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"We think in music a sense of humor its very important. People tend to take them selves way to serious and in Dance music you see it a lot"
Thomass Jackson reates music that works in all settings and transcends genres. His openness to a wide range of sound is what has both made him a widely loved favourite, but also someone who operates in his own parallel musical world. We had a chance to talk to him, so enjoy your reading and check out his latest releases.
Hey! Where can we find you right now? How did you start off your day?
Hey guys! I am in Puerto Escondido right now. A town in the Pacific coast of Mexico. My day started pretty good with 30 degrees and blue skies!
Can you tell us a little bit about your background? Where are you from / how did you get into music?
I am originally from Buenos Aires Argentina and I started in music at a young age. I guess music came into my life through friends at school who used to listen to 80 and 90’s dance music in the beginning and then through my brother who is a great heavy metal guitar player.
You’re originally from Argentina, but now live in Mexico. What prompted the move and how is life Mexico City?
I was doing nothing really of substance in Buenos Aires when a guy I used to play with told me that we should move to Mexico because the music scene was more alive there. So me, this guy and a Colombian friend moved here to make a musical project (that is now on hold).
Life in Mexico City is pretty cool. Its intense and there is a lot going on all the time. Culturally I will say it is one of the more interesting cities to live in in the world…or in Latin America for sure. And the food is AMAZING!
You are the co-owner of Calypso Records alongside your good friend Iñigo Vontier. What have been some of the key lessons you’ve learnt during the first years of the label? And does it ever put a strain/stress on your relationship?
We learned on the way how to run the label our own way. Being on the other side as a producer gives you more experience when it comes to dealing with artists. Sometimes you make mistakes and then you know how to deal with that. And no, it doesn’t put stress on the relationship. Even though sometimes we don’t agree with the music we want to release and we have to pass on stuff that one of us doesn’t like, we know in the end its more important to keep the good vibes between us than to get stressed for something like that.
And talking of your relationship, it also extends to the Studio, with new release ‘Dork Disco’ about to drop on the label. Give us a little background on the EP and what’s the story behind that title?
The whole thing started as a joke because we don’t like the “Dark Disco” category, so we came up with the name just to have a laugh. We think in music a sense of humor its very important. People tend to take them selves way to serious and in Dance music you see it a lot. But we think the tracks are good enough even if you don’t know that the whole thing is a joke.
What roles do you each take in the production process? Is it completely shared, or do each of you take the lead in certain aspects?
In the EP there is 2 ideas we started together in Mexico City and then we shared some loops we had and decided which ones we liked to work on.
So as Inigo lives in Guadalajara, we will send the projects back and forth to add stuff or delete stuff that the other one did. In the end it’s a good balance between his production methods and mine. We are quite happy with the result!
What does your studio look like right now? What type of hardware/software do you like to work with?
As I been living on the beach for the last 4 months my studio, if you can call it that, is very basic. Just an old laptop a Minilogue keyboard and a Volca Drum Machine.
I brought more stuff when I moved here but in the end it was too much for me to move around so I decided to send some synths back to my house in Mexico City.
Who have been your main inspirations (Both musical and in ‘life’)? And how have they effected your sound?
There is many many artists that inspire me. Musicians, filmmakers, writers, comedians, designers etc. I don’t want to get into specific names because the list will be too long, but all of the above influence my sound, music or way of thinking. I made tracks thinking about specific movies or images that are appealing to me. I will say that for sure the 60s, 70s and 80s are the decades that influence me the most.
How would you describe your own sound in 2020, and how do you see it developing in the future?
It’s a mix of analog sounds with electronic designed sounds. I like to include live instruments or recordings as much as possible. I use plugins and fxs but when I make a track I want the sounds that I record to be ready for the song and not fuck around much with audio editing (not that there is anything wrong with that). Sometimes its more live than others, but as I am a musician more than a producer I will say that this side is the most important one in my productions. I think it will continue to move forward in that direction but I don’t close myself to any options.
Can you clue us up on any acts you are loving right now, especially any that other people might not know?
As the owner of a label I have many new acts that I like that are probably not so known yet. One of them is Linja from Moscow. But if you want to know more you will have to keep an eye on the label to get to know them… so go to our Bandcamp and be on the look out for the new stuff!!! ☺
It’s difficult for everyone in our industry during the crisis – what have you been doing to keep things going, both on the music and personal fronts?
As I say I’ve been living on the beach for a few months so have been going to swim quite often, and I have been starting a new line of clothing with my girlfriend. Music wise I have been doing a lot of edits and remixes, but not much original music as this feels like a good moment to have a break from the routine of making music and playing it every weekend. Also I’ve been working on my side project that I have with 3 friends. It’s a live electronic band and at the moment we are working on new songs.
What projects are you working on at the moment?
The label, my own music, my live band and the new line of clothing. I will say its enough for now. ☺
Do you have any final words of wisdom?
Enjoy the moment, when you can.
