MUSIC HOMOGENIC
If you were around to hear Joakim spin at The White Rabbit, you’d have figured out the diverse state of the man’s record collection. A unique kind of musical scholar is he, though not one for genres and categories. In fact, over his decade-plus career, Joakim’s been hard at work defying the margins of music so that shades of disco, house, post-rock, jazz, electro and beyond, all sit comfortably under his roof. And his efforts have not gone unnoticed: today, Joakim’s albums and remixes are viewed with many an appreciative eye, while his Tigersushi label heads up a corner of the French electronic scene. Have yourself a gander at Milky Ways, his latest mashing of punk with funk, Italo with disco, and Kraut with rock – which, as Joakim informs us, is really all in a day’s work.

What were you listening to when you were making Milky Ways?
Too many things that I can’t think about now! Maybe David Bowie’s Berlin era, doom metal and so much stuff that it’s difficult to answer… But I wanted the album to be kind of psychedelic and more radical than the previous one, although there’s always point when you’re making an album, when it escapes your control. I always make plans, but things always end up different from what I want to do.

And you do end up with an indefinable sound…
Yes, I do have a habit of listening to too much music and it’s all in my mind and I can’t help it when I make music. It’s like a prison!

How about your remixes?
Remixes are a way to escape that prison. When I make remixes, I don’t take it as seriously. And I always try to find the interesting element for me in the original songs, so there’s a basis and that bit of control, which makes it easier in a way. Whereas when I make my own music, the field of possibilities is endless.

And now: 10 years of Tigersushi! How are you celebrating?
I just finished a ten-year compilation of the label and we’re going to do a tour, so it’s quite exciting. We’ve also signed many new artists, which we haven’t done for a long time. And mostly, we’re going back to electronic music.

What’s a day in the life like of Tigersushi?
Well, I just set up a new office, which is separate from the studio, so I go there in the morning after I drink coffee, I read my email, I pretend to work a little bit, talk to the artists and then I go into the studio… And since I was moving my studio, I couldn’t work on music for six months. But now, I got a great new studio and I’m just looking forward to go back to work on music.

Read the rest of the interview in the March issue of JUICE, now out at these spots.

www.myspace.com/jimibazzouka

Text: Min Chen
Image and interview courtesy of: The White Rabbit

I AM A BIRD NOW
Behold: Florence Welch, newly crowned queen of the indie-baroque, with a double platinum album (Lungs), a Mercury Prize nomination and heaps of critical praise behind her. Damn, girl! But as Flo continues making her way across the world’s stages and stealing the world’s hearts, we recently found that she’s still got her head and heart in the right place. Here, she tells us how high she flies.

How has success been treating you, Flo?
Very good! I’m in Australia at the moment. And um, I’m in Australia! It’s a pretty big change as far as getting to number one, and getting bigger and bigger gigs, though I don’t personally feel like I’ve changed. It’s just been the situation.

Did you ever count on having a music career?
Well, I’ve always wanted to perform and I would be upset if I didn’t get to. And I always sung. I don’t think there was a period in my life where I didn’t and it just evolved from there. In fact, when I was ten, I loved musicals and I wanted to be on Broadway…

But you went to art school, where we hear you had a pretty outrageous time.
It was quite easy to be outrageous as an art student! As an art student, it’s like they mostly just let you get on with it.

Did any of that translate into your live shows?
Yeah. I mean, this is sort of like an ongoing project for me, combining all three of my interests: art, fashion and music. And sometimes, I wonder if I could go back to college at some point with like two albums and be like, “I’ve finished my project! Can I have my degree now?” (Laughs)

And what makes you happy in life now?
It’s when I get to sing that I feel the happiest and I always hope that everyone in the room is happy as well. And also, I love to play in churches, where the sound and space are just so powerful, you feel like you’re flying out of the room…

So underneath Florence of Florence & The Machine, you’re really…
A bird.

Read the rest of the interview in your March issue of JUICE, now out at these spots.

www.florenceandthemachine.net

Text: Min Chen
Image & interview courtesy of: Universal Music

HIP HOP DINO
Diplo’s one brash electro/hip hop animal behind the decks and at the helm of Major Lazer, but not only is he mad, he’s pretty decent as well. Away from the party, the man’s also a big advocate of giving back to the community, which is just more reason to love him. We score a handful of minutes with Diplo to find out more.

Hey Diplo, this is the third time you’re in Singapore. How come?!
People just keep booking me (laughs). There are always cycles. I think 2009 was the most productive year I had. I made it to the Grammy’s for a record I made in 2008, I put on Major Lazer, I worked with Robyn and Snoop Dogg, and I made a bunch of singles for Mad Decent so it was a prolific year for me.

Before making music, you were a schoolteacher. What did you teach?
I taught everything. It was an after-school programme for kids, so I was teaching music and computer, and taught kids how to create stuff. It helped me get a sense of what I was doing with music back then. That was six years ago.

Was the pay bad?
Yeah, but a teacher’s pay was better than a lot of other jobs I had. The hours were so wacked, though! DJs only work two hours a night while teachers have to work up to 10 hours a day. Plus, the rewards are pretty bad because the kids hate you and they don’t ever learn.

Ah, a teacher’s work is never done…
Actually, I recently went back to Sydney and I worked with a couple of aboriginals and poor kids. We have a project for kids who want to make music and rap called Heaps Decent. So I still do these programmes and I love doing it, but when you’re working as a schoolteacher, it’s a very cold job and you have to live by the book. The school system in America is kinda f**ked up, but working with kids is amazing. And when they come to Australia to DJ, everyone I know will come forward to volunteer – A-Trak’s done it, Lady Sovereign and M.I.A. all have workshops for kids, so it’s really cool.

Read the rest of the interview in your March issue of JUICE, now out at these spots.

www.myspace.com/diplo

Text: Dianna Tai
Interview courtesy of: Don Wong and Vijay Singh

WHITE NOISE
Oh, how deep the waters of post-rock run! 65daysofstatic should know, for they’ve been mining it for their set of pensive and ponderous instrumentals. The Sheffield four’s harmonic edge can now be evidenced over three original and well-loved albums (The Destruction Of Small Ideas being the latest), and soon enough, at next month’s Heineken Music Club at the Mosaic Music Festival. Before that, we get them talking…

What have you been up to since we last heard from you?
We have just finished our fourth album. It feels like a big departure from our previous output. It should be out before the summer starts and we’re very, very excited about it. It’s been a long time coming, this one but hopefully it’ll be worth the wait. If it’s not, then we’ll probably have to split up.

Your music is often described as post-rock. Would you dispute that?
We would, but only because to us, post rock has become a bit like shorthand for “not as good as Mogwai or Godspeed You Black Emperor!”. In the wake of those two incredible bands, there has been a whole lot of mediocrity. And we would rather be writing our own instructions than following other people’s. But if by being called post-rock helps point people in our direction, then that’s fine by us. We’re confident enough to not get dismissed as another genre band.

How do you intend to evolve the band’s sound over the next few albums?
The record we’ve just written feels like a big departure for us from our previous output. We need to keep moving, as a band, because we’d only get bored otherwise. And if we’re bored, then we shouldn’t really expect anybody else to be interested. There are lots of bands that we are fans of whose musical course has changed significantly as they progress, and even if it is in directions that don’t move us as much, it doesn’t invalidate the records that came before. They’ll always be there. Some bands excel at returning to the same idea again and again, refining it until the point is so sharp that it cannot be ignore or misinterpreted and they become masters at what they do - I’d say Godspeed… are a great example of this. But I think we’re too restless a band to ever achieve that kind of elegance. We’re like irritating sharks compared to Godspeed’s blue whale.

Do you think coming from the milieu of Sheffield aided in your sound at all?
Probably, but only in ways that we haven’t really noticed. We were certainly out on our own when we were still playing local gigs and learning how to be a live band. The music communities were largely indebted to Pulp and then, a little later, Arctic Monkeys, and as such, not really anything we really connected with. (We are fans of both of those bands though). There was an amazing promoter who, for ten years, ran a well-respected indie night in Sheffield called Fuzz Club. She helped us out loads by letting us play deafening sets of instrumental noise to rooms full of drunk students expecting Blondie. That was always a lot of fun.

