Interview with James Zabiela   Between his residency at Club Space in Ibiza and his gigs all over the world, James Zabiela is taking his unique mix of breaks and house to the people. His debut CD “Sound in Motion” on Hooj Choons was recorded live in one take, showcasing his exceptional mixing skills, tearing up Pioneer CDJ1000s like Technics 1200 for the new millenium. DJ Ron: When did you start spinning? James Zabiela: I started DJing when I was fifteen, I got my decks for Christmas – some Sound Aloud Dial Giles turntables. Ron: Were they a gift from your dad? James: Yes. It’s all his fault basically, because he used to work in the record shop and bring home loads of techno records. Then I ended up working in the record shop for my school work experience. Ron: So from the time you were fourteen or fifteen you were working in a record store? James: Yes, just like a work experience thing, and then when I was sixteen I left school and I worked in a record store then as well and that’s when I really caught the bug. Ron: Did your dad give you some tips or did you just teach yourself how to do it? James: My dad never was a DJ, he just bought the records. He only had one turntable, he was just into acid house and techno in a big way. So, I just sort of learned when I worked in the record shop; it wasn’t like a busy record shop so I spent a lot of the times during the day how to mix. Ron: Did you go out to clubs and watch DJs there? James: No, because I was too young. I occasionally went out because I knew the promoters through the record shop. So, I’d go and just hang out in the DJ booth and stuff. I remember I went and saw Sasha and I saw Oakenfold when they were in town. Ron: Are there any DJs you looked up to as you were learning? James: Pretty much everyone. When you first start learning, you don’t really know anything, you just want to absorb, like a sponge. I used to borrow the mix tapes from the shop and listen to them while I cycled home, on my Walkman, and then bring them back the next day. Ron: How did you hear about the Muzik Bedroom DJ competition? James: I used to buy the magazine and I saw it in there, and I saw it as a good opportunity, as a window in. Because I was playing locally but I didn’t know how to take the next step and I’m not very good at sort of pushing myself in people’s faces, I’ve never been one to sell myself. Ron: So we’re not going to see you in the fashion layouts in HM or something? James: No. Ron: A DJ about the music, this is very refreshing. When you entered the contest, what did you think your chances were? James: Quite minimal, I mean I entered actually a few times before I won. Ron: What was it about your tape that you think got you the winner of it? James: I don’t know. If I look back now, the tape was actually not very good. You know, what I’m doing now is so different to what I was doing then but I don’t know if it was, I guess the editor of the magazine just really was into it for some reason. Ron: So from this one tape Sasha discovered you and picked you up, or is there more to the story? James: I gave the tape to Lee Burridge and he passed it on to Sasha who in turn called me up and was listening to it in his car and stuff, which is just a really big deal for me at the time. And that’s pretty much it, I was at Bedrock one night, and I used to go there every month just to hand out tapes. It was one of those places where everyone’s at, so I used to go there with ten mix tapes and get stopped at the door by the bouncers, set the metal detectors off. But yes, it was Lee Burrage’s fault. Ron: So once you got on Sasha’s agency, did the world explode and everyone wanted to book you, or what was the next step after that? James: I started touring opening nights with Sasha, being his warm-up DJ for a while. It was after a few gigs with him that things really started going bananas. It was a bit mad, it’s not really slowed down, it’s kind of just been an ascent from then until now.

