Our third in a series, Clean House interviews label artists and related Djs by asking them 10 questions.

The man of the hour, Jymmi James takes time out of his busy helicopter sound making schedule to sit down with us and fill us in on what makes him tick.

How did you get into House music?

I remember it always being around in the Bay Area when I was younger. Even though it still wasn’t my go to, I started listening more and more to compilations like House of Love, and United Dj’s of America – Jeno. In 97 I decided to put the computer games down and go to my first rave. I was so naive, I thought the candy some girl offered me was laced! I was 17 at the time and the next couple of years really changed my outlook on life

What’s the scene like in San Francisco?

We are really quite spoiled here. The venues tend to be open minded, with good sound. There are still a ton of outdoor parties to hit up, the most recent by Sunset and Dirtybird. Last Sunday (5/1) was the first Sunset boat party of the year and they nailed it. It didn’t hurt that the weather was unreal. The people in the scene here are very educated. They understand the music and purposely seek it out, which more often then not, translates into an amazing vibe. And our local djs are bad assess!

Where do you find your inspiration?

Sometimes other electronic music producers, sometimes random songs I hear, and sometimes just sitting around with my mind blank. I just got a new field recorder and I can’t wait to see where it takes me.

What do you use for production, and what are some of your favorite plugs?

I’m a logic guy, but mostly because its the one DAW I’ve really taken my time to learn. I get frustrated on the other options, but purely because I already know how do something in logic. My favorite plugins right now are all the D16 Group ones, Spectresonics Stylus and Rob Papen’s SubBoomBass. I’m digging the stuff from IK multimedia, specifically the Classic Studio Reverb, Pultec EQ emulation and their Opto compressor. I just picked up the DDMF EQ bundle – so far so good there.

What is your favorite and least favorite thing about producing and arranging a track?

Either way, you have to take a step back.I enjoy sitting down and coming up with a good groove from nothing. My least favorite part is when I stop liking what I’m doing. This is either because it actually sucks, or that I’m just too close to it. Either way, you have to take a step back.

Number one production tip?

I think the biggest tip is that really, less is more. I don’t think people get this one the first time they hear it – I know I didn’t. The point is, if each sound has its own space in time and frequency, when you get to the mastering stage, things can show their magic because there is room for it all to come out. Once you start thinking in this vein, the real magic happens.

Who are some of your favorite producers right now?

Stimming is at the top right now for me. His production quality is unmistakable, definitely someone to study. Pezzner is also someone to watch for the same reasons, and I’m also really digging Tim Green’s sounds and style.

What are you currently working on, and what can we expect in the
coming months?

Several remixes are in the pipeline…Several remixes are in the pipeline for Clean House, and I have two remixes coming out on Tangible Recordings; A good friend of mine named Shubert did the originals. I’m sitting on an EP I made with remixes by Hiro, Alland Byallo and Mr Clean, which is supposed to come out on my own label (A little stage fright there I think). And there are some rumblings of my own Clean House EP in the near future as well. I’m very interested in targeting other labels this year if possible.

Who is your favorite DJ and why?

Dj Jeno of the famed wicked crew, hands down. His musical direction and mixing style are unmatched and he’s been a huge inspiration to me for the past 15 years.

If you were stuck on an deserted island with only one track or song to listen to on your iPod, which would it be and why?

There is a Pop out & Play re-edit of Hall & Oates – I can’t go for that, that I play sometimes, and it is just amazing.

I think it would be hard to go crazy listening to that one over and over; its too damn good!

            Click image to listen

This concludes our third edition of 10 Questions. Want to see who’s up next? Subscribe to our email list or the Clean House Rss feed.

Like Jymmi James? Show your support: