Nick Murphy

Nick Murphy

Photo: Willy Lukatis

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Nick Murphy Talks New Album, Touring Again & Taking Rick Rubin's Advice

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The Aussie crooner formerly known as Chet Faker dropped his first LP in five years today, 'Run Fast Sleep Naked'—we caught up with him for backstory
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Apr 26, 2019 - 6:00 pm

Today, Australian singer/producer Nick Murphy, who the world used to know as Chet Faker, released his long-awaited sophomore album, Run Fast Sleep Naked.

He put out his first EP, Thinking In Textures, in 2012 as Chet Faker, followed by a collab EP with fellow Aussie (and GRAMMY winning electronic artist) Flume in 2013. In 2014 he released his debut studio album, Built On Glass, fully introducing the world to his smooth vocals and equally luscious beats. While it may have been five years since his last LP, he did release a handful of tracks sporadically since then, including "Fear Less" in 2016, the first one released as Murphy.

Often times, an artist's winding journey gets boiled down to a simple sentence or equation even, with the time between albums or tours effectively erased in the social conscious. But every song has a story behind it, an experience that drew out those emotions. We sat down with Murphy last week, ahead of his sophomore album drop and upcoming world tour, to hear the story behind the tracks, and in the spaces between.

So Run Fast Sleep Naked, your five-years-later sophomore album drops soon. How are you feeling about sharing it with the world? Did you feel different pressure with this release?

I'm feeling good about it, I guess. I'm partly nervous about starting touring again because I only have one memory of doing this before and it was pretty intense. So I'm worried of it getting away from me again.

But I feel really good about the record. I wasn't nervous about it. Honestly, the Missing Link EP that I put out [in 2017], purged any nervousness out. It was almost deliberately challenging for everyone, so I could remove any sense of having to fulfill expectations for other people. I think that's what that whole earlier period was about. So it paved this blank canvas for this record, for me to just come in and not think about it, to just do what I want to do. I'm excited, actually. I'm really looking forward to it being out.

Yeah, it's not like you disappeared for five years…

No, I decompressed it. It's like there was a whole lot of tension built up. I got really big really fast and it was kind of just letting some air out of the tires, you know? And then I definitely after that did sort of go quiet for a while, but I felt like that was necessary. You can get sick of yourself, let alone the fans get like, "Oh, okay," you know? So, I took a year off of social media and just chilled out and finished the record.

But, this record has a deeper meaning to me than some of the other stuff I've put out. It's somewhat spiritual and it has some mantras and answers that I was looking for, so it's something that I feel like is worth sharing. It's not just like, "Oh, this is cool," there's a message here.

With this album you were traveling the world with a microphone, right?

Kind of, yeah.

Did you go out being like, "I need to do things differently to make this record," or was it more, "I need to get away and maybe I'll bring a mic just in case"?

It wasn't separate, those two. Honestly, as I've gotten older and done this more it's like the same, it's like neither living nor making the art comes first, they're the same thing

I didn't go and do stuff to finish the record, you know what I mean? I just knew I had to travel because I realized that if I stayed still for too long in a place I would sink into this slump, and I didn't know how to get out of that slump. And every time I've traveled I've noticed I got out and I was moving. I just didn't want to fall back into that slump, so I just kept moving. And the more I did that the more I noticed that it also had a creative echo. So I would move and then songs would fall out.

I would kind of write stories in my head, mini stories, and then I would go and live that story. So I went to Morocco, into the northern Sahara, nine hours out of Marrakesh for three nights and stayed in the desert and that's where I shot the record cover. So I just had that idea and then I'd go and do it and live it, and I just made sure I always had stuff to document what was going on.

So did you always have a notebook and a mic?

Yeah, always. That's what my bag is, just filled with sh*t. A friend of mine once told me that art is just documenting a life worth living and that stuck with me. Like you don't try and make art, you just have to live properly and honestly, and then just make sure you're paying attention and then documenting. Because when you're having a good time it's really easy to be like, "Ah, f*** it."

That's the really hard part about being an artist. You have to be diligent, but you also have to kind of be a child at the same time. You have to feel joy and enjoy things and truthfully connect, but then be an adult and be diligent about capturing and documenting it.

Do you want to tell one or two of the back stories for specific songs on the album? What about the lead single, "Sanity?"

"Sanity." That one was interesting. That's the oldest song on the record. That one I had written for years as a voice memo. About three years ago, maybe, two and a half years.

I was in Japan, in Koyasan, which is a mountain village four hours on a bullet train out of Tokyo. It is where Buddhism was started in Japan; obviously, it came from China, but that's where they started it. I went there a couple years ago and turned the internet off my phone for a week. I'd take walks around the forest, mountains, and that song just popped into my head. One of the fully formed ones. So, that was that one, but that's not actually part of the year where I was traveling. I also did one in my grandma's living room while she was away at like 1:00 a.m. in Melbourne. That was pretty funny.

