Who is Acid James?
Acid James is very unique and accomplished DJ, fascinated with electronica from a young age.
His career has taken him on to play many places including Westival, and he has gained much traction recently, with his tracks getting plenty of BBC introducing airplay.
His sets are eclectic and stylish, and a joy to listen to.
As of Recent he has expanded his horizons with the release of his new album “Breaking Through part 1”.
Album Review
If I were to put this album into one word it would be “glistening”,
the production is unique, psychedelic and dreamy, with swirling detuned lofi elements
and pads weaving in and out of the tracks. Wrought with plenty of ear candy
in the form of fills, field samples and a pallette of effects such as reverses.
In addition to this a plethora of organic percussion fills the sonic landscape to
give a bonobo mixed with boards of Canada esque vibe.
I feel like the sheer amount of ear candy this album provides is one of its
greatest strengths. It is one of those albums where you can listen to it
over and over again and keep finding new sounds and layers that you never noticed before.
Acid James accompanies this bed of lush, organic dreaminess with
some tasteful strong lead sounds and melodies, mainly in the form of creamy and squelchy 303
acid synths bubbling throughout the tracks,
adding a new layer of depth to his sound.
He has managed to craft a sea of slightly melonchollic, but uplfiting and euphoric nostalgia you can drift off into forever, whilst also having a groovy boogie.
Every tune feels fresh here, with “Sun Ra” easing you in and getting you used to the kind of euphoric soundscapes
that you are in for. Followed by a more single-esque tune, “Let go” featuring Will McCartney’s melonchollic
vocals that complement Acid James nostalgic and dreamy soundscape beautifully.
Contuniung into the much softer, very lush sounding and
experimental “Heathers song”.
The whole album really takes you on a journey that resolves beautifully
with “It’s not a seagull it’s a peacock”, and I can’t wait to hear part 2.
The Interview
I wanted to chat to the man himself to talk about how his process for the this album
and his background.
Thanks for joining the blog Acid James:
I was hoping you could start off by talking a bit about your background, what drove you to start exploring music in the context of being a DJ/artist?
I was always interested in music from a young age, starting to learn the guitar when I was ten. From an early age I would always write songs in hope that one day I would be a singer songwriter. Later, I realised that I probably didn’t have the strongest voice. However, there was always a fascination with music.
When I was twelve I remember downloading a copy of Virtual DJ. I would sit there making mashups of two tracks using the mouse and keys on my laptop. I thought it was the best thing ever, which later led to me buying my first decks.
I guess in short my fascination, love for music and being a kid with a dream made me want to explore being an DJ/Artist.
There is a lot to unpack in “breaking through pt 1”, from the field samples used, the organic textures and dreamy soundscapes all co-allating into a colourful and bright canvas of sound.
Can you talk a bit about your creative process for the songs, how long in the making was this project and what has influenced you in terms of artists and life experiences for this album to come into fruition?
Ah thanks for the kind words! Well the whole project was certainly built up over time. It wasn’t like I had a clear path with the Album. It started out as more of an exploration of the Acid James sound. A time capsule of field samples built up from travels, and feelings and emotions I experienced on them.
Over a couple of years I have been building up the tracks for the album and constantly developing them. Some of the songs were written during the pandemic in Spain in 2020 and a few years older. But I was so eager to release something new I decided to release it in parts so people could get to experience the Acid James sound sooner.
Can you talk about where some of the field samples and textures come from, are there any particular sounds special to you or reminiscent of things in your life?
Each track has its own unique soundscape, capturing a certain moment in time. I get easily inspired by nature and if I hear something I like, I record it. These sounds later get buried into the mix to generate that dreamy sensation and transport me back to the memory or time.
It’s Not A Seagull It’s A Peacock (St Tropez) was created on a day where I mistook a peacock for a seagull. The sound I could hear on my way to a Maritime museum in St Tropez was not a Seagull by the sea, it was a peacock! Later finding out there was a peacock sanctuary at the museum.
I recorded samples from the museum and waves crashing in St Tropez that day. Sun Ra was created by using textures and field samples in Spain….whole new story there haha. Every track is linked to an experience.
Your DJ sets are always very eclectic and unique, I would like to know how would you say your DJ’ing has impacted and changed your production style?
In my mixes I like to have a consistent bass line chugging throughout. With my productions I have adapted a similar approach to keep a strong 303 acid line to keep the energy through each track.
With my opening track of the Part I Sun Ra, I was influenced to add some scratching fills into the production. This was due to me at the time I was trying to improve on my scratching and being influenced by 90’s electronica. So I guess DJ-ing and the tracks I play can give me inspiration and impact my productions.
what feelings are you trying to evoke with the album overall would you say?
Like I mentioned before, I am inspired by real events and creating a song and the soundscape based on that experience. But I would say overall the album is to create a dream state / psychedelic experience where it makes you feel like you’re breaking through to the other side.
Each track I am trying to transport the listener into my past memories, whilst they have their own unique experience listening to each track.
Do you have a favourite tune, or one you are particularly proud of here?
Personally I really love listening to Let Go. It’s the whole idea of collaborating with a friend and him doing the main vocals. I love Will McCartney’s voice and hearing his pipes over my production just brings back good memories from living in Amsterdam together. Also it was a lot of fun production-wise to chop up his vocals and play around with them to create new verses and backing vocals.
Three favourite artists currently?
Hard question! It seems to be always changing, especially depending on mood. But if I had to choose it would be down to artists I like to listen to their albums in full and most frequently. Bonobo, Maribou State and Axel Boman. Been really loving these artists and the labels they are signed to. Got to love Ninja Tune & Studio Barnhus output!
Would you mind talking about your future projects/anything in the pipeline, and the stuff you may do outside of Acid James? When can we expect Breaking through part 2?
“Oh yes, there is plenty of new music in the pipeline. Breaking Through Part II was already written and produced a couple of years back. However, over the last few months I have added a few additions and have been developing these tracks further.
I have 6 more tracks ready to be released and maybe I might chuck in a couple of edits. We will have to just wait and see.
Outside Acid James, I tutor people how to DJ and produce music. Alongside helping other artists achieve their goals by helping them finish their projects. I really get a good kick out of seeing others improve and reach their goals.”
I always am interested to ask this one, what is your ethic for being an artist and what drives you to keep going?
“Purely my love for music keeps me going! Yes, somedays you may lack inspiration and not really feel like music. But as soon as I hear a song I love or vibe with. It really makes me want to do something musical. Either hop on to my decks, or fire up Ableton and start working on recent projects or creating a new one.
Overall music is like therapy to me, I need to keep going to stay happy and healthy. I will never stop what I am doing as my passion for music runs too deep.”
Socials
If you want to support Acid James, you can follow his socials on these links, thank you:
https://www.facebook.com/acidjames303
https://www.instagram.com/acidjames303/
https://acidjames.bandcamp.com/