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Interview with John'00'Fleming
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| Hypersky |
Here's a recent interview that was done with John'00'Fleming on the heels of his west coast visit and just prior to the release of his White Label 3 CD Compilation that is due out this week in the US. John touched on a number of subjects ranging from his recent accident, DJ Schedule, and music technology. I also posed some of the questions that were sent to me from TAs on this board.
- Hi John, thanks very much for taking the time out
of your hectic schedule to chat.
Thanks for having me
- Right first things first, you've had a bit of an
accident recently. How are you feeling these days ?
Much better. I pretty much fully recovered. I’m a very fit bloke, I run every morning and eat well. This has helped me have a speedy recovery . I need another 3 months physio on my shoulder then all will be fixed.
- As has been well chronicled, you are a cancer
survivor. How did that experience affect your desire
to be a DJ and make music in general ? Did the music
have a different meaning to you before and after the
experience.
I’ve been very lucky and been a DJ since the age of 15. While being treated in hospital the music did help me want to survive. That is why I have such a passion for music still today, it is very special to me. Coming through the other end it made me realize that I HAD to work with music for a career. I couldn’t do a 9 – 5 job that I hated, to me that would be a waste of a valuable day in a life.
- You keep an active schedule by touring in clubs
around the world. What are your thoughts on playing at
Spundae in Los Angeles ?
I LOVE Spundae and I keep telling them that! It is one of my favourite clubs in the World. I really feel the people understand where I am musically and allow me to perform my musical journey.
- Following up on that, do you feel that there is a
gap or a disparity between the clubbing experiences in
Europe and North America at the moment? Is one better
than the other in your opinion ?
It’s not fair to compare one territory to another. Every country is different with it’s own cultures, so this effects how the people party. I think the state of clubland is very healthy in the USA, I’m enjoying every visit to this great land.
- You've just completed your White Label 3 CD
compilation. How long and involved is the process of
organizing a compilation like this ?
It takes a lot of time. This compilation was compiled and mixed a good 5 months ago. Record labels have to work this far in advance for PR & Distribution reasons. This makes my job twice as hard trying predict what tracks will still be unreleased when mine hits the shops!
- The compilation was originally supposed to be 3
CDs, and now appears to have been trimmed to two. Why
?
Many territories around the World can’t handle triple CD’s, USA being one of them. A shame because that would have been the icing on the cake!
- Your JOOF recordings label has recently made the
decision to stop producing Vinyl in favour of a digital
only release format. What was the rationale behind
this move, and what do you think the future of Vinyl
IS ?
I haven’t played vinyl myself for over 4 years, so it seems silly to try and sell I product I don’t believe in anymore. It like a BMW dealer trying to sell you a BMW, then he drives home in a Mercedes! Digital is the future for dance music, it will save this lagging industry. Look at the commercial world, iTunes have now sold over 500 million downloads, this will soon pour into danceland. Yes the critics snarl….until they try the awesome range of modern CD players then the penny drops!!
- What is your current studio setup ? What computer,
sequencing software, and synths do you use to produce
your tracks ?
I use a Apple G5 duel 2.7 gig, with Logic 7.1 I LOVE my Mackie digital desk and fav synths are my Virus and Andromeda.
- You've been an outspoken advocate for Ableton
LIVE. What type of role do you feel that products like
LIVE and Final Scratch will play in the future of
DJing ?
A huge part. These are the tools the next generation of DJ’s are growing up with. The possibilities are endless with software like this. You then look back at vinyl and realize how restricted you where.
- How do you respond to the critics of LIVE who say
that its a copout because it 'mixes the tracks for
you' ?
We’ll I’d ask them to mix a track in front of me and watch them make and absolute mess of it!! No computer on this earth can mix a track for you, it still need the human input. Yes it holds the track in time, but that is only a small part of the mixing process. This enables me to run another bunch of tracks at the same time (upto 10). You also have to have an ear to tell you the correct part of the track to mix and for how long, smoothly mix EQ’s, get the track in Key etc….
- What are some of the DJs that you looked up to
when you were first learning to play ?
I’ve never done that, I’ve always done my own thing. Still today, whatever is popular out there, I’m doing something different. I simply play music I like and that’s it!
- Who are some of your favorite DJs today ? Which
DJs do you feel are innovating and forging new
territory with their work ?
They all are in their own way. I love many DJ’s and admire what they do within their careers.
- What can we look forward to from JOOF Recordings
in the year to come ?
We got plenty coming up, including Artist albums from Steve Birch, Miika Kuisma, Digital Blonde and me!
- If you could give one bit of advice to all
aspiring young DJs, what would it be ?
Follow your heart and play music you love. Don’t give in and be a sheep to get noticed, you’ll stand out more being yourself
- What is your favorite meal ?
Good old British Pie, Mash and gravy…yum!
- What do you like to do to relax at home when you
are not touring or producing in your home studio ?
I love water sports, especially wakeboarding. Must be more careful in the future though!
- Whether music related or otherwise - Who are your
heros ?
I admire people like Richard Branson for taking BIG risks in life to achieve his goals. He really inspires me.
- And finally, you have gone through a couple of
career and potentially life threatening situations. If given the chance to do it over again, would you choose not to have cancer and its ensuing struggle to recover, in exchange for living a simple life that didn't involve your passion for music, or would you
choose to go through the struggle to recover as you
have, which has led you to become the person you are
today ?
mmmm deep question. Obviously I would have chosen not to have my illness, but would it have changed my outlook on life without going through this, I don’t know? I’ve always been the driven motivated person that sits here today, I know for sure I’d get board stiff not working!!!
- Thanks very much John
Thanks for having me. :) |
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| Junior Chavez |
| cool beans. give john a pat on the back and let him know his set kicked our asses saturday night, well effin spun. :wtf: |
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| dj_bas |
| wow i didn't know john had cancer. what an awesome interview |
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| gypsygirl |
| wow, what a great interview. i had the unbelievable chance to meet and have breakfast with john and this interview barely scratches the surface of what a great human being he is; not to mention one of the best djs out there. also, he is quite a funny person and completely down to earth and humble. he blew me away on sunday in san fransico but more to come on that for the review thread that will be posted. |
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| Miss Julia |
| nice review. john seems like an awesome guy. i love it when dj's are NORMAL and down to earth like that... :) |
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| buchnaner |
| what a guy, see him skirt around those "favorite dj" questions? what a guy... :cool: |
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| The_Sounds |
| great interview :cool: |
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| Hypersky |
| quote: | Originally posted by buchnaner
what a guy, see him skirt around those "favorite dj" questions? what a guy... :cool: |
yeah...noticed that as well. He seems to do his own thing irrespective of what's cool at the moment. |
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| Positive Logic |
Thanks for conducting that interview Raoul-
It's easy to see why John is such an
inspiration to people worldwide. He's
truly an amazing person, in many ways. |
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| Hypersky |
| Cheers Dan. I'm glad he understood your question. It was a tricky one! ;) |
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| lex400sc |
| Great interview Raoul. John is such positive force in music, whether it's his outlook/attitude on life or the punchy, energetic style he spins, you can only sit there and respect/admire such a strong and talented character. Having had breakfast with J00F has added another dimension to him most people don't see: the guy is funny and constantly joking around! |
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