How did you tie all the stories and songs together cohesively as an album?

I mean that's the hard work. That took a long time. I worked with Dave Harrington from Darkside, he co-produced this record. And Phil Weinrobe, who was an engineer, but also kind of like a third producer. Basically, the three of us formed this trio where, I don't know, it was crazy. It was the most rewarding creative work I've ever done with other people, just trying to piece this sh*t together. It was like a massive jigsaw puzzle and it started to show itself.

Actually, all the songs were finished and there were two songs that got cut at the end, so there's two other finished tracks. Well, I cut them, they didn't want to cut them. It took me six months to come up a track list, then I just left it and sat with it for six months and then came back and was like, "What should be first?" I'm not sure how to tell you how I did it, we just did it. [laughs.]

I think, when we actually finished it, for three weeks straight, I didn't leave the studio building and just slept on the couch and worked there. I went a little crazy.

Did you feel like you just couldn't really rest until it was done?

Yeah, just like going in a cave and I'm not coming out until this is done.

That's such a juxtaposition of emotions from when you were traveling.

Well, that's the writing, and then there's the end. So, yeah, sometimes a part is also knowing when to pressure cook yourself and when to let go, compressions and decompressions. I honestly think that's the hardest part about being a creative, is just knowing when, "Okay, this is too much" or "This isn't enough." I think there are a lot of people who try to pressure cook everything and there are a lot of people who try to do the opposite and they won't even touch an instrument unless they're feeling it. There's a balance.

What are you looking most forward to with this tour? And what are you most nervous about being back on the road again?

I'm looking forward to playing new music, the whole new album, because I've always just added EPs and stuff along the way. People don't pay as much attention to an EP. You know, a lot of the time it's been festivals so it's like an hour set, so it was really kind of the same thing. So I'm pretty psyched to play new music.

I'm also both nervous and excited to try and shape touring into something, because I have this life goal to make touring fun and enjoyable, like it should be.

Everyone has this idea that it's fun. But what they don't understand is it's kind of a form of sleep-deprived torture. It's this weird thing where it's like, "Hey, do you want to do the most amazing thing in front of thousands of people at the most amazing place?" But you'll be on two hours sleep. Like five days in a row."

Adrenaline is all you got going. Adrenaline and caffeine.

Yeah, seriously. My body's been trained now for adrenaline after like six years of it. Sometimes at 8:00 p.m. on a regular night I just have to go to the gym. But yeah, I'm looking forward to it. There's a lot of noise that comes with it all. I'm probably more of an introvert than an extrovert. So, that's always a thing. I want to do this for a job and I really like sharing music, but I don't always get a lot of energy off all the noise and the attention.

Putting music out is always a bit weird because when you put music out, you enter the collective consciousness and you kind of step up in people's heads, even friends. Four months ago I'd wake up with no texts, maybe one text. But now I've got literally, like 29 right now, just from friends. Like "Hey, what's up? We miss you." And I'm like, I'm kind of really busy right now. It's nice that you want to catch up but this, now is not the time. The irony is that you don't have time because you're doing this thing. It's a whole thing. But it's nice. It comes from a place of love.

You stopped using the pseudonym Chet Faker in 2016. Where did that decision come from and is there a significance for you releasing this album under your own name?

Yeah, absolutely. I can't easily explain the decision and that's actually why I had to do it. Because if I could explain the problem then I wouldn't have to change the name. It was kind of a psychological hiccup or something. The only thing I would say to a lot of people when they're like, "What's the big deal? Why did you do it?" I would encourage them to try introducing themselves as a different name and see how long they last before they start to realize that it does affect you in a lot of ways. I never thought that it would go for so long. I had the idea probably since I started because Chet Faker was just a thing.

There was another Nick Murphy. I was 22 and he had like three albums out. I didn't know anything about music. A few people came to my shows thinking they were going to his shows. Like tiny, they weren't even shows. Like a gig or whatever.

Hey, you were playing music and people showed up.

Yeah, exactly. Like "that's kind of good but that's not the guy." Now I don't think I have to worry about that. You know, Rick Rubin asked me if I'd ever consider putting music out under my name. When someone like Rick says that I'm like, huh. It gave me a bit more confidence because I had wanted to do it. It's kind of crazy, like setting the house on fire that you bought with all your winnings.

But it was really freeing. It was a good way for me to prove to myself because when you get a lot of success, but you say you don't do it for success but you have all the winnings so you start to question yourself. I think that was kind of the thing for me. I need to set this on fire a little bit and step back just so I know. I did it and I was like, "cool, now I know, I'm in control and this is about the art."

I still really love the Flume collab EP that you guys put out in 2013. Do you think you would ever work with him again, or are there any artists that you would love to collab with that you haven't worked with?

Good question. With Flume, when we first worked together, everything was kind of new. That electronic stuff that I was doing, as well as he was, no one was doing it.