Ron: You’re playing Ibiza, like first you, quoting your press release, you just did a few nights and now you’re there every week. What’s that been like doing the resident thing in Ibiza? James: Yes, it’s been amazing. The first few times this summer it was weird, because the first gig Sasha didn’t make it to so it was kind of a weird atmosphere, everyone was expecting Sasha and he wasn’t there. Then the second week, I was playing all breakbeat and people, I don’t know, it’s not really a sound that’s synonymous with Ibiza, people were just not really into their breakbeat up in Ibiza. But after a few weeks they sort of got used to it, and by the last week, I remember I played a half hour of just continuous break beat it seemed to be working quite well. Ron: You educated your crowd. James: Well, I tried to, and I think I was sort of successful, so yes, but it was amazing. I liked so much being a resident there this summer. Ron: What’s been the biggest gig you’ve played, like the biggest amount of people? James: I don’t know, I really don’t know. Probably one of the festivals like Dance Valley or something like that, that’s where the most people are. Ron: You’ll reach a really big crowd with your mixed CD. Its very different than most mixed compilations, I keep hearing that you recorded it live in one take. Did you do it the first time you sat down to do it or did it take a few attempts? James: Oh no, it took a few, it certainly takes a few goes to get it right, especially the first CD. Ron: How did you choose the songs for it? James: I don’t know, I just went to my bedroom and spent a day in there just picking out my favorite records and what went together and that sort of thing. Ron: In the writeups, you talk about your Pioneer CD players a lot – what about the Pioneer CD players do you like so much? James: Just the fact that you can really manipulate the music with them. You can use it just like a record but you can chop and change and reverse and edit tracks live, and that’s what I really like about them. Ron: It’s almost like you’re remixing records rather than mixing records when you spin. When I listened to the CD it just blew me away, and you’re not actually just playing songs like a normal DJ, you’re actually remixing live. How did you develop this unique style? James: I don’t know, I was just sort of sitting down at home with one of the CD players one day and practicing and playing around. I love those CDJ 1000’s, they’re awesome. Ron: Are you a paid spokesman for them yet? James: No, maybe I will be after this interview. Ron: Vinyl and CD have very different sound textures, what is your approach to balancing them so that they don’t sound so different in your live mixing? James: I don’t know, it’s just about programming it and knowing your records really well. I think that’s sort of the key to being a good DJ is knowing the records, just doing the research. Ron: As a DJ, do you prefer CD or vinyl or do you have to have both? James: I have both. Ron: OK. Do some songs sound better on CD rather than on vinyl or do you just…? James: I think vinyl often sounds a lot better because it’s a warmer analogue sound. Sometimes a CD can be mixed down wrong or it’s been made in someone’s bedroom and it can often sound a bit too clinical and the top ends really, it’s a bit too bright in the club. But Allen Heath actually brought out a mixer recently with two CD channels which are valve channels to make CDs sound like records. Ron: Wow. James: Yes, it’s really amazing, it’s like £3,000 though. Ron: Which mixer is this? James: The V6. Ron: Is that from Pioneer? James: No, it’s from Allen and Heath. Ron: Allen and Heath, OK. Maybe you should be a spokesperson for them. James: Actually I’m not really into the mixer that much because it’s a rotary and there’s no EQs and yes, it’s like a crazy amount of money but the sound quality’s amazing. Ron: Because I know some DJs like the classic Urei and the Rane rotary mixers, but then some of the new generation like the Pioneers with the sliders and the digital read outs. James: Yes, I prefer them because it’s got more toys on them and you can do more with the music rather than just turn it up and down. Ron: In your write up, you talk about how you bring in the mids and tops first and then the bottoms, is there a reason why you go in this order? James: I don’t always do it like that, it depends on the record. But it’s often the case, just so the basslines and key drums don’t clash. You can ease a record in and one will overtake the other without sounding odd.

Ron: Have you thought about adding a laptop to your mix set? James: I have, but then I’ve seen so many DJs use laptops in clubs that have crashed. So maybe when they bring out a laptop that is more stable, I’ll be interested. Ron: From what I gather, seeing you spin live and watching you work, everything is a real part of the experience, and I’m guessing just pressing buttons on one laptop wouldn't be the same thing? James: It depends what you’re using the laptop for. If I want to scratch, you still use the records, you know, you use the two records like you would with using records, which happens to be a laptop connected to the mixer. Yes, I guess it’s like sort of less magic in there, isn’t there? Ron: I know you scratch on CD, do you scratch on vinyl also? James: Yes. Ron: How are they different? James: Not too different really, I mean once you can scratch on records you can scratch on CDs as well. You can use the CDJ just like a record, so that you can do extra things like you can loop the samples, so you can start transforming and it will always stay in the loop and you could be really rough, obviously with a CD, because it’s