Producer Spotlight: Jaytech, Part 2

Producer Spotlight: Jaytech, Part 2

3 July, 2008 | 10.00AM

• Written by: francispreve
• Filed under: Music News: guide to synthesis, jaytech, synthesis

Yesterday, we kicked off our two-part Jaytech interview with a round of questions regarding his influences and studio rig.

In the second installment, we dig a lot deeper into his methods for nailing the perfect groove.

From there, we get James to give up the goods on his sleek and streamlined mixes.

Your tracks are often wonderfully syncopated, with a surprising amount of funkiness for the genre. What’s your secret for nailing those grooves?

You’ve hit the nail on the head in your question, really. 

Syncopation – rhythms upon rhythms upon rhythms! 

It’s a very easy thing to overdo – it’s best to have a few percussion lines that are quite simple but work well together. 

Is it a quantization and/or swing thing? Or are you subtly shifting tracks forward and backward using track delay?

It depends what kind of sound you’re going for. 

Making a certain track within a project hit a few milliseconds late (or a few milliseconds early) definitely changes up the groove a little bit.

A late-hitting element makes everything sound a bit more human, a bit less rigid.

A lot of laid back melodic house tracks use a few different claps that all hit a few milliseconds apart, making a “split clap” kind of sound that can be really effective when used right. 

It comes down to the sounds you are using to make your groove to determine what should hit and where. 

Swinging your track makes for a whole different feel altogether – it all depends on the mood you’re trying to create. 

Am I getting too nerdy here? [laughs]

Not at all! Now, let’s really dig into your production techniques. Let’s start with the punch. You’re using software only, so how are you getting the drums and synths to hit with real impact? Compression? Something else?

Two main factors here – the first is to use good quality samples in the first place.  The less you have to “clean up” a sample to use in a project, the less work you’re going to have to do to make it sit right. 

The second factor is levels. 

If, for example, your snare/clap is too loud in the mix it can suck energy out of your rhythm. 

Ultimately, everything in a dance track follows the kick drum, and most of the parts in a project should be a slave to the kick. 

For the most part, sidechain compression is just that, telling a particular element to basically move out of the way of the kick drum whenever it hits, giving it more space. 

Almost every one of your tracks has a dreamy, cloudlike texture floating in the back, so as not to clutter your mixes. What’s the approach there?

Most of the time it’s a light pad or an airy whoosh kind of noise that I use – the usual trick is to take out all the bass frequencies as well as any low mids (around 300Hz, to be precise) and apply some light chorus, which helps the sound sit back in the mix a bit.

Also once again, it comes down to levels – having this sort of thing too loud will drown out the rest of the track.

And what about the upfront bits, you show remarkable restraint and taste with the rhythmic and melodic parts so as not to muddy the overall result. Any tips for our readers?

Yeah, practice! 

It took me 2 years of producing before I was writing anything that sounded remotely decent in a club. 

If a tune is too complex or too busy-sounding it’s going to go straight over people’s heads on a dancefloor, so you’ve gotta find ways of keeping it fresh while also being decent to dance to. 

Usually it’s best to have a main line, a recognizable hook. 

Once you’ve got that you can do other, more complex parts to supplement it. 

Not all of my tunes have big recognizable hooks, but it’s generally the ones that do that are received the best. 

Well, now that that’s settled, let’s talk about your live gigs. You still use CDs as opposed to Live, so what’s the aesthetic and approach?

I’ve yet to find any system of DJing which is as solid and as well-designed as a good set of decks. 

I’ve DJed with everything – done the Ableton thing too, which is definitely very cool in its own respect, if used properly.

I think Native Instruments are onto a great thing with Traktor, whether you’re using control vinyl or not.

Definitely safe to say though, I would much rather be playing on stage with CDJ1000s than anything else. 

It’s very likely that the industry will soon move away from CDJs in favour of a more digital, versatile approach. 

And touring, you’ve been doing a lot of gigs globally. Care to discuss?

I’ve had an incredible year so far – and had some amazing experiences lately for sure. 

Since I’ve moved to London in March I’ve played all around the UK and Ireland, as well as trips to China and Morocco. 

At the moment I’m on the road in the US with Above & Beyond for their Anjunabeats west coast bus tour. 

This month has been the most intensive yet as far as touring goes, up to 5 gigs a week!

The party in San Francisco at Ruby Skye was probably the highlight of the trip so far and not one I’ll soon forget. 

After another week of touring here it’s back to London for a party at Ministry of Sound, then off to India. 

Needless to say, I’m a very lucky boy!

With a schedule like that, you still manage to whip up a podcast on top of it. How do you go about organizing and recording that?

I carry everything I need for radio mixes and presentations on the road with me, as I need to do at least one mix a month, it’s necessary to do so. 

This basically consists of my Akai MIDI controller, a simple audio interface, my computer and a condenser mic for doing voiceovers for radio shows. 

I’m a mobile DJ in every sense of the word!

Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

Yeah… Don’t pay too much attention to the negative attitudes you read on the Internet. 

At the end of the day, the “scene” that you see in the internet community bears little resemblance to the real world. 

Trust me, the real thing is kicking along just fine, so go out and enjoy it!  And if you write any cool tunes, feel free to send them my way!

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• Check out Jaytech on Beatport