My Interview with John Graham aka Quivver
http://www.365mag.com/index.php?pg=...+Music+Magazine
John Graham is without any doubt one of the most skilled producers in todays music scene. He has been making quite a name for himself over the past fifteen years, using numerous monikers such as Quivver, Tilt, Stoneproof and Skanna. His sound is often compared to that of Sasha and John Digweed, although Graham seeks to continuously expand his sound to prevent himself from being labeled as a progressive house jock. Just having moved from his native UK to LA, Graham is about to release his long awaited new Quivver album Dirty Nails And Vapour Trails on Boz Boz Recordings, a collection of tracks that "travel down many paths" including flirts with break-beat and drum 'bass. (Check out his Myspace page for a preview!) More than enough reason for 365Mag to go for an interview with one of the most exciting producers on the block.
Greetings John! First and foremost, I would like to wish you a Happy Birthday on behalf of the 365Mag staff as well as all of your fans around the world. We are anxiously awaiting the release of your new album Dirty Nails and Vapour Trails and we wish you the best of luck and great success.
Thanks very much!
I understand that you sang all of the vocals to the album Dirty Nails and Vapour Trails. Have you ever thought about performing any of these tracks live as an interesting twist in the midst of a DJ set?
I've thought about it but I'd rather do either a proper live show or a DJ set. I don't like the idea of picking up a mic and singing halfway through a DJ set. I can only imagine it looking, and sounding kind of amateurish and cheesy. Maybe if it was well planned and set up…..but then again…nah..
Where do you get your inspiration to write lyrics?
I get inspired by all kinds of things, places, situations, experiences, good and bad. I carry a notebook around when I'm traveling, and write ideas down all the time. Most of it never gets used, but I'll find a good line or idea here and there and elaborate on it. It takes me a long time to write lyrics that I'm comfortable with.
Can you tell me how you thought of the title for the new album?
I wanted a title that related to the contrasts in the album. There's dirty, dark moments in the album and there's lighter, more uplifting moments. Dirty Nails and Vapour Trails was a line I scribbled in a notebook a year or so ago, and when I saw it again I thought it sounded like the perfect title for the album.
About how many hours/days of work did you put into the new album?
I'd say on average I spent between one and two weeks per track from start to finish. All in all it probably took about four months.
What are your personal favorites on the album?
It's a tie between Ghosts and Chasin' A Feeling.
As you continue to tour promoting the album, which track would you say you have played the most at your performances?
I've been playing as many of them as possible, but Two Notes 'N' A Beat is the one that I haven't missed a show with.
How do you manage working under so many different projects and guises all at once?
I've always worked on different under different aliases so I've got used to it. I enjoy switching from one project to another. I think I'd get bored if I didn't.
All labels and genre's aside, how would you personally describe your style?
That's a very tough one…er..as far as this album is concerned, fat, funky, up, down, left, right, dark, and light…maybe.
How do you feel about the current direction of Boz Boz Recordings?
It's still mainly an outlet for my stuff although I've recently signed a couple of new tracks. The new Shifter and Carvell track is getting good reactions, and we're releasing an album by a really talented young Hungarian producer called Lank later this year, which is sounding great so far. I'm not too worried about aiming for a specific direction as long as it's music that I like and that I'd play.
You recently celebrated your birthday in Hollywood. How was the party? Are there any interesting stories that you would like to share with us?
Hmm…Yeah the party was great, thanks. It was at Monday Night Social. Scott Carrelli and myself deejayed. It was a good crowd with a lot of my friends there so I had fun. Things did get a bit blurry towards the end of the night. After I'd finished playing I got a bit carried away, and did a few shots too many etc.. way too many actually to the point where I fell asleep and missed most of my own after party…I'm gonna put that down to the fact that I'd been partying all weekend in the UK, and I was tired. Definitely not down to me being a lightweight!
What changes did you experience in your transition period from moving to the States from the UK?
I've spent quite a bit of time in the states over the years so there was no big culture shock or anything. The biggest change was the weather which is obviously fantastic compared to the UK. Sunshine every day definitely makes a big difference to my mood, and I feel more motivated to work here in LA than I did back home.
What are your top 5 tracks at the moment?
1. TG (Tim Green) - Revox (Justin Martin Remix ) (Dirtybird)
2. Lutzenkirchen - For a Friend (Great Stuff)
3. Boris Brejcha - Krieg der Maschinen (Harthouse)
4. Rhythm Code - Rise Feat. Simone Denny (Popof Remix ) (Rising Trax)
5. Adam Beyer and Agaric - California Gold (Mad Eye)
Many of your scheduled performances for the month of July also feature Marcos Paz. How did you guys get together, and how do you like working with him?
Marcos is the resident DJ at Pacha in Buenos Aires (A place I've played regularly over the last few years) and is a very talented, and versatile DJ. As a warm up DJ he always sets the mood perfectly, and never goes any further than warm up. Which a lot of resident DJ's tend to do. I've also heard him play amazing peak time sets, and he's technically very clever. We've played a few shows together in the past. Our styles compliment each other really well, so we decided to do a tour of South America together in July.
What is the most interesting interview question that you have ever been asked, and how did you reply?
Haha! Well that's definitely the laziest interview question I've ever been asked!
The most interesting one recently was whether I believed in the 2012 theory, which at the time I'd not even heard of. It's this theory which has been predicted throughout history that the world will end on December 21st 2012.
I'm usually very skeptical about stuff like that, but I replied that I wouldn't be all that surprised. It seems pretty clear that the human race is destroying the planet, and if there's such a thing as karma maybe that's the date it's gonna catch up with us.
365Mag would like to thank John Graham for his time and answers!
My review of his new album:
http://www.elektroaddict.com/review...bum-review.html
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Electronic Night Life
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