JACQUES GREENE
Written for ACCLAIM, published in 2014
Photography: Courtesy of Jacques Greene
Words: MJB
Unlike many of his comrades, Jacques Greene isn’t in a monogamous relationship with a laptop. He has appropriated analogue techniques for a digital climate, going against the modern mantra of “less is more” and messing with a setup that extends far beyond a few illuminated pads and MIDI controllers. The Canadian producer has also been amplifying the experience with a live visual component, which is to be expected of a guy fascinated by all aspects of creative culture. In short: Jacques Greene does it all. And right now, he’s getting it done in Australia.
I hear you’re hyped on R&B. What is your favourite throwback jam?
‘Final Warning’ by Ginuwine, featuring Aaliyah, is never a bad look.
Who is leading the way in R&B on a contemporary scale? Who are you fucking with at the moment?
R&B is in a weird place right now because it seems to just go along with a lot of neighbouring genres and we aren’t hearing much that has anything in common with the D’Angelos and Jodeci's of the past. That said, these days I think Tinashe did a great job with her latest mixtape bringing that kind of feel back. I’d be really happy to hear more slow bedroom tracks this year.
Tell us more about your label, VASE. How did that come together?
My good friend and manager Joseph Coghill and I have extremely similar tastes in music and have been constantly trading new music we find for years now. I guess at some point we decided to start VASE together as an extension of that and our desire to share things that we’d like to see more of.
But it’s more than just music, right? I’m told that VASE is on some Pinky and the Brain tip: worldwide domination in the creative realm. Can you elaborate?
Yeah – obviously all things must happen in their own time so it has been a little more music-focused so far, but we have done an audiovisual event at the Tate Modern, a magazine editorial that featured commissioned vases that were photographed, and a few other things like that. I’d love to explore how far we could take it. I think as we end 2013 and move into 2014 it will be time to let go of the weird confines we place on things. What is a record label? Music, photography and other avenues of culture are losing their material place, so why not treat them all equal? We’re just interested in all things creative and interesting.
How do you source talent for the label?
A few have come from friends putting us in touch with people they knew making music that they thought we’d enjoy. Others have been found after long hours digging deep into the internet. However, none have been found through sent promos as of yet.
There are so many producers on the come up at the moment. What do you feel it takes to stand out in the mix?
To fully and unapologetically find and stick to your own lane. I know a lot of these people out here are downloading sample packs and jumping on a sound and getting hot for a second but I think the only way to step in and assert yourself is to kind of give it some thought. Who are you? What are you trying to say?
How do you feel social media has impacted the music industry?
I wouldn’t be where I am without it so I am eternally grateful for it. I met the LuckyMe people through MySpace – way back – and have been able to share things with fans via SoundCloud and Twitter or whatever. It has changed the way talent is groomed and discovered. It’s hard to say whether at large it is a good or a bad thing, but it’s here to stay and it is ever-changing and evolving. I think the biggest changes are yet to come. Let’s see what happens as artists start crowd-sourcing samples, designs, etcetera.
Do you think artists need to indulge in shameless self-promotion to get noticed or is there still room for organic growth?
Haven’t seen an artist get signed off a “Please Check Out My Page!!” comment on a soundcloud waveform yet, so no – there’s no need for that.
You mostly use analogue equipment when recording your tracks. Do you foresee yourself trading off your hardware for a fully digital setup anytime soon?
I constantly try to. [Laughs.] As much as I love my equipment, I travel a lot and I wish I was much better at using software synthesisers and so on. I’m working on it. I think there will always be a hardware element to my studio simply because I am so comfortable within that workflow at this point, but, for me, the analogue versus digital conversation isn’t very interesting.
What about on tour? How do you translate the recording process into a live scenario, given you don’t have access to all of your equipment?
Well when I DJ that’s one thing but, yes, when I perform live, I actually bring a significant portion of my equipment out. What is too big to travel with – like my Juno 60 – I will either replace with a similar but smaller piece of equipment – in that case, the Dave Smith Tetra – or just record parts and loops and play them out of one of my samplers, the MPC and the Elektron Octatrack
It’s easy to get stuck in the trap of just being a ‘bedroom producer’. How important do you feel it is for artists to play live shows and to head on tour?
I wouldn’t see being a bedroom producer as a trap – look no further than Burial and Boards of Canada. I admire that they don’t feel compelled to get locked into heavy tour schedules, which sometimes feel more like a trap than the studio. That said, I came up through organising shows and club culture plays a large part in my music so going to that environment to play it and being there is an integral part of me, my project, and how I work on music.
What makes a live show memorable? What would you like to see more producers doing in their live sets?
Less looking like they are catching up on their emails. It’s fine to have a laptop on stage but there are ways to interact with it using MIDI Controllers, or anything, to make it feel like you’re not just staring at a glowing apple and a person with glazed-over eyes.
What about yourself? What would you like to change up in your live show?
I’d really like to work on visuals – nothing too garish, but memorable performances from any genre have solid, well-thought-out visual components. Not realising that it plays a huge part in how your music is perceived would be a huge mistake.
You’ve received a lot of love on the international landscape. Does Montreal give you the same kind of attention?
Yes, it feels like especially this year there’s been a great response at home. I just played there for the first time in a while just over a month ago in a sold-out venue and it felt great. I hope that keeps building. I’m really proud of my generation of people coming out of the city and doing things everywhere in different areas. There is such a wealth of creativity in that city and I feel really honoured to be a part of that.
What about your Australian audience? On a scale of ‘interested’ to ‘dating’, how much are you feeling the love?
I’d say very interested. I haven’t been over since Spring of 2012, when I did a short club run with Machinedrum. That was so much fun. If these shows are half as much fun as the last time, I might consider giving you my number.
