Last week on the site, we introduced you to a fabulous new single called ‘Mesmerised’ by an up and coming Sydney producer named Jordan F. Roping in the vocal talents of Canadian songstress Dana Jean Phoenix, he created a song that was “incredibly likeable, incredibly commercial in its appeal”.
We decided to pop our pressing questions through to Jordan in the latest in our ‘Get To Know’ series.
1. Name Jordan F.
2. Where are you based? Sydney.
3. How did you get your start in music? My interest in music started in late 2008. I remember purchasing Cut Copy’s second record ‘In Ghost Colours’ and loved every second of it. From there I ended up listening to the likes of Midnight Juggernauts, The Presets, Grafton Primary, Miami Horror etc. I think those formative years listening to those synth pop-heavy acts really informed my interest in electronic music. When I finished school in 2009 I started DJing… playing opening sets at Candy’s Apartment, Soho, The Terrace etc. Playing warm up sets strengthened my affection and appreciation for restrained Nu-Disco and Synth Pop music.
4. Tell us a little bit about your sound and how it developed. I found my calling for the ’80s when I listened to a fantastic mixtape made by my friends from Italy who ran a blog called ‘Disco Champagne’. They defined their sound as ‘Miami Vice’ and ‘Blade Runner’ put into a blender. It featured artists like Miami Night 1984, ’80s Stallone and Lifelike on it. I was blown away by the emotion that style of music evoked… warm bouncing baselines, shredding synth solos and retro drum machines gave the music a sense of authenticity that I felt was lacking in modern productions.
In 2010 started writing demos and sent them to Miami Nights 1984 himself… he was one of the first pioneers of the scene. He liked the tracks and I became a member of the Rosso Corsa Collective, a collective of artists that write synthwave, chillwave, outrun electro in dedication to the 1980s… it was a pivotal moment in defining my sound and aesthetic. Despite my affection for the ’80s, my goal isn’t to write authentic ’80s music. It’s to write ’80s-inspired electronic music with a modern fidelity.
5. Who have been your musical influences? It is definitely a combination of things. I find myself listening to ’80s artists like Tangerine Dream and Jan Hammer for that authentic nostalgic source of inspiration and then I’ll listen to contemporary acts like St.Lucia, Mitch Murder, College, Lifelike, Touch Sensitive and many others to achieve a balance in my sound and production. I have also been listening to a lot of ambient electronic music like Tycho, Christopher Wilitis and Teen Daze.
6. What are your favourite songs of all time? Ah that’s a hard question… I don’t think I have any particular favourites because it just depends on my mood. But at the moment I’m loving anything by Tycho and the new track ‘Outpost Alpha’ by Mitch Murder has also been on repeat.
7. Give us a little fun fact about yourself that people might not know. I like wearing turtle necks to work.
8. What’s the best advice you’ve been given in your career? ‘No one is going to push you more than yourself’. That advice was given to me very early on in my career and has continued to motivate me… especially when the chips are down.
9. Tell us about your latest release. Unlike my last record ‘Slipstream’, which was very concept-based with elements of Sci-Fi and a neon drenched dystopia, ‘Timelines’ is definitely a more personal record. It’s innocent, heartfelt, uplifting and more optimistic. It pays homage to some of my favourite ’80s films and TV shows including ‘Top Gun’, ‘Risky Business’, ‘Breakfast Club’ and ‘Miami Vice’. The biggest challenge for me was translating those emotions into a concept record, but I think I’ve managed to achieve the balance. The record will have ten tracks, four of them feature vocalists.
10. What do your future plans involve? Release this album, which will be out in January 2016 on NRW Records. I like to develop concepts for my records to make them feel more cinematic… so I’ll probably spend some time developing one for the next release!
11. Where can our audience catch you live? I’m planning a show down in Melbourne for November so stay tuned for that. Then hopefully a few more shows in Sydney lined up for the rest of the year.
FACEBOOK : https://facebook.com/jordanfmusic
TWITTER : https://twitter.com/JordanF84
INSTAGRAM : https://instagram.com/jordanfmusic/
SOUNDCLOUD : https://soundcloud.com/jordan-f
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