like it’s been a long journey. Since 2011, my career was rolling along with no real significant movement, but that changed in 2017 when the ‘Power To The People’ remix got released. All of a sudden, I received more remix and production requests, and I had to get a booker to deal with all the new gig bookings. The other significant moment has been the EP on Correspondent which was extremely well received. Even though I’ve been doing this for a long time, it feels like the electronic music industry just discovered me a couple of years ago, ha!
We love your music for a couple of reasons: it is super functional dancefloor tracks that are never cheesy, and even though they are minimalistic in nature, your engineering makes them sounds huge on the dancefloor. When you sit down to produce, what are the three most essential parts of the production process for you?
The first part is that I always use the same 2 or 3 kicks and drums, to achieve that solid rock/electro rhythm I feel is my signature. For the bassline I’ve been using the same two synths for five years. To be honest, for me this first part is very mechanical, and the real creative process begins with the second part.
The second part is the heart of the track or the principal idea. It could be a lead synth and/or a vocal, or some massive effects, or guitars - essentially something that will put the spirit in the track. Sometimes it’s obvious and happens without me having to overthink it, and other times I need to come back and reflect on what I’ve done, what I like at that moment, and where I want to go with it, or if it will be exciting for me to play in a club.
For inspiration I could listen to a DJ mix or music that I like, anything from electronic to rock or new wave and even 80’s tracks. All that could spark a creative idea. I was not a musician from the beginning, so it has been a long and hard road to where I’m at today. That’s probably why it has taken so many years for me to get arrive at this point.
The third part is the engineering. It has been the most difficult and the longest part to learn, and I still learn new things every day. I really am thankful to my mentor who helped me at the beginning to develop my own sound.
The last five years has seen your music slowly morph into your sound of today, a sound which feels very organic, almost like it could be played on-stage by a live band. The music you produced before that had a very techno and electro house sound to it, so we are curious as to how your sound morphed into where it is today? Was it an organic change that happened naturally or was a very conscious decision on your part to make something different? Were you listening to any music in particular that could be attributed to shaping your sound?
The change actually started earlier, around 2009, when I got tired of not being in phase with my DJ sets and my productions. I was booked to play the electro house stuff, but my DJ sets were leaning more toward the minimal, electro, indie, and disco stuff, so this was a sign for me to start working alone to find my own sound. In this period the artist who inspired my sound the most was Andrew Weatherall. I also referred back to my old love: the new wave sound, with bands like New Order, Joy Division and Depeche Mode. I also loved older bands like Pink Floyd, alongside my other love, rock bands like Nirvana, Jane’s Addiction and Nine Inch Nails. I think the organic feel you refer to in my music is probably the mix of all these influences.
I can’t say it was a conscious decision to come up with the sound I produce today, but I sure wanted to make something different and new for myself.
Your remix of Pardon Moi’s ‘Power to the People’ really exploded last year with many main stage DJs rinsing it. You really can’t ever predict if a track will resonate with listeners, but to be honest, when we first heard that remix we just knew it was a winner. It has all the main ingredients for a highly successful and effective dance floor track. When you completed it did you feel like it might be something special? Did it’s success surprise you?
I was excited after I listened to the original track for the first time, I had a feeling it could be a special one. All the ingredients was there for something really good, so when I remixed it and it started receiving some success, it was an amazing feeling. The real surprise for me however, is that it has gone on to be played by so many DJs from various genres.
The sound you are producing is being categorised with a new sound being pushed by labels like Roam, Rotten City, Dischi Autunno and Discotexas. Many are calling this new sound Dark Disco, and for many you might be one of the most important players in that scene. How do you feel about that term and have you seen an increase in clubs and DJs playing that sound?
I only learned about the term “Dark Disco” last year when I got booked at venues originally pushing techno and tech house, but then changed their direction to push this new sound. The promoters told me they booked me as I’m one of the more important artists in that scene. To be honest, I was so focussed on my own production I didn’t realise this new movement was happening.
I like the term and think it is a good description for this new sound. When I’m on Beatport and I go to the Indie Dance section, it feels like they add tracks there that don’t fit anywhere else, so I think this new term could really clean that up. As long as people don’t tell me it is commercial I’m ok with Dark Disco lol.
Recently you launched your new label Critical Monday. Any news you can tell us about upcoming releases?
I co-founded the label with Bonnie Spacey, and we decided to do it because after years of releasing EPs and remixes on others labels, I felt it was the right time to do it. I feel like I have made enough industry connections and new friends over the past five years to make something interesting, and our aim is to get all those people involved to create a community and make this feel like a family.
So the first release is Holographic Planes (a pseudonym of Alvaro Cabana and me) and that will come with a Jennifer Cardini remix which will be released in September 20th 2019. The second release is ‘The Family’, three tracks I co-produced with dear friends like O.X.O., Demian, and Bonnie Spacey. The third release is from my friend Curses featuring a remix from Autarkic.
More information soon… ;)
You will be heading to Australia for you very first tour! Have you ever been to Australia? If not, what are you most looking forward too?
It’s my first time traveling to Australia and I can’t be more excited! It’s going to be really interesting to see what the local electronic music scene and the crowds are like. I always find it interesting to spend some time in a new country and getting to know the local people and learn about their outlook on life. Sadly I won’t have much time this time around as it’s a short visit for me to this fascinating country, but I can’t wait.