I'm more into jazz. I listen to Pauline Oliveros and free jazz and [John] Coltrane. That's why I worked with Dave Harrington on this record because he's part of the New York forward psych weird jazz scene. I'd love to work with Rick again in the future because we kind of worked for a little bit on this record but we didn't fully get together. And I've been kind of like loosely flirting, or whatever you want to call it, with Nigel Godrich about working with him. He's done Radiohead and Atoms For Peace and stuff. That's on my bucket list as well.

So I think it's more traditional producers than electronic producers. It's kind of fun. For me, creatively, the whole point of doing music is always doing new things. So for me doing collabs, it would have to be the right time and make sense. If it's just to do the thing again, that's not the point.

What music have you been jamming out to lately?

I've been on a weird disco tip actually, which is cool. Like old school disco jams. A little bit of Bee Gees and The Emotions. This morning I listened to Earth, Wind & Fire, which is fun for me. I've been through a phase like this once before. Usually I'm like, oh, disco is kind of cheesy. But when it's right, it's right. Probably because it's spring.

And then I've been listening to a lot of Pauline Oliveros who's like, my queen. She's a pioneering, experimental artist; Avant-garde. I keep listening to these female artists that I didn't even know they were female artists, like Pauline Oliveros and Laurie Spiegel. I seem to have subconsciously tapped into these amazing female experimental, electronic artists. Laurie Spiegel is one I've been listening to a lot recently too.

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Nick Murphy

Nick Murphy

Photo: Mark Horton/Getty Images

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Nick Murphy Announces World Tour In Support Of Long-Awaited Sophomore Album

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The Australian indie electro-pop artist, formerly known as Chet Faker, will be touring in support of his forthcoming 'Run Fast Sleep Naked'
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Mar 11, 2019 - 3:39 pm

Last week, on March 4, Nick Murphy, formerly known by the stage name Chet Faker, released a new single, "Sanity" and revealed it's the lead single to his long-awaited sophomore album, Run Fast Sleep Naked, due out April 26. On the same day, the electro-pop crooner also announced three concert dates in his native Australia, tweeting, "Coming home to play/More dates soon."

Today, March 11, Murphy wholeheartedly followed up on his promise; Run Fast Sleep Naked Live In Concert 2019 will bring his soulful sound across the globe for a 40-plus date tour in Australia, North America and Europe.

His world tour kicks off the same day his new album drops, April 26, beginning with three shows across Australia for the roving Groovin The Moo Festival. On May 1 he'll stop in his hometown of Melbourne for one of the previously announced concert dates, followed by six more stops in the country, including three more Groovin The Moo performances.

On May 29, Murphy will make his way to Chicago for his first of 17 North American shows. He will make stops in Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, Toronto, Boston and more, closing things out in Brooklyn, N.Y. on July 12.

Run Fast Sleep Naked Live In Concert will pick things up in the fall, with the third leg beginning on Oct. 1 in Lisbon, Portugal. Murphy has announced 17 dates total across Europe and the U.K., which also includes stops in Barcelona, Spain, Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris and London. The tour will wrap up on Oct. 25 in Dublin.

Billboard reports that Murphy spent the last several years traveling around the world recording vocals in the spots that "most inspired him…including his grandmother's living room, a studio in Tokyo, a vacation rental he shared with his family in New Zealand and his own New York City apartment." While the vocals were captured far and wide, the majority of the upcoming album, which will include support from a full orchestra plus over a dozen featured musicians, was recorded back in Brooklyn.

Murphy introduced his crooning vocals and smooth beats to the world as Chet Faker in 2011 with a viral, sultry cover of Blackstreet's GRAMMY-winning song "No Diggity." He followed up with two EPs; Thinking In Textures in 2012 and Lockjaw in 2013, the later a collab with fellow Australian electronic producer, GRAMMY winner Flume.

In 2014 he released his full-length debut, Built on Glass, which arrived on Australia's ARIA Charts at No. 1 and earned him seven ARIA Music Awards that year, including Best Male Artist and Producer Of The Year. The album also made its mark in the U.S., including debuting at No. 6 on Billboard's Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart.

In 2016 he released several singles under his given name, Nick Murphy, followed by the Missing Link EP in 2017. Now, in 2019, after his artist name change and some time away from releasing music for what sounds like quite the solo adventure around the globe, Murphy will finally share his sophomore LP with the world.

Tickets for the Australian tour dates are on sale now; all other shows go on sale this Fri., March 15. Visit the artist's website for more info.

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Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend

Photo: Burak Cingi/Redferns/Getty Images

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Ezra Koenig Elaborates On Vampire Weekend's "Emotional And Personal" 'FOTB'

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"I always wondered if people pictured us banging our heads against the wall for six years. In a way, given that it's a lot of songs, it came about more quickly than usual," the GRAMMY-winning frontman said in a new Stereogum profile
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
May 3, 2019 - 4:12 pm

Today, Vampire Weekend released their highly anticipated fourth studio album, Father of the Bride. It's been six years since the band released their last LP, the GRAMMY-winning Modern Vampires Of The City.

