Interviews: Jazzanova & Ewan Pearson

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It’s been a quiet week here. Apologies, I’ve been temping at a Sydney paper writing and subbing, with any luck they’ll give me a job. Anyway, I wrote a couple of pieces last weekend for 3D World, so here are the links.

Jazzanova have a new set of remixes out and I got to chat with Jurgen von Knoblauch about it. As always only a fraction of the interview made it into the story, there’s only so much you can say in 500 words, I’ll have to get into gear and put up some of these Q&As before too long. Since leaving Compost to set up their own Sonarkollektiv label, they’ve gone from strength to strength, though they haven’t had huge amounts of time to work with. Of the 11 remixes they’ve released since then, my favourite is the rerub of Calexico’s Black Heart, a beautiful meeting of Jazzanova’s stuttery syncopated hip hop and Calexico’s wonderfully rich Tex-Mex indie.

Ewan Pearson was a pleasure to chat with too. Refreshingly articulate, interesting and modest about his achievements. I’ve been a fan of his stuff since the early Maas releases on Soma, but his remixes over the past few years have been particularly special. He was also one of the authors of Discographies, an academic take on dance music’s social impacts. He’s left the university now, but he covers his favourite 10 or so records every week at his blog Enthusiasms.

Written by matt

December 12th, 2005 at 8:42 am

One Response to 'Interviews: Jazzanova & Ewan Pearson'

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  1. Hey Calico — thanks for the Jazzanova link — great article! (look forward to the Q & A if you do end up posting it). I agree with their concept of jazz being open and broad enough to encompass electronica and dance music (reactionary traditionalists like Wynton Marsalis be damned!) I also appreciate their admission, of sorts, that jazz, even if conceived in the most inclusive manner, must have some improvisational aspect . . . which is how they approach composition/experimentation in the studio (works for me).

    and hey — best of luck w/ the potential job. hope it works out! — best

    DJ Durutti

    15 Dec 05 at 9:50 am

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