What has your time with 65daysofstatic taught you so far?
How to sew. How to pack vans. Basic first aid. Tolerance. A new respect for sound engineers. A new language, built entirely from in-jokes. New chords. Old chords. Old new chords. New orders for tried and tested old chord combinations. How to not kill each other. How to drink. How not to drink… How music is more important than most things…

You can read more of the interview in the February issue of JUICE.

Don’t miss the local debut of 65daysofstatic at the Heineken Music Club, on 13 March. Tickets to the gig are now available at the Esplanade Box Office, and at all SISTIC outlets.

www.65daysofstatic.com

Text: Min Chen
Interview courtesy of: The Esplanade

NAKED AMBITION
Don Diablo’s fingers don’t just fall nimbly on the decks, they’ve also found their way into songwriting, production and label-running pies. And with that multitude of talent, this Dutch man’s produced two spanking albums of some electronic-hip-hop magic and remixed solid gold beats for Public Enemy, Laidback Luke and Mika – all of which have scored him chunks of chart and club success. Whilst in Singapore for his inaugural DJ set, we got talking to Don about his working processes, whether in the club, in the studio or in the nude.

Hey Don, tell us how your passion for DJ-ing come about.
I actually wanted to be in a band at first, as it seemed like a great thing to be able to make music with people who were just as passionate about music. But then, when I was unable to find anyone for my non-existent band and discovered the possibilities of producing electronic music, I decided that I wanted to be in the studio. Not only could I now be the drummer, but I also the guitarist, vocalist, product and so on.

Aside from music, you’re also known to have great tastes when it comes to fashion. Do you think music and fashion go hand-in-hand?
Without a doubt! As an artist, I have always been interested in the other aspects of the creative process, be it my artwork, press pictures, music videos or the clothes I wear. I think everything reflects on you as an artist. Music, art and fashion are all powerful combinations.

We heard you sometimes work in the nude…
Erm… yes and no. I don’t particularly like working in the nude. It’s just that sometimes I get so caught up in the studio, I don’t even think about putting on any clothes, or food in my mouth for that matter. There have been weeks where I don’t leave the studio and I sleep on the studio couch. It’s a very intense experience – it sucks you in and makes you forget about the world around you. And yes, my friends have to drag me out every now and then to have a bit of a social life on the side.

Yikes, but do you think you’ve more to learn as a DJ?
I do believe that technically, emotionally and performance-wise, I’ve grown as a DJ. I now play with four decks, go on the mic, have the guts to get out of the DJ booth every now and then to do the occasional crowd surf and I am able to create new beats on the spot, using several loops and a cappella with added FX. Having said all that, I definitely believe there is always more to learn! Better yet, I am still learning every day. I now approach a DJ set as a mini concert that should be entertaining in many different ways.

Read the rest of the interview in the February issue of JUICE, now out at these spots.

www.dondiablo.com

Text: Dianna Tai
Image and interview courtesy of: Zirca and IMD

MIMI’S MEAL TICKET
Sexy and seductive is Chinese-French DJ sensation, Misty Rabbit, aka Mimi Xu. Mimi has been spreading her wings beyond Paris and managed to garner a lovely reception for her electro-pop capabilities, her nifty label Kuskus, and her great fashion sense. But if you’re still a little fuzzed about this mystical creature, JUICE got her to spill 10 facts about herself.