The indie stalwarts have been working up a buzz around FOTB for months, first when they revealed the album's title/eminent release and dropped the first double batch of singles, "Harmony Hall" and "2020" on Jan. 24, and then with a tour announcement, two more double-single releases and, finally, today's 18-track double album drop.

Now, in a deep-diving Stereogum profile, Ezra Koenig offers insight into the jubilant ease and complexity of the new release, how he and the group have grown, and how collaboration has helped the group expand its creativity and shine.

"I always wondered if people pictured us banging our heads against the wall for six years. In a way, given that it's a lot of songs, it came about more quickly than usual," Koenig told Stereogum.

Since Modern Vampire's release in 2013, a lot has happened for the group; Rostam Batmanglij departed, the other two remaining members, bassist Chris Baio and drummer Chris Tomson both released solo albums, and Koenig created an anime series on Netflix. In the interview, Koenig shares how he has, finally, fully embraced his role as the band's frontman.

"I never felt comfortable calling myself the leader because I felt like that was something that I had to earn. But I did start the band, so I had some degree of leadership. In the beginning, I made it clear that I was going to choose the songs. It wasn't important for me to write all of the songs, because I love writing songs with other people, but it was important for me to have that curatorial role."

And with Father Of The Bride, which Koenig first revealed they were working on and nearly 80 percent done with back in September 2017, both the collaboration and storyline are rich. It is the first time the group has brought in featured artists, with HAIM's Danielle Haim dueting on three songs, and The Internet's Steve Lacy making waves on two others.

Both Koenig and GRAMMY-winning producer Ariel Rechtshaid, who returned after co-producing Modern Vampires with the frontman, explain the collabs happened organically. As Rechtshaid put it, "The only people involved on the record were involved because it felt organic. It's an informal revolving door of the homies and the homegirls."

Koenig is evidently the type of artist always striving for growth and expansion, to always be covering new territory and pushing their group's creative boundaries. As a group with songs like the unabashedly nerdy "Oxford Comma," from their 2008 self-titled debut LP, their new material feels lighter and more lyrically accessible, but very much in the traditional Vampire Weekend vein of epic storytelling and upbeat sounds.

"Am I going to be throwing open the dictionary for every song? That doesn't feel exciting," Koenig said. He continued, "A lot of my favorite songs accomplish things I've never accomplished. What am I scared to say? What haven't I done? Part of it is emotional and personal, and part of it is the novelty of new artistic challenges."

He also explained how the duets he shared with Haim, one third of the GRAMMY-nominated sister trio of the same name, played a key role in this new artistic exploration. "A true duet is people in a shared situation with slightly different perspectives," he said. "That felt like the type of thing I hadn’t done before. It was hard. Lyrically, I think this is the most rigorous I've ever been."

Haim, meanwhile, emphasized the authentic nature of the collab. "I've known Ezra for a couple years now and have always been a fan. The first song he showed me was 'Hold You Now' and I loved it immediately. He asked if I would sing it with him and the rest kinda just happened naturally."

The album title, which Koenig shared had been "in the running three or four years ago," also ended up taking on a deeper meaning when Koenig recently became a father himself, with partner Rashida Jones.

"Why would a phrase like that be evocative to me? I think, naturally, you start looking at new themes as you get older. Father Of The Bride is meant to make you think of a wedding, a life cycle event, a moment of transition. I didn't know that I would be a father by the time this album came out… But it's not a crazy coincidence that a major life cycle event would happen to me in the years after I started thinking about what adulthood really was."

Father of the Bride is available wherever you get your music (digitally or at your local record store). You can also catch Vampire Weekend on tour, starting with Hangout Fest in Alabama this month.

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Justin Jay

Justin Jay

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Justin Jay On The Joy Of DJing, Expanding His Horizons, And How Fans Think He's Still A College Freshman

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"I think DJing is beautiful because you can just wing it and be in the moment; be present, go with the vibe," the Los Angeles native DJ/producer told the Recording Academy in an exclusive interview
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Apr 23, 2019 - 11:11 am

Los Angeles native DJ/producer/singer Justin Jay is all about expanding dancefloor horizons. Specializing in joyful, melodic house music, often with live instruments, he first appeared on Claude VonStroke's hugely popular Dirtybird label in 2011, when he was just a freshman at USC, and has since started his own label, Fantastic Voyage.

Nowadays he's been busy touring across the U.S. since January and will drop his latest album, Everything Will Come Together Pt. 1, on May 17. With his most recent show at Coachella's Do LaB stage during Weekend 2, we caught up with the West Coast DJ on the ground in Indio to talk about what the fest means to him as a Californian and an artist, coming of age in the L.A. dance scene and more. 

You'll be playing the Do LaB stage here [on April 20]. What are you most looking forward to about playing at Coachella, at Do LaB?

Being from L.A., Coachella is something that you grow up with. I also went to college in L.A., at USC so, independent of playing, Coachella is a festival that I love attending.

I've been for my fair share of years, and the curation of the lineup is just always amazing. You can see so many amazing acts that you would never see in one place, and that's the best part. That in combination with all the homies, because I still have a lot of friends who live in L.A. and a lot of friends who come back for Coachella. Friends and music, that's all you need, right?

What has been your favorite part of this weekend so far? Anyone you're super excited to scope out?

My two must-see acts are actually both playing right now, Mac DeMarco and DJ Seinfeld. I really love both of them. I got to see Mac on Wednesday at the Echo [in L.A.], it was one of the best shows I've ever seen. It sold out immediately. I set an alarm when the tickets went on sale, sniped 'em.

DJ Seinfeld is also awesome. He did a show a couple weeks ago that I was at, and we got late night dinner afterwards and became friends, I really like him and I like his music. Those two are up there for sure.

But a lot of my favorite moments are just…[the discovery]. A lot of my friends have very strong music tastes and a lot of conviction behind the artists they want to see. I'm kind of an easygoing homie who gets dragged along to stuff I've never heard of and am just, "Oh, my god! This is amazing."

Can you speak to what Do LaB means to you as an artist and how it plays into Coachella as a larger curated event?

I haven't been to the Do LaB yet this year, but throughout my times here at Coachella, even as the stage has evolved, the Do LaB has always been one of my favorite parts of Coachella. And my senior year of college, I played the Do LaB and, dude, I had friends on stage with water guns and, a chunk of high school friends here and chunk of college friends here, and it just felt like I was surrounded by homies. I'm just excited to be back in that environment, and the artists they curate; it's just a great experience.

It's just a great, great time, you know? Water guns, bubbles…

It's like you're playing a party for your best friends, but also a ton of other people are there and vibing out with you.

Yeah. And you're like, "Ah, we can be friends too." That's cool. [Laughs.]

Are all your friends going to come out for your show next weekend?

You know, we're a little bit older, so it's probably not going be as filled with friends. [Pauses.] It's funny. I have a lot more appreciation for the friends who still come out to festivals and stuff. Not even if it's for my music, just in general. I'm like, "Dude, you still can put up with the heat and the schlepping and all that stuff for the music?" And that makes me really happy.

What's also cool is, I feel like having been touring and putting out music for a while, I feel like I've become friends with a lot of people who I met through the music itself, you know? As opposed to school, or whatever. So I really love that too. In that way, maybe I'll have more friends because of all the people that I've met who, you know, say, "Dude, I saw you in this place and we're coming to Coachella." 

Speaking of friends, what does being a part of the Dirtybird label mean to you? What was the shift like for you, going from college-dorm producing to being part of that family?

So, it was crazy. Eight years ago, my first week of college, I'd just moved into my dorm—we're talking like day three—I got an email back from Claude VonStroke on a demo I'd sent over on SoundCloud. It was the most surreal moment of my life, I did a lap around my dorm.

How fast did he respond after you sent it?

Maybe a couple months? I had sent demos and demos and demos, it just takes time. He's touring, you know, but he does listen to everything. I never imagined that I'd hear back on anything and he hit me up. I ended up putting that song out maybe a month or two later, and slowly but surely began doing shows with the Dirtybird guys.

So it was released on Dirtybird?

Yeah, back in 2011. Good year. So that was my freshman year and no one liked house music around me. Everyone was just getting into EDM, which was awesome, because honestly, it was a pivotal year. I grew up DJing high school parties before then, and I would have to trick people to dance to anything that didn't have rapping or singing.

People want vocals, or they think they want vocals, right?

That's what was significant about EDM is that, when it got into the college culture, it felt like there was this new openness to stuff that wasn't pop or wasn't rap. A lot of EDM songs that people liked didn't have any singing, you know? Like [Avicii's 2011 hit] "Levels." You know, it has, [singing] "ohh, sometimes," but the part that everyone dances to doesn't have singing, doesn't have lyrics.

That was a defining shift, at least being in L.A., because prior to that, people we're like, "This is boring." Like, "This doesn't have words," you know? That was a big thing, at least for me, when I was in high school and I had to trick people into dancing to dance music. But regardless, by the time I was in college, I was really into house music and techno and Dirtybird, stuff that was emblematic of underground dance music at the time.

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Were you tapped into those communities in L.A. then?

I was starting to go to warehouse parties. I was seeing Ian Pooley and Jimpster, and guys from Europe who are into deep house and techno guys, too. I saw Marcel Dettmann and Ben Klock when I was underage, and it was super fun. But what was so dope and what's so interesting is between then and now, even by the time I was a senior in college, people were starting to get into house music.

And now, Fisher, I feel like, has the same sort of cultural weight among college kids that Skrillex and Avicii had when I was in college. It's just a cool time to be into music, you know?

Are you close with Claude [VonStroke] now? What's your relationship like with Dirtybird?

You know, I was so awkward for so many years being like, "I am such a huge fan." I could not even say a word. I feel like he's been really supportive, especially of the stuff I've been doing that's not Dirtybird. For instance, I started a label a couple years ago called Fantastic Voyage. The main concept with it was I had a bunch of friends that we were making music together, and I wanted a sort of Dirtybird community, where it was a bunch of DJ artist guys, except for us, we could all play as a band together.

Last year at the Dirtybird Campout, Claude let me have about four hours for a takeover where I got to curate the lineup. And I began with my DJ set, and then other people's live shows, and then it all culminated with a big band show at the end. And I really appreciate that because dude, there's guitars, there's live drums, there's lots of singing. And that's not indicative of a lot of the music people expect when they come to the Dirtybird Campout. The crowd was super receptive, with people singing along and stuff. I'm just so grateful that I could take those kind of risks and do that with the support of someone like Claude, you know?

There was a very deep moment of affirmation where, at the Campout last year, there was a press Q&A thing and Claude was introducing a bunch of artists who are on the label. And he was giving out, off the cuff, these superlatives. He was like, "Ah, this is Justin Martin; he's the happiest dude. And these are Walker and Royce; they're making the craziest music." He was just saying nice things and then, when he got to me, he was like, "This is Justin; he's the most creative." I was like, "What?!" [Laughs.] I was like, "Dude, get out of here, man!"

Are you still the youngest on the label?

People always think that, but nope. Dude, people are still like, "Oh, are you still 18?" No, I'm definitely not the youngest, but yeah, I feel like there's this ongoing thing with musicians where it's like, I don't know. For me, when I was in college, I actually took a lot of my career stuff very seriously because being into house music 10 years ago, everyone in L.A. who liked house music was late 20s, early 30s, and I was 19.

I'm 26 now, and it's weird because I'd be on YouTube hearing interviews with my favorite DJs, and they would say, "You gotta pay your dues, you gotta know your records." All of my favorite DJs were late 30s, early 40s, double my age. And so, I was very uptight, no drinking, just very professional. And then ironically, after I graduated, I started loosening up a bit more, just feeling like, "Oh, I guess I don't have to be so serious."

I still don't really party, but I don't think that's what's important. I think it's just being able to have fun with it. The reason why I brought all of this up is because I feel like this is kind of a "Benjamin Button" situation, where it's like, the older you get, the more in touch you get with [your inner] little kid. I see that in Claude sometimes where I'm like, "That dude's like an eight-year-old in a dad bod," but in a great way. I mean that as a compliment.

What do you think makes a good DJ set? 

You know, it's funny. I think, in terms of a set, [pauses] the real magic is kind of this elusive lightning in a bottle sort of thing. Pun, because of Do LaB. But for real, I think DJing is beautiful because you can just wing it and be in the moment; be present, go with the vibe.

"I feel like that's one of my favorite principles of DJing, that sort of tricking people to like stuff."

It's like no one's expecting that you have to play that one thing, right?

Yeah, not for me, thankfully. Other people, I don't know. That doesn't sound too fun. You just get to be present and hopefully trick people to like some stuff they haven't heard before, whether it's old music or new music that hasn't been released, or stuff that's outside of people's tastes. I feel like that's one of my favorite principles of DJing, that sort of tricking people to like stuff. And I feel like that's kind of me with the band, right? It's people thinking, "Oh, house music," and then there's drums and guitars and singer-songwriter moments and stuff.

Kind of surprising people, right?

But not just surprising people. You know when you're having a good time on the dance floor and you stop thinking, you're just having fun? That's the moment where the DJ might put on some song that you, if you heard the same exact song eight hours earlier as you were waking up, you would be like, "This is weird; I don't like this." But when you get caught up in the fun of the party and you're with your friends, it's just a good time. Those are the moments where you can get tricked into being exposed to something new that you end up falling in love with.

So, for you as an artist, it's important to you open people's minds a little bit each time?

It's like pushing people a little outside of their comfort zones but still having a great time. That's the balance, right?

Jan Blomqvist Talks Playing Coachella, Berlin Techno & Covering The Rolling Stones

Jan Blomqvist

Jan Blomqvist

Photo: Christian Dammann

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Jan Blomqvist Talks Playing Coachella, Berlin Techno & Covering The Rolling Stones

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The German electronic artist, who made his debut in the festival's Yuma tent this Sunday, gets deep into Berlin's club scene, his desire to bring joy to the dance floor, the story behind his latest album, 'Disconnected,' and more
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Apr 17, 2019 - 4:13 pm

German singer/producer Jan Blomqvist makes ethereal house music with the intention not only to get people dancing, but also feeling and perhaps thinking. His latest album, 2018's Disconnected, which is inspired by his time spent at Burning Man, is based around the idea that in order to stay focused and healthy sometimes we need to remove all distractions.

