Post by KJ Gould on Mar 15, 2009 23:03:11 GMT
Here's an exclusive interview Jim was kind enough to do earlier today. Enjoy! ;D (and comment, ya bastards!)
Hi Jim, thanks for taking the time to do this interview.
Jim Davies: No probs, please excuse any typos, I’m knackered.
How did ‘Electronic Guitar’ come about?
JD: I’ve always written instrumental music from probably the moment I could string a few chords together! I actually have tapes of 'tunes' (I use that word very loosely) I wrote when I’d been playing for 6 months or so, they are pretty funny but it’s a great way to start to develop your own style on the guitar. I got through to the final of Guitarist magazine’s guitarist of the year competition with an instrumental I’d written. I’ve also found writing instru music much easier, all the V.P stuff started off as instrumentals, in fact the tune 'Vital Signs' which was a b-side to the VP single 'Worst Case Scenario' was what gave me the idea to do the guitar album. When I finished writing it I realized it was made up unintentionally of all guitar sounds, maybe my synth wasn't working that day! But I started to think maybe I could do a whole album of tunes that were nothing but guitar sounds. Obviously the drums and bass were their own entity but all other sounds were guitar. It was a mission! I spent ages hunting around guitar shops for weird new toys!
The thing with guitar instru albums is normally they are an excuse for a guitarist to solo for 3 mins 30 over backing tracks that are normally pretty poor, its just about showing off or shredding as much as possible! There are some exceptions, I love Steve Vai's 'Passion and Warfare' that's an incredible album. What I wanted to do with mine is leave the shredding to the shredders and just do my thing, ignore what the other guitar instru albums sound like and stick to my guns.
The most important thing for me was to make sure it was going to be accessible to non-guitarists as much as guitar players, when you write instru music you have to really keep it interesting or you will lose people within the first minute. I tried to make sure I kept bringing in new sounds or melodies to make up for the lack of vocals. I’ve always been about writing strong melodies and trying to create something that’s anthemic and catchy. I did shred a little bit on some of the tunes but I made sure what I played was tasteful, there’s some really beautiful, dark tunes on the album that I couldn't bring myself to just shred all over! I just played what I thought the tune needed. The hardest thing was finding all the sounds I could hear in my head and creating them on the guitar!
There’s quite a few different styles on the album, the track 'Rubicon' is almost Dub step, very slow tempo but pretty heavy beat-wise, there’s tunes that nod towards rare grove and funk, which I love, some trip hop like tunes and even a 4-4 House type stomper at the end! Obviously the guitars had to be the priority over the beats as I needed lots of room with all the parts I had but I think I found a nice balance.
Is there any collaboration on ‘EG’ like programming, or is it pure Jim Davies start-to-finish?
JD: Pete Crossman, who produced and mixed the first VP album co-wrote 3 tunes with me, he'd come up with a loop and a bassline and then I’d take it away and mangle it! He did most of the beats on the album but I wrote the 'music' side of the things. There’s a couple of tunes that I did entirely myself which I'm really happy with. The way we worked was I'd give Pete a finished tune with 6,000000 guitar parts and very basic drums which he'd knock it into shape. No easy task I assure you, some tracks had 50 layers of guitar sounds within the track!
How long did it take to make ‘EG’?
JD: I got on a roll with it really once I got the idea to do the album and realized it was do-able; the main thing was finding all the sounds. I'd say the album was written and recorded in 6 months
How did you end up on Mascot Records with this album?
JD: Well there aren’t many labels that cater for guitar instru music; Mascot is really the main one. I sent my album to them through a friend who knew the main man but to be honest I wasn't sure they'd go for it, I thought my album was too weird or left-field and that they'd want something more 'run of the mill' style guitar instru album. But the top man came straight back to me and said he loved it and thought it was a really fresh and interesting approach so they'd wanted to put it out. Obviously I was very chuffed!
Mascot Records is a home for other prominent solo guitarists who have their own approach to guitar based music and have themselves been a part of high profile bands in the past. Are there any artists on this label that you look up to, or dig what they’re doing?