1 - Mimi’s onstage name Misty comes from an old jazz song from the ‘50s, and Rabbit because she love rabbits. She knows it’s silly, but she loves it anyway.
2 - She says in France, you eat rabbits, but she always refuses to because they are so cute. Though she confessed she would probably wear the fur.
3 - Before becoming a musician, Mimi used to write for French fashion magazine, Jalouse, but quickly got bored with it.
4 - Mimi thinks being a musician is what gets her up in the morning these days.
5 - Her favourite subject in school was history because she thinks it’s all about defining the future.
6 - Although well-traveled, Mimi still thinks Paris is the best city in the world because the food is great and is close to wherever she travels.
7 - Misty Rabbit thinks that hell will be hot, fun and entertaining, and wants to go there when she dies.
8 - She is an avid Twitter-er but has not installed it in her Blackberry, otherwise things will get pretty ridiculous.
9 - She recently bought over the number one electronic music magazine in France, Trax. She aims to revamp it, give it a new art direction and inject a little bit of a fashion element to it.
10 - Aside from the mag, Mimi is also setting up web show on Konbini (the future generation of MTV) called Mimi’s Meal Ticket where she’ll be inviting musicians to cook her a meal and getting to know them better.

Find 10 more facts in the February issue of JUICE, now out at these spots.

www.myspace.com/mistyrabbit

Text: Dianna Tai
Photography: Chuck Reyes
Interview courtesy of: The White Rabbit and TrustFun

FOUR TO THE FLOOR
For Kieren Hebden, dance is a ball of clay to be molded, mixed and mashed up as he sees fit. His stunning output as Four Tet should tell you as much: conceptual electronic themes sit comfortably beside jazz, folk and hip hop elements, making for highly ingenious and intelligent dance fare. Kieren’s diversification continues on There Is Love In You, on which he multiplies 4/4 with half-step to arrive at a shimmering sea of abstract electronica (“Love Cry”). We wasted no time in getting behind the man and his plan.

Where have you been since we last heard from you, Kieren?
I’ve been caught up with different projects and stuff. My first three records went by really quickly and I just wanted to collaborate with other people, like Steve Reid [legendary jazz drummer whose CV includes stints with Motown, Sun Ra and Miles Davies]. So I’ve been mainly busy with that and making music…

Did you manage to apply all that to There Is Love In You?
I think so, especially rhythmically. The drums have a different feel about them. It’s all very different to how I’ve done it in the past and the impact of it feels very different to me.

Your music also spans so many styles and genres – is it evolution or just different sides of you?
Well, it’s more a musical journey for me. I’ve got quite eclectic tastes and I always see links in music, so I’m always trying to learn more and get interested in different things. Each record is not another side project, but more a continuation for me.

Could you venture a description of your own music?
I always tell people it’s electronic music with live instruments… and I don’t sing or anything. It’s influenced by dance music and hip hop and stuff, but it’s more unusual than that.

Working by yourself, do you ever get stuck for inspiration?
Not really. I’ve always found it more freeing, as I have the ideas and time to make the music just by myself. I’ve always felt like that since I was a teenager and making music. The ideas were always there…

Read the rest of the interview in the February issue of JUICE, now out at these spots.

www.fourtet.net

Text: Min Chen
Interview courtesy of: Domino Records

TRICK OR TREAT
Having been mates since an intimate Lego session at the age of six, Nick and Alex, two talented lads from NYC have made good with their musical roots, some nifty fingers and loads of creative juice - dabbling with a couple of bands before getting serious with Holy Ghost!, one of DFA’s greatest electronic music offerings this very moment. They’ll be down at The White Rabbit this month to drop some mad music heat and we’re so very excited. Alex shares.

What should we expect when you guys hit our shores to play?
A mix of old disco and house, new edits, and new jams. Don’t expect banging French house or dubstep. The BPM will not exceed 127, tops.

What were your expectations for Holy Ghost?
We didn’t have many expectations for Holy Ghost! It started as a bedroom project where we could explore the dance music we love in a way we couldn’t in previous bands. I don’t think we ever thought, “OK, we’re gonna make an album!” We just kept buying new gear and writing songs and trying to make stuff for ourselves and for our friends.

Did you both have to work on your working chemistry and dynamic?
We’ve known each other way to long to have any chemistry left. We’re more like two grumpy old men who get together for coffee in the mornings.

