Down The Rabbit Hole: James Wolf And Electronic Music's Limitless Form
Thursday, 07 May 2015
Written by Milly McMahon
After we disturb James Wolf from the recovery position, the Dublin-born, London-based party player cracks one weary eye open. Hidden away from Monday morning’s unforgiving rays, he slowly remembers tales of last night’s antics, spent lost in Bethnal Green’s infamous stripping super club, Metropolis.
Wolf is tipped by long-time friend Jake Shears and is a disco DJ at the sharp end of mainstream electronic music. Today, he is channelling his multifaceted talents into his latest eponymous project, combining good vibes with a summer feel destined to fill international dancefloors.
Writing about lost memories made at hedonistic clubs, passionate kisses shared with strangers and the euphoria stirred by a chorus crescendo, Wolf’s implicit understanding of club culture informs his flair for what it takes to create an original house anthem. His new EP, ‘Oxytocin’, is set to be the soundtrack to many a summer.
Alright James, how’s your day going?
I had a bit of a wild one, so I’m feeling very fragile today. I have a list as long as my arm of things that I've got to get through.
Were you attending or playing the parties?
Just attending this weekend, but I was playing the Ace Hotel on Wednesday just gone which was a great craic. The crowd were brilliant, it was the first time I've done a show where people were singing along to the words of my songs. Everyone was totally into it, it was super fun. Me and my band had these amazing t-shirts that I made that had shell bras like Ariel from The Little Mermaid on them. We were all matching.
Does the partying inspire you to play more or do the two coexist separately?
Club culture definitely influences my music, my aesthetic, everything. I'm always inspired by what I’m hearing and doing my own thing, picking up new sounds.
Which moments gave rise to your understanding of electronic music?
As a child growing up I never really got dance music. Then I was at an after party dive in King’s Cross about nine years ago and Fischerspooner's Emerge came on. I remember that absolutely changed everything for me, it was like an epiphany in music. I heard this song and everything clicked and fell into place. I just lost my mind. That was it. It was like falling down a rabbit hole.
I find your music transportive and immersive. Is the listener’s experience a conscious element of your writing and recording process?
The focus for me definitely is the creative experience. Naturally, my music has very strong pop leads and pop hooks, that's where my mind takes me. In terms of building a track, that’s the most exciting part and most difficult part of what I get to do. Getting to go into a studio and to sit alongside a producer and build our own world for three and a half minutes is what I love. It’s not an easy thing working so closely with a producer. It’s predominantly a trust thing and it can be hard to let people deal with your material. It’s also a very long process because I’m a total perfectionist. I find it so rewarding, I love it.
Do you think that the new wave of disco house you are making is part of a bigger movement in music right now?
I don't know if I would necessarily think that my music is part of a bigger movement but at the same time I do think that there has recently been a shift towards male singers that hasn't been there in the past, which is great. But I don't know if I think that that’s part of a bigger movement. Do you?
I do think there’s interesting things happening in electronic music now. The scene has become so much more of a commercial territory, where it never was before. Artists are being a bit more experimental. Previously, electronic music had a harder, cynical edge.
I think it’s softening out a bit, you’re right. Electronic music for me gives me so much scope and ways to play and create using organic instruments. It’s a limitless form, which is what makes it so appealing to me.
Do you have a background in music?
It’s something that I did in school. I just flew by the seat of my pants. Can’t Get Enough came out and I got 30,000 plays pretty instantly and for me, where I am at the moment, that’s just so great. I suppose I just have to keep going with it. For me everything comes from a personal experience, I cant write about something that hasn't happened in my life or I haven't gone through or am going through. Every song is always about a particular moment. There’s a romantic theme that goes through that, love is an important part of life. I've been in a relationship for three years, so there are many highs and lows.
What’s the story behind ‘Oxytocin’?
It’s a four track introduction to my music and what I’m doing and I wanted to give it away for free as a thankyou for people who had supported me with Can’t Get Enough, my previous release. It has the extended version of that track on it, which I love. Then there’s a song that is called Into You with these guys called Troika and it’s the first song we did together. They worked on Can’t Get Enough with me and a couple of other songs. There’s also a track called Hercules that I made with Tom Neville. It’s a really old song which I made back in the day when I had a band. It was a favourite for me and it is the only song that has carried over from that period.
You’re a sharp dresser. I noticed you wearing an outfit by Fashion East design duo Agi and Sam recently. Are you a big supporter of new fashion design talent?
I always keep an eye on the new designers and what’s going on, mainly because it’s the most interesting side of fashion. There’s a guy called Bobby Abley who's great, I just ordered his Ursula sweater and the matching shorts. l don't think that I am going to be able to afford to eat for the next couple of months but I will look on fleek bopping around town. There’s so much fun to what he does. There’s this other guy who contacted me through Instagram and said: “I'm selling some Bobby Abley things that I don't want anymore, would you like the Sebastian sweater?” I got that for next to nothing. Delighted! It’s the most impractical material for summer. It’s neoprene.
Do you have a big music collection?
When I used to get CDs, I got loads of stuff. I used to love going into my local HMV in Dublin before the internet, going through the shelves and trying to find new stuff which I hadn't really heard of ad hoc, which you don't really do anymore.
Do you remember the first CD you ever bought?
Yes, I do. It was Gangsta’s Paradise. It was going to be B*witched or Gangsta’s Paradise. Luckily it was Coolio.
I saw B*witched in concert.
I'd say the best concert I ever saw, to this day, was probably the Spice Girls when they were all together. I just remembered that I nearly died with happiness. I was tiny at the time, I was so obsessed with them! I don't think people get that crazy anymore like they used to.
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