Since November, he has been touring across Europe and the U.S. in support of the album, along with his live band on most dates. After he wraps up his second weekend playing Coachella, the band will join him for three dates in Mexico, after which they'll offer support to RÜFÜS DU SOL on several of their U.S. tour dates.

We caught up with Blomqvist from on the ground at Coachella 2019, not long after he played his one-man-show Sunday afternoon in the Yuma tent, the fest's well-loved house and techno stage.

You performed here at Coachella in the Yuma earlier today. How was it? How are you feeling?

Honestly, it was pretty difficult today because my moog was totally out of tune. If you know what a moog does, that's what they do. They just get out of tune and f*** you at the worst moment, and I tried to figure out and then I was so focused on retuning the synthesizer that I made so many mistakes on the right hand with the other instrument. It was really exhausting for me, but I think my friends here liked it, and the people in the audience which came later, were happy, so I'm happy as well, but a bit disappointed because I could have played better.

Did you realize it was out of tune when you started playing?

It was not out of tune in the beginning. This is the mystery about the moog. Nobody knows why they do it. You can use all other synthesizers, doesn't have this feature. I think they make it to sound more vintage, like in the '70s. And so that was my problem today, and I think I made it okay, but I'm looking very forward to next Sunday, to make it a 100% performance.

That's true, you have round two. Was it your first time performing at Coachella?

I've played at Do LaB before, but some people told me it doesn't count.

It definitely counts. When did you play at Do LaB?

I think so too. At night, two years ago. It was packed, like 600 people or something. It was cool.

So this was your first year on the main Coachella lineup. Well you have next weekend too, and at least no one knew that it was out of tune.

I hope so. I heard it immediately, and so, yeah, that's what I got stressed, and it's never good to be stressed on stage. That was my disappointing point of the day, but in the end it was still a good show, though, and it was a good energy. And as long as it's not totally failing, it always brings you further.

Have you been able to check out any other music at the fest? Is there anyone you're looking forward to seeing tonight?

Yesterday I wanted to see Billie Eilish and Bob Moses, but I worked way too late.

You get smarter when you getting older, so next time I have one week free before Coachella, also before Burning Man and then I'll have time to check out stuff. This time I played three shows and was in four cities. Yeah, it was stupid. I was traveling five days a row. It doesn't make sense. If you do Coachella or any big festival then you should focus on that and the other gigs can wait, honestly.

And DJs are humans, too. They need to have fun, right?

Yeah, but officially not.

Who are your biggest musical influences? What kind of music did you grow up listening to and what are you listening to these days?

I grew up with vinyls, with Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones and Mick Jagger. I think that's normal in our generation. Our parents had vinyls and we just played them. I'm still a huge Bob Dylan fan. I don't like Rolling Stones as much anymore, but I like Mick Jagger's solo project. It's still pretty amazing. He's old and has so much energy. He's kind of an idol. If I'm 75, I want be like this. And later on, of course, I got into normal things like Blur, Radiohead, Nirvana, Björk. I went through all this rock, hip-hop things, and then I moved to Berlin, and suddenly I was totally a techno addict.

What year did you move to Berlin? Was it at the beginning of the techno scene there?

In 2002. Everything was there. It was just a bit more underground than now. All the clubs are really set up in Berlin right now are exactly the same age, 17 years.

Which club is your favorite? I know, it's a hotly debated topic.

It depends on the day, really. On Sundays in Berlin it's the best; Sunday evening in Berghain is amazing. Monday in Sisyphos, Sunday at Kater Blau, Wednesday at Watergate, and it also depends on who's playing.

Berghain can be really amazing but can also be a sh*t show, and I don't want to talk bad about any DJs, but sometimes, in my opinion, it's really good and sometimes it's really bad, but the club's unbelievable. I have never seen any comparable club in the world. It's like made of a Tarantino movie. You come there and you feel like you'll get bitten by a vampire. I've been there, I don't know, 100 times, and still when I'm coming there I'm still like, "What the f*** did you build here?"

Do you feel like it's the same as when you first moved there? What about the techno and house scene has shifted in Berlin as it's become more of a destination?

It's definitely shifted. In the beginning, it was minimal only. It was super hard for me to get gigs, and the clubs even told me like, "Yeah, your music is nice, but nobody wants to hear this piano sh*t."

It was more like trance kind of like minimal?

No, it's just minimal. I mean, Richie Hawtin did it in a really good way, and there were many people that tried to copy him and failed totally, that makes it really boring.

Berlin is changing all the time. That's what I love in that city. Since 2010 the music is super open and you can play everything, and I like that. It was really hard for me, the years between 2002 and 2006 or 2007. It was like every club played exactly the same music for like five years, and I was like, "What the f*** did you do to your DJs?" DJs should be free, right?