JD: Well Paul Gilbert is a massive influence on me, I know I know Mr Big weren't cool and we all hate that fecking 'To Be With You' song they did BUT Gilbert is an amazing player, he did these tuitional videos back in the heyday of shredding when I was learning, I wore them out! I've got them all and still watch them! He's an amazing teacher as well, someone like Steve Vai is not of this world, he's just so out there, Gilbert seems far more approachable and you can imagine aspiring to be as good as him one day, Vai is an enigma, you'll never get anywhere near as good as that guy! So yes, I think Paul Gilbert is awesome so I’m buzzing to be on the same label, even if I don’t dig everything he's ever done, he's still a massive inspiration.
Do you plan on showcasing any of your instrumental stuff live?
JD: It’s gonna be hard, there are so many guitar parts on this album, it is do-able but I don’t know if I could do it as an actual 'gig' if you know what I mean? I think I’ll probably do a run of guitar seminars where I talk about the process behind the album and play maybe 4 or 5 tunes that I’ll adapt to be 'one man play-able'!!! I really want to gig it as obviously I want it to do well but there’s only so many parts I can play!! I think clinics/seminars are the way forward for this album.
How is Victory Pill going? Any news or things to look forward to?
JD: Yeah all very exciting, we put out a remix e.p a little while ago, with 3 remixes of 'King and Country’ and 'Freefall' they are rocking, well worth checking out. The second album is 8 tunes in, I obviously got waylaid with the guitar album and Pete Crossman is my writing partner now for the VP stuff and he was also producing the guitar album, but we're back on it now. The new stuff sounds awesome, much more electronic than the first one. I’ve also found a few singers from as yet unknown bands that have sung on a few tracks, I get bored with my voice! I wanted to do vocals on most of the second album but also wanted a few different flavours in there. We have the first single done which features a vocalist from the states that we’ve been working with, it gives me goosebumps every time I hear it, its amazing. I have no idea when VP2 will be out but hopefully this year.
Victory Pill puts you at the front of the band, and you have several shows under your belt now. How did it feel performing live the first time where you had to sing and engage the audience? Are you now a more confident frontman?
JD: It was strange at first, I’m not a natural frontman, I’m actually incredibly self-conscious which is not good for a front man, you have to be like JS (Clayden) and not give a flying fuck! It took a while but I’m happy with it now. I’ll always be a guitarist first but I like what I have going vocally, I’m no Chris Cornell but I think my voice suits the music for VP, I love rowdy English bands like the jam and the pistols which is what I aspire to vocally, not be the next Xfactor winner...although...
The other problem with being a frontman is the fact that I have a lot going on guitar wise as well!! I really had my hands full, so it made the live side of things less engaging than watching a crowd-master like JS at work! But I just done my own thing, did what I could!
Who’s the current live line-up for Victory Pill?
JD: The band is me and Pete Crossman, when/if we go live again Al baker will be drumming and that’s all I know at the moment.
How did you get involved with ‘Sex and Circuitry’? Has there been an album out?
JD: That came about when DJ Hyper got a singer in called Odissi to play a few gigs with us live, we really hit it off, she’s a very rowdy feisty American chick, she's sung on a lot of big dance records over here as well. We wrote an album very quickly, again Pete Crossman produced it. We’ve done a few gigs but we had to put things on hold when Odissi was ill for a while over Xmas. The album will be out in the next few months. It’s a very good album and again a melting pot of genres.
Is there any artist you’d really love to work with, either in a band capacity or collaborating in the studio with? Any possibility of guest returns to past bands like Pitchshifter or Prodigy?
I'd love to do something with The Cure or Depeche Mode but only because they are my favourite bands, not because I think that would ever happen!! Underworld would be nice though. As for Prodigy, no that’s all done and dusted, gotta keep moving on. I don't really know what’s occurring with shifter at the mo, I obviously will always have a massive place in my heart for that band and the fans but I think these days the band is JS and The Drawback boys are very capable guitarists so I don't think I’d be needed to be honest. I do miss the gigs now I’ve had a good few years to get over the massive amount of touring we did, but at the same time I’m enjoying re-inventing myself as a solo artist with this guitar album, but hey, who knows.
There have been a few current movie trailers using songs from bands like Nine Inch Nails and Celldweller. Have you licensed any of your music for TV, Film or Videogames, or do you plan to?
JD: Yeah VP have had a few tracks on games and the sync thing is something I am quite involved with, the newest Hyper album called 'Suicide Tuesday' has had a lot of film trailers and game syncs, I co-wrote a lot of the album. I think the 'Sex and Circuitry' album will do well there too.
What do you do for leisure outside of music?
JD: Not much! I read a lot, mostly historical fiction like Simon Scarrow, David Gemmell and Conn Iggulden. I think it’s quite well known that I’m a bit of a saddo when it comes to history, poor JS had to put up with me watching nothing but the History channel when we lived together. I’m fascinated by Rome and the Second World War, in fact I’d be a historian if I wasn't a muso!! I also love my Xbox, resident evil just came out which I’m far too excited about for a man of my age but hey.
Do you teach or give seminars?
JD: I teach at Colchester Institute of Music which I really enjoy, just a few days a week. I teach degree standard kids so it keeps me on my toes and has actually improved my playing over the last few years as I’ve started teaching and listening to jazz and other stuff I wouldn't have otherwise got into. I do give the occasional seminar which like I said I want to do more of with this guitar album coming out.
What gets you up and drives you each day?
JD: My 18 year old Thai house maid 'Ding Dong' and my chauffeur 'Jeeves'
With all the stuff going on in the world these days, what bothers you the most?
JD: Just the general state of this country, I think because I know a lot about this country’s history I think it’s so sad what we’ve become today, we really have lost our national identity. I don’t want to get into a big political rant so I’ll just say that and that I hate Jade Goody, dying or not dying.
What question bores you the most from journalists?
JD: I’m easy going, it’s nice people are interested enough to ask you questions, they won't always be.
Most unique question you’ve been asked?
JD: ...that’s tough...errrr....ummm........'Will you marry me?'
Favourite swear word?
JD: I dunno if it’s a swear word as such but I love the word 'bellend' I use it about 20 times a day when driving.
Thanks Jim. Anything else you’d like to say or plug?
JD: Just thanks for the chat and I hope you like the guitar album, let me know your thoughts on KJ's shiny new forum.
Hi Jim, thanks for taking the time to do this interview.
Jim Davies: No probs, please excuse any typos, I’m knackered.
How did ‘Electronic Guitar’ come about?
JD: I’ve always written instrumental music from probably the moment I could string a few chords together! I actually have tapes of 'tunes' (I use that word very loosely) I wrote when I’d been playing for 6 months or so, they are pretty funny but it’s a great way to start to develop your own style on the guitar. I got through to the final of Guitarist magazine’s guitarist of the year competition with an instrumental I’d written. I’ve also found writing instru music much easier, all the V.P stuff started off as instrumentals, in fact the tune 'Vital Signs' which was a b-side to the VP single 'Worst Case Scenario' was what gave me the idea to do the guitar album. When I finished writing it I realized it was made up unintentionally of all guitar sounds, maybe my synth wasn't working that day! But I started to think maybe I could do a whole album of tunes that were nothing but guitar sounds. Obviously the drums and bass were their own entity but all other sounds were guitar. It was a mission! I spent ages hunting around guitar shops for weird new toys!
The thing with guitar instru albums is normally they are an excuse for a guitarist to solo for 3 mins 30 over backing tracks that are normally pretty poor, its just about showing off or shredding as much as possible! There are some exceptions, I love Steve Vai's 'Passion and Warfare' that's an incredible album. What I wanted to do with mine is leave the shredding to the shredders and just do my thing, ignore what the other guitar instru albums sound like and stick to my guns.
The most important thing for me was to make sure it was going to be accessible to non-guitarists as much as guitar players, when you write instru music you have to really keep it interesting or you will lose people within the first minute. I tried to make sure I kept bringing in new sounds or melodies to make up for the lack of vocals. I’ve always been about writing strong melodies and trying to create something that’s anthemic and catchy. I did shred a little bit on some of the tunes but I made sure what I played was tasteful, there’s some really beautiful, dark tunes on the album that I couldn't bring myself to just shred all over! I just played what I thought the tune needed. The hardest thing was finding all the sounds I could hear in my head and creating them on the guitar!
There’s quite a few different styles on the album, the track 'Rubicon' is almost Dub step, very slow tempo but pretty heavy beat-wise, there’s tunes that nod towards rare grove and funk, which I love, some trip hop like tunes and even a 4-4 House type stomper at the end! Obviously the guitars had to be the priority over the beats as I needed lots of room with all the parts I had but I think I found a nice balance.
Is there any collaboration on ‘EG’ like programming, or is it pure Jim Davies start-to-finish?
JD: Pete Crossman, who produced and mixed the first VP album co-wrote 3 tunes with me, he'd come up with a loop and a bassline and then I’d take it away and mangle it! He did most of the beats on the album but I wrote the 'music' side of the things. There’s a couple of tunes that I did entirely myself which I'm really happy with. The way we worked was I'd give Pete a finished tune with 6,000000 guitar parts and very basic drums which he'd knock it into shape. No easy task I assure you, some tracks had 50 layers of guitar sounds within the track!
How long did it take to make ‘EG’?
JD: I got on a roll with it really once I got the idea to do the album and realized it was do-able; the main thing was finding all the sounds. I'd say the album was written and recorded in 6 months
How did you end up on Mascot Records with this album?
JD: Well there aren’t many labels that cater for guitar instru music; Mascot is really the main one. I sent my album to them through a friend who knew the main man but to be honest I wasn't sure they'd go for it, I thought my album was too weird or left-field and that they'd want something more 'run of the mill' style guitar instru album. But the top man came straight back to me and said he loved it and thought it was a really fresh and interesting approach so they'd wanted to put it out. Obviously I was very chuffed!
Mascot Records is a home for other prominent solo guitarists who have their own approach to guitar based music and have themselves been a part of high profile bands in the past. Are there any artists on this label that you look up to, or dig what they’re doing?
JD: Well Paul Gilbert is a massive influence on me, I know I know Mr Big weren't cool and we all hate that fecking 'To Be With You' song they did BUT Gilbert is an amazing player, he did these tuitional videos back in the heyday of shredding when I was learning, I wore them out! I've got them all and still watch them! He's an amazing teacher as well, someone like Steve Vai is not of this world, he's just so out there, Gilbert seems far more approachable and you can imagine aspiring to be as good as him one day, Vai is an enigma, you'll never get anywhere near as good as that guy! So yes, I think Paul Gilbert is awesome so I’m buzzing to be on the same label, even if I don’t dig everything he's ever done, he's still a massive inspiration.
Do you plan on showcasing any of your instrumental stuff live?
JD: It’s gonna be hard, there are so many guitar parts on this album, it is do-able but I don’t know if I could do it as an actual 'gig' if you know what I mean? I think I’ll probably do a run of guitar seminars where I talk about the process behind the album and play maybe 4 or 5 tunes that I’ll adapt to be 'one man play-able'!!! I really want to gig it as obviously I want it to do well but there’s only so many parts I can play!! I think clinics/seminars are the way forward for this album.
How is Victory Pill going? Any news or things to look forward to?
JD: Yeah all very exciting, we put out a remix e.p a little while ago, with 3 remixes of 'King and Country’ and 'Freefall' they are rocking, well worth checking out. The second album is 8 tunes in, I obviously got waylaid with the guitar album and Pete Crossman is my writing partner now for the VP stuff and he was also producing the guitar album, but we're back on it now. The new stuff sounds awesome, much more electronic than the first one. I’ve also found a few singers from as yet unknown bands that have sung on a few tracks, I get bored with my voice! I wanted to do vocals on most of the second album but also wanted a few different flavours in there. We have the first single done which features a vocalist from the states that we’ve been working with, it gives me goosebumps every time I hear it, its amazing. I have no idea when VP2 will be out but hopefully this year.
Victory Pill puts you at the front of the band, and you have several shows under your belt now. How did it feel performing live the first time where you had to sing and engage the audience? Are you now a more confident frontman?
JD: It was strange at first, I’m not a natural frontman, I’m actually incredibly self-conscious which is not good for a front man, you have to be like JS (Clayden) and not give a flying fuck! It took a while but I’m happy with it now. I’ll always be a guitarist first but I like what I have going vocally, I’m no Chris Cornell but I think my voice suits the music for VP, I love rowdy English bands like the jam and the pistols which is what I aspire to vocally, not be the next Xfactor winner...although...
The other problem with being a frontman is the fact that I have a lot going on guitar wise as well!! I really had my hands full, so it made the live side of things less engaging than watching a crowd-master like JS at work! But I just done my own thing, did what I could!
Who’s the current live line-up for Victory Pill?
JD: The band is me and Pete Crossman, when/if we go live again Al baker will be drumming and that’s all I know at the moment.
How did you get involved with ‘Sex and Circuitry’? Has there been an album out?
JD: That came about when DJ Hyper got a singer in called Odissi to play a few gigs with us live, we really hit it off, she’s a very rowdy feisty American chick, she's sung on a lot of big dance records over here as well. We wrote an album very quickly, again Pete Crossman produced it. We’ve done a few gigs but we had to put things on hold when Odissi was ill for a while over Xmas. The album will be out in the next few months. It’s a very good album and again a melting pot of genres.
Is there any artist you’d really love to work with, either in a band capacity or collaborating in the studio with? Any possibility of guest returns to past bands like Pitchshifter or Prodigy?
I'd love to do something with The Cure or Depeche Mode but only because they are my favourite bands, not because I think that would ever happen!! Underworld would be nice though. As for Prodigy, no that’s all done and dusted, gotta keep moving on. I don't really know what’s occurring with shifter at the mo, I obviously will always have a massive place in my heart for that band and the fans but I think these days the band is JS and The Drawback boys are very capable guitarists so I don't think I’d be needed to be honest. I do miss the gigs now I’ve had a good few years to get over the massive amount of touring we did, but at the same time I’m enjoying re-inventing myself as a solo artist with this guitar album, but hey, who knows.
There have been a few current movie trailers using songs from bands like Nine Inch Nails and Celldweller. Have you licensed any of your music for TV, Film or Videogames, or do you plan to?
JD: Yeah VP have had a few tracks on games and the sync thing is something I am quite involved with, the newest Hyper album called 'Suicide Tuesday' has had a lot of film trailers and game syncs, I co-wrote a lot of the album. I think the 'Sex and Circuitry' album will do well there too.
What do you do for leisure outside of music?
JD: Not much! I read a lot, mostly historical fiction like Simon Scarrow, David Gemmell and Conn Iggulden. I think it’s quite well known that I’m a bit of a saddo when it comes to history, poor JS had to put up with me watching nothing but the History channel when we lived together. I’m fascinated by Rome and the Second World War, in fact I’d be a historian if I wasn't a muso!! I also love my Xbox, resident evil just came out which I’m far too excited about for a man of my age but hey.
Do you teach or give seminars?
JD: I teach at Colchester Institute of Music which I really enjoy, just a few days a week. I teach degree standard kids so it keeps me on my toes and has actually improved my playing over the last few years as I’ve started teaching and listening to jazz and other stuff I wouldn't have otherwise got into. I do give the occasional seminar which like I said I want to do more of with this guitar album coming out.
What gets you up and drives you each day?
JD: My 18 year old Thai house maid 'Ding Dong' and my chauffeur 'Jeeves'
With all the stuff going on in the world these days, what bothers you the most?
JD: Just the general state of this country, I think because I know a lot about this country’s history I think it’s so sad what we’ve become today, we really have lost our national identity. I don’t want to get into a big political rant so I’ll just say that and that I hate Jade Goody, dying or not dying.
What question bores you the most from journalists?
JD: I’m easy going, it’s nice people are interested enough to ask you questions, they won't always be.
Most unique question you’ve been asked?
JD: ...that’s tough...errrr....ummm........'Will you marry me?'
Favourite swear word?
JD: I dunno if it’s a swear word as such but I love the word 'bellend' I use it about 20 times a day when driving.
Thanks Jim. Anything else you’d like to say or plug?
JD: Just thanks for the chat and I hope you like the guitar album, let me know your thoughts on KJ's shiny new forum.