not going to jump because you’re just scratching a sample, because the CDJ plays ahead of itself, that’s how it works. You can do like little hot cue tricks and it’s kind of, you know, start pushing the record round and hitting the cue bar at the same time so you can do like different types of scratches on the CD. Ron: As I said, it’s almost like you’re remixing live as opposed to just mixing records. James: Yes, I know, it’s mad. I think DJing these days has to be more than just playing one record after another. It’s nice to have fun too, I guess if I’m having fun with the toys and playing around then people will hopefully find it interesting and have fun as well. Ron: Having fun, that’s great advice, do you have any other advice to other up and coming DJs? James: Just do it all for the right reasons, I guess is the best advice anyone can give. Ron: Which is basically for the money and the sex? James: Yes, exactly. Ron: Just teasing. I am wondering, how do the crowds in the US and Europe differ? Like last night, did you know you were in an American room? Did the crowd look different or respond differently? James: Oh yes, definitely. I mean, it’s just totally different, everywhere you go it’s totally different. If you go to Asia it’s different, if you go to Australia it’s different. Everyone has their different character traits, you know, Scottish people and Irish people like to drink a lot and shout. When you go to Eastern Europe to somewhere like Hungary, the people are just really into the music, they’re just nuts and bouncing around, for whatever reason, maybe they’ve lived a more oppressed life so therefore they have to bite it harder. And in America you’ve got that massive message board-Internet culture, and there’s a lot of trainspotters, so it’s just different everywhere you go but everywhere’s great. I wouldn’t say I preferred one place to another. Ron: Have you experienced the Oakenfold effect where you’ll do a set and the next day you’ll look on the Internet and your playlist is posted? James: Yes, but I was like lucky because I don’t play a lot of records people know, so they’d have to try and guess them all. Ron: In a few words, how do you define your musical style? James: I’m not really sure, it’s just really house and breaks and techno with a bit of twisted melody here and there. Ron: Talking to the UK DJs I’m noticing that, well, you’re a UK DJ, or would you call yourself that? James: Yes, well I’m from England, so yes. Ron: Mostly there’s not just like a techno DJ or a trance DJ, even the big names are blending textures together and blending genres together, do you see the music going in that direction as well? James: Yes, well, I’ve always sort of played a bit of everything. I was never one to play like six hours of the same tribal house or whatever. Ron: That would make you an American DJ. <laughing> James: I don’t know. Yes, the trouble is that my DJing just reflects my musical taste, I like a bit of everything, so that’s the only explanation for that really. Ron: Where do you find your music? Do you buy records everywhere you go or do people send you stuff? James: Yes, I go on Juno which is an Internet website in London, they’re a record shop and… Ron: Juno.co.uk? James: Yes. Ron: Wow, great store. James: Yes, it’s excellent, you can sit there and listen to all the samples and they’ve got a good techno section and yes, it’s ace.

Ron: Do you actually go in like storefront record stores as well? James: Yes, I got to Massive in Oxford, they’re really cool, and just wherever I am basically. If I’m in town for a few days, then I’ll try and check out the record stores. Ron: Something a little more on the more depressing side, how has the end of Hooj Choons affected you? James: Not really, other than made me a bit sad because they were a label that I grew up with. The CD I did, it already came out and I sort of knew when I did the CD that it was going to be happening so, you know, it was just nice to have the CD or a label which for so long I was a huge fan of. Ron: And just a goofy question, are you really referred to as Jay Z? James: Oh, on the message board sometimes, and some of my friends say it. Ron: Have you ever been confused with the rapper by any chance? James: No, never. Ron: Because I can see a billboard saying ‘Jay Z Spinning Live’ and a whole different crowd showing up. James: Yes, that would be pretty mad. Ron: Is there anything you want to say to all the dance music fans out there? James: Just buy music and stop stealing it off the Internet, otherwise all the artists are going to end up working at Burger King, and not making anymore music, then there won’t be a scene, and then that’ll be a real bummer. So I don’t know, yes, that’s my best advice, support the music and go out and have fun. Ron: One thing I must ask you, what right now is your biggest record to play that gets the biggest response? James: I don’t know, I’ve got a few, let me think. No, I don’t know, I played a record last night which went down really well, which was given to me last week in Texas by a guy called Smight. It’s called “Leaving Harvard”, and it’s not signed to a record label yet but it definitely will be. Ron: Smight, S M I T E? James: S M I G H T. Ron: S M I T H? James: S M I G, G for Garry. Ron: OK. Just so I can put it right on the web site and people know to go attack that guy with the recording contracts. James: Yes. Ron: Are there any classic records that you find yourself playing, you always come back to? James: Yes, because of the demise of Hooj recently, I started playing Space Maneuvers, Stage One and Expand The Room., I started dropping those, I played both of those last night with a mark of respect.