Alataj Interview

I was interviewed by Laura Marcon for the Brazilian website Alataj. I talked about the recent remix I made for Third Son, about my Synth Club Live Stream, and some bits and pieces including my older aliases. The interview on the Alataj website is in Portuguese, so here is an english translation!

Hello Jake, how are you? Thank you so much for talking to us! We could not start this conversation with anything other than analog equipment and modular synthesizers. How did this relationship with this music format come about?

I’m very well thank you!  My serious interest in Analogue Synths began because I was obsessed with early Depeche Mode and how those records were produced.  In 2003, I bought an Arp 2600 which is a Semi-Modular Synth. That taught me a lot so then, much later, when I learned that Euroack format modules were compatible with the Arp 2600, I started to get slowly hooked and put together my own Modular Synth.

Another curious factor is that modular synthesizers are built by you. Where did this idea come from? How is the manufacturing process for these machines?

I have built some modules, mostly from kits but some from my own ideas.  I’m not a super electronics expert at all - I just like to assemble things. I like a lot of flashing lights, so one of my modules, the main thing it does is flashing lights..

About your music, in addition to Rex The Dog you produce with other pseudonyms, including Planet Perfecto, a project with Ian Masterson and Paul Oakenfold. From what we've seen, the project with the two artists is the only one that is still active, is that so? Why did you decide to work with different aliases? In the case of Planet Perfecto, what are the advantages and disadvantages of working with three brains in the studio.

The Planet Perfecto project - as far as my involvement goes - isn’t really active, it’s been asleep since about 20 years. The song ‘Bullet In The Gun’ comes back every few years with remixes, but Ian and I are not really involved there.  The team was a good one, each role was very different: Merle Forbes provided the great vocal performance, Ian is a sonic genius - he made the sounds and this epic production - Paul was the DJ and A&R man and he road-tested it with his huge audience - I wrote the music and lyrics.

Let's talk about the remix you made for the track ‘The Rex In You Isn’t The You You Thought Was In You’, for Third Son. Did the relationship between you and the artist exist before this partnership? How did this meeting happen to make the remix?

I met Joe from Third Son at a dinner when Michael Mayer was in London to play a show. Later on, Joe and I chatted about Modular Synths and when he sent me the track I thought there were some really good sounds in there, and that I could make something different and fun from it.

Specifically about the creative and production process of this remix in the studio, how did it happen? Is there much difference for you when it comes to producing an original track and a remix?

There’s not too much difference, the key thing for any track is the core idea, maybe that’s a melody, or a vocal part, or an interesting or exciting effect. With a remix, I want to find that core idea in what the artist provides; but with an original that comes from somewhere else!

We are closing another year cycle and this one in particular was completely out of the ordinary, right? How did you go through all these months? Even though we live in a still uncertain moment in our scenario, do you believe that we will undergo major changes when activities return?

I felt creatively paralysed for the first months of the pandemic, I was scared that this was the end of the world. Later on I calmed down and started to explore other ideas like Live Streaming and animation. I don’t think I can predict where we will be in the future or what the live music and club scene will look like.

In the expectation that we will no longer experience a pandemic in a few months, what are your plans for 2021?

n 2020 I started a Live Stream on Twitch called ‘Synth Club’ and this is something I enjoy and want to continue. It is partly live performance and partly chatting with the viewers. It means I can make music but also play with all the other creative areas I like, such as video editing, animation and TV programme structures, so I would like to continue this and see where it takes me.

Finally, a traditional question from Alataj: what does music represent in your life?

A timeless wavelength, never dissipating, but giving us strength.