Your music does recall a lot of retro and disco elements – do you have a special loyalty to that time period or genre?
I’m partial to music made from ‘77 to ‘83, but obviously we don’t limit ourselves to any time period. I love the feel of dance music played by humans through (with analog gear) and I guess that was more common back then…

We’ve heard all of you at DFA are one big family – is it all true and does it aid in your music-making?
Yeah, that is true. Nick and Nancy (Juan Maclean singer) are actually working on a Shit Robot track as I’m writing this. Its great to have a group of friends to bounce ideas off of and to collaborate with when you need a hand. Juan Maclean worked on our record and we worked on his. James Murphy mixed our track “Hold On”, so we played on some of his stuff. Gavin from Black Meteoric star built Nick a custom designed component for his modular synth. It’s great. We’re very lucky. This year, we lost one of our family’s brightest stars and dearest friends - Jerry Fuchs, the amazing drummer for Juan Maclean and !!!, and its been especially great to have each other’s support to get through these tough times.

Holy Ghost! plays The White Rabbit on 20 February and the gig is made possible thanks to Heineken. We know you be there.

www.myspace.com/holyghostnyc
www.thewhiterabbit.com.sg

Bicycles are beautiful forms of transportation. They were well loved back in the day, and they still are in this modern age. And it’s easy to see why: these two wheelers are good for the environment, easy to get around with, and look great with any decent outfit. That brings our attention to the folks from Vanguard, whose amazing abilities include brewing the tastiest espresso around the block and building unique bicycles for kidults like us. Taking inspiration from everything that makes sense to them, like music, art, and fashion, as well as the love of classic bicycles and motorcycles, the couple behind it, Shawn and Jacinta, build their bikes with unique skill and tender love, giving each one a distinct personality and voice.

Designed on our shores, hand-sculpted by Vanguard’s affiliated teams in Singapore and Portland, and fitted with original vintage parts from around the world, this is the wheel deal.

Vanguard’s workshop and showroom is housed under the Angelus Novus Studio, located at 7 Rodyk Street, #01-30, Watermark Robertson Quay, T: 6835 7228.

www.vanguard-designs.com

WORKING THE FASHION BEAT
Where fashion and music meet, there’s gotta be a party, where Jerry Bouthier will most likely show. This French dude’s been representin’ the best of both worlds ever since his stint at London’s hip haven Boombox, where indie-disco was served with a cut of fashionista pie. And he’s still got a thing going: JBAG, for which he’s working with Andrea Gorgerino to service Vivienne Westwood’s catwalks, remix everything, and fatten up Kitsuné’s catalogue (their debut single appears on the label this Spring). Jerry put in a great night at The Butter Factory recently and we got him to deliver this party line.

So how did you, a Frenchman, end up in London?
Only for the music. I grew up with British pop music, and I moved to London as soon as I was 18 – I really couldn’t wait! I didn’t enjoy Paris so much growing up ‘cos at the time, if you had tattoos and crazy haircuts, you’ll get beaten up. But now things have changed, and being different is more acceptable…

Indeed. But tell us more about your work in fashion - we hear you’re good with catwalk soundtracks.
That’s one of our main activities with JBAG. We work on all the fashion shows for Vivienne Westwood and London designers like Peter Jensen, Jonathan Saunders and Osman. It’s very much like DJ-ing, but the idea is not to get people to dance, but to create a little story with different tracks. We like a lot of different music, so there’s some rock, electro and virtually everything. It actually creates a lot of impact at the shows. It’s almost like a little film.

It’s also a nice meeting between music and fashion.
Yeah, I mean, these young fashion designers in London are almost artists because their goal is not to make a lot of money (if it was, they would do something else), but to express themselves and push fashion forward. So I feel really honoured to work with these designers who are really exciting, creative and don’t conform to the idea of fashion on the high street or in the mainstream.

That seems to be at the heart of Boombox – all that’s exciting, creative and imaginative.
Boombox really happened at a time in London when all the clubs were playing techno, house, very druggy and dark music – they were just not very fun. And somehow, there was a need for something like Boombox. It’s just a very open place where people could come be whatever they want to be and dress however they want.

Read up on the full interview in the January issue of JUICE, now out at these spots.

www.myspace.com/jerrybouthier

Text: Min Chen
Interview courtesy of: The Butter Factory