Why do you think it was kind of like restricted like that, and what do you think made it change to more open again?

I have no idea. I ask myself this question still.

So were you just trying to do your own thing? Did it make you want make even more different music?

I tried to break this because I think musicians should be free and you should give them a chance and a stage and just to make them play and I try to convince other musicians to not do just only one kind of music. I mean, the city is big. I cannot imagine that for four million people, everybody wants to listen to the same music. It's bullsh*t.

So, I tried to work harder and to get the gigs, and then finally it worked. Nicolas Jaar came and he was, I think, 17, and then everybody was like, "Whoa, he's 17 and he plays such good music." And then suddenly everybody was like, "Oh, we want piano in the club. Oh, what about vocals?" And then suddenly everything worked, and now Berlin is pretty open-minded when it comes to music, it's generally an open-minded city, I think.

That is interesting how sometimes it's one group or one artist that does something kinda new, that other people have also been doing, but for whatever reason, they catch on.

I mean, [that] was the same with Kurt Cobain, right? Suddenly, he came and then it was suddenly called grunge and there was a completely new genre. It's always like this. Somebody has to open the door and then it works, but the music is there before, of course, it just needs some one character who opens it.

What is the message or vibe you generally try to share when you play your music live, in both your tapered down club setup or in the band-backed live setting?

I mean, in the end it's just all my tracks and the band's just performing my tracks, so it's kind of the same music. But with a band, we play with breaks in between and not so much focused on the transitions and playing slower tracks, like 100 BPM sometimes 110, way more vocals. When you have a real drum set on stage, with real cymbals, it creates a completely different vibe. And with the band we have six synthesizers on stage, I think, and when I play solo I just have one.

So if the one gets out of tune…

Yeah. [Laughs.] Actually, it never got out of tune doing the whole recent tour with the band. Maybe that's why my tuner wasn't working.

"Every human has the same desire of just dancing, laughing and having good music, and that's the point, you have to make them happy. That's your mission as a musician. It's a responsibility."

What's your main purpose when you perform?

I want to make people cry but then laugh at the same time, to give them an edgy feeling that makes them really melancholic but then give them a super positive bass and kick drum. Like a good movie with a happy ending.

And, of course, dancing is important and just being happy. I mean, that's what you need all over the world, doesn't matter where you are. Why are clubs existing? Why is electronic music so big? It's because every human has the same desire of just dancing, laughing and having good music, and that's the point, you have to make them happy. That's your mission as a musician. It's a responsibility. You cannot go onstage and tell them, "F*** you. I don't care." You really have the mission to make them happy, and that's the job.

Can you talk about the inspiration behind your last album, Disconnected? It feels like the songs all have a story behind those ethereal beats, and I'm especially curious about "Synth For The Devil," which takes from the Rolling Stones song.

I mean, this song just came to me. I was here, actually, around the corner, like 50 kilometers from here in the [RANCHO V in Pioneertown, Calif.] studio, recording two tracks for our Disconnected album. Then suddenly J [Bowman] was there and Felix [Lehmann, co-producer] and I and my studio company, all just working just for fun on the Rolling Stones thing, just as a break, to have some fun. And then Jay came in like, "Wow, this is the track. I'm the best solo player for this track in the world." I was like, "Okay. Can you play it?" And he played really the best [guitar] solo ever, not totally tight, but nice. And yeah ... And then the idea come up and, "Okay, let's record it." And then we send it to the label for Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and they said "Yes."

Did they say they liked it?

Yeah, they liked it. And they answered in one day. We were like, "Okay. What the f***." Okay, then we do it. It's tough. I'm still not 100% convinced if this was a good idea or not because to cover tracks from these big characters is sometimes not a good idea, but when I play it live, it's fun. I think that's the most important thing.

And the Disconnected album. For me, it's important to have a concept album because then you have things you can talk about and that whole thing is more focused, and it's like you have a red line to follow. It's even easier to write lyrics, to write the music.

I was at Burning Man and asked myself, like, "Why are the people coming to this desert to make this huge festival just in an environment which is not easy. There's no water, no electricity, there's nothing. It's gets super hot in the day, super cold in the night. Why there?" And the only answer must be that people need to disconnect from their real life somehow, and the question is "Why is it so important to flee from your life?"

This whole album is about "why do we need to disconnect so much?" I think our generation suffers a lot from this virtual life that we're living in 50% already, and many people cannot even distinguish which is real, which is not, especially in Coachella. You can see so many people who think Instagram is more important than your real friends, and we have to question what our generation has to ask themselves like, "Where do we want to live in the next years and can we make it? How can we make it," and reflect yourself, "What can I do? Am I still real? Am I fake?"

And I don't want to give answers, I just want to give questions or lyrics to make people think, to reflect themselves. The album should be a mirror for the audience.

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