The Jesse Houk [The Scumfrog] Interview
Published Thursday, February 23, 2006 by midnight lounge | E-mail this post
How did DJs are Alive come to be?I was doing a show in Texas a few months ago and something happened whereby all the DJs had to play a different stage and reduce their sets considerably. I was going to play around the same time as D:Fuse and Skribble so we said why don't we tag team? Why don't we just get up there with instruments and see what happens. So we did it and we really liked the results. That made me see that this might be a good time for me to try and put a band together.
Do you feel like it's harder to find an audience these days (in dance) than it was two, five, 10 years ago?
I would say "more challenging", because it's still not that hard.
Do you get the same reaction when you spin at a gay club versus a straight or mixed club?I play some predominantly gay events in Europe that typically attract a more mixed audience than the gay clubs in the US that tend to be much more segregated in their attendance. In Europe I can get away with my dubby, gritty dark sound with punk-rock influences but the circuit scene in the US is more demanding in terms of vocals and divas so as a DJ I never developed a substantial gay following in the US.
What should we expect from DJs are Alive this year?
I have honestly no idea beyond our gigs at the WMC. There are so many factors that make this project difficult and very expensive to produce, that if we don't deal with the right sponsors soon, we probably resort to playing once a year at some festival or benefit somewhere. All these question marks is what makes this project so much fun for me though. Not knowing what's going to happen or how people will respond to this concept gives it that "uncharted waters" feel which is so rare in today's music scene.
What do you do differently today than you did five years ago?
I spend money on musical projects rather than just making it. I also try to surround myself with inspiring artists so I don't become stir crazy with the 'Scumfrog solo-show'. Five years ago I could only work when I was all alone in a studio at 3am.
Do radio-friendly remakes like DHT's "Listen to Your Heart" and DJ Sammy's "Heaven" help or hurt dance music?
There are just as many arguments on each side and I've been on both sides ofthe argument many times. For every person that is appalled by that crap and maintains that Dance music sucks, there is another person that starts digging and will gradually develop a taste for more subtle stuff.
What was the first album you ever bought?
Pink Floyd's Dark Side album. A cliché, I know, but true. To show my