Jamie Lloyd is fast becoming a national treasure. His sublime vocals and deep organic grooves along with his live performances have endeared him to Sydney's electronic music underground for a few years now.
Sydney label Future Classic jumped at the chance to sign him early in his career and released several singles along with his debut long-player 'Trouble Within'. The label described that LP as 'brimming with solid songwriting, lush melodic soundscapes, moody angular funk and beautifully understated vocals. It exudes irresistible charm and an intimacy rarely found in electronic music'. I couldn't have put it better myself!
He's had his productions remixed by renowned artists like Brennan Green, Tricksi and Zwicker Quarion and his music has appeared in record bags of Steve Bug, Daniel Wang, Laurent Garnier, Anja Schneider and Jennifer Cardini to name a few.
Three years down the track and loads of international exposure and support later, Jamie releases his second long-player 'Beware Of The Light'.
Many in the community, including me, think that it is now his time to shine so I asked him over for a cup of herbal tea and some herbal cookies (kidding!) and a little heart-to-heart.
First up - first LP bought and first concert you went to?
LP was Bobby Blue Bland's 'Two Steps From The Blues' and concert...my friend's sister took me to see Custard in high school.
Your bio says you were born into a musical family?
My mum spent periods teaching music at Primary School and my Opa (grandpa) played the hell out of the piano and organ. Also there was always lots of music being played at home all the time and at my Opa and Oma's (grandma) house.
What music were your folks into?
My mum was into a lot of different things. I remember there being lots of good Aussie rock and old Soul and Blues music and Jazz at home in the collection.
When did you get your first instrument and what made you take it up?
I think it was the trumpet. I liked the trumpet sounds that my Oma and Opa would play to me from their record collection.
Your bio said you were in an Indie band for a while. How did you get into electronic music and why did you make the move? Were you always interested in dance music?
No, I wasn't always interested in dance music. I got into electronic music after going to Reachin Rrecords (legendary DJ shop) and buying a lot of great stuff there. Also going to good parties like Mad Racket.
Was there a particular performance that made you want to create and perform electronic music?
Not really. I guess I was just being influenced by all the great records I was finding at the time.
Were you singing in the indie band? Any formal training and why did you feel you needed vocals on your tracks?
Yes, I was singing in the band. No formal training. I was just singing whatever came out. I think I had vocals on the tracks 'cause I like the emotion you could create with your voice and I was best at expressing myself that way.
How did you hook up with Future Classic for your first single & LP?
I think Dave Slade (Stick Figures and legendary drinker & Sydney DJ) passed on a demo I gave him to Nathan (McLay - Future Classic founder).
‘Trouble Within’ was critically acclaimed everywhere – how did it open doors for you overseas? Name some of your highlight gigs you got as a result of that?
Well I guess putting out that release was the start of something. The LP itself was more song-based, so people were not going to book me for club gigs so much. I guess the record helped me with getting involved in the Goethe Institute program. It was a program which brought German electronic artists together with artists from South East Asia. It was during this program that I got to go and play at a few places in Europe. I played at C/O Pop in Cologne and also Cookies in Berlin, Berghain in Berlin and Zukunft in Switzerland.
That was 2006/07. As well as doing the hew LP, what have you been doing in the past two years? Have you found that your music has changed?
Yep. You gotta find a new place to go. The last two years I have been working on a project called Little Hat with my partner Sui Zhen. We both had to put it on hold to finish our own records but we are picking it up again now.
Disco has arrived back into everyone’s consciousness? Were you into that before now and is there an influence there with your writing now? What was so good about disco that it keeps coming back in various forms?
I like disco. I was into disco before the revival. People like Daniel Wang & Morgan Geist were big influences on me in the early 2000's before it become cool for the masses and of course the older disco was an influence on me.
Your new LP has arrived – has that been a long time coming or a short spurt of creativeness?
I started writing this at the start of the year and had it done by August.
Talk us through the style of music on it and what tools you used to create it?
Well, there is a few song-based tracks. But the majority is dance-floor music so I have something to play in the clubs. I guess it is a bit of house, techno, disco and song-based electronica. Game-like-sounds, not too dark or serious, just fun. Production-wise, I have collected lots of 'sound toys' and I just plug them all in. I work up a beat on the computer and start throwing sounds at it. If I Like something then it stays and I try and play something that will go with the last sound. Every action is a reaction to the last action until it is finished. I use Logic to write my music.
What next for Jamie Lloyd?
Going around the country in November to promote the record. Then to Asia in December and back here for two months then to Vietnam, London and Berlin to stay for a while. Maybe six months out of the year. Then we'll see. Also trying to finish the Little Hat record.
Where do you want to be in twenty years time?
Still making music!
Jamie's new CD 'Beware Of The Light' will be out through Future Classic within the next two weeks and will surely be in everyone's Top 10 lists of the year.
It's destined to be a future classic!
Murphy.
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