Deep, trippy and groovy bleeps come as effortlessly to James Zabiela, as do the most gnarly and obscene beats – all of it pushing tech-house into sonic spheres previously unheard of. Until now, of course: James’ work now spans heaps of remixes and encompasses some monster world tours. His stunning mixes for Renaissance have also been cheered on, including the latest one for the Masters Series, entitled Life. James rode Zouk’s decks last month, and just in time for us to approach him with some life-sized questions…

There’s been a lot of good things said of your Renaissance mix, Life…
And I’m really happy with it too. I’m not always happy with the mixes I’ve done, like the first one I liked, but the second one not too much. But this one, I’ve been having a good feeling about it.

Why’s it called Life?
Um, that sort of just came about because Renaissance’s theme for their artwork was Africa. And I thought they were going to put a zebra on the cover or something, so I might as well just call it Life! I also watched a lot of David Attenborough’s Life series documentaries – which inspired Joel Einhornon’s narration – and went around with a microtrak recorder. I decided the mix should be really loose and fluid…

And then you decided to give it all away for free at your shows. Why?
It was just a way of thanking the people who come out to support me. And every time I go out, I always see more people at the shows, but I don’t always see more in CD sales. And since people are going to steal the mix anyway, I thought I should be the one doing it. But my main concern was ensuring the artists on the mix get paid, so we’ve worked hard on the licensing and with the club promoters (who add a pound or a dollar at the door). It’s like a legal loophole, but that allows more people to actually hear the mix.

So what’s your favourite thing about DJ-ing?
It’s just the feeling of being able to share music with people. I’ve always wanted to since I was young – like there’s always a track that I really want people to hear. You know, when you’re young, you make mixtapes… It just comes from that. And it’s great to be able to do it as a job.

Read the rest of this interview in the August issue of JUICE, available at these spots (or for $4 at all major bookstores and news stands).

www.jameszabiela.com

Text: Min Chen
Image and interview courtesy of: Zouk