Seattle, WA, provides the stomping grounds for this producer and his syncopated sounds. j a m i e b l a k e (now jamie blake) fails to disappoint our curious theme, conveying a most appetizing sound in the form of Pacific. Be sure to show him some love and grab a link to his track at the end of the interview.
Phuture: Firstly, besides this interview, what are you doing at this very moment?
j a m i e b l a k e: Listening to Explore on Soundcloud, drinking some coffee
Phuture: What song has been following you around lately?
j a m i e b l a k e: Feki – Fly Away With Me
Phuture: You are given the object of your desire (money, fame, glory, happiness). The catch is that once you accept it, you can never get rid of it and you will never again desire anything else. So basically, you will be content for the rest of your life, having obtained the one (and now only) thing you wanted. Do you accept the offer and live in contentment with your greatest desire or do you reject it and continue to strive in uncertainty but with other possibility?
j a m i e b l a k e: Honestly, I feel like my growth as an artist (and as a person) would come to a halt if I obtained the object of my desire. Because I don’t have everything I want, I have to keep working as hard as I can. This forces me to keep learning and stay hungry. Getting comfortable as an artist might as well mean I’ve stopped being an artist 🙂
Phuture: Tell me a secret.
j a m i e b l a k e: Sometimes, after reading “production advice” in Facebook groups, forums, etc, I go make a beat doing the exact opposite of whatever I just read. People box themselves in too much
Phuture: What projects do you have coming up in the near future?
j a m i e b l a k e: Currently working on some originals and remixes with Chicago vocalist/producer, L.A. VanGogh. Recently finished a compilation track for Olympia/Seattle collective, Fish Tank Friends – that one is set to drop early October. I’m also releasing a project at the end of September that I’m really excited about. It takes listeners through different eras of music under a future umbrella via Reggae/Jazz/Soul/R&B/Hip Hop, and features acapellas from the 70s to now
Phuture: You suffered from temporary amnesia and have no recollection of anything that occurred over the last 5 years. The essence of you and your abilities is still in tact but your memory of the last 5 years is completely blank. What are the key events that someone would need to remind you of in order for you to understand how you’ve evolved in the last 5 years?
j a m i e b l a k e: Getting a degree in audio engineering/music technology from the Evergreen State College. Marrying my best friend, Lena 🙂 Moving to Seattle and working at CreativeLive. My little brother going to the Peace Corps in Indonesia. I got heavily into sound design and started merging electronic music with the hip hop beats I used to make. I started releasing music on SoundCloud and met a ton of dope artists who inspired me to modernize my sound 🙂
Phuture: What’s the best thing since sliced bread?
j a m i e b l a k e: Max For Live LFO tool. And coffee
A link as promised: j a m i e b l a k e – Pacific
Check out j a m i e b l a k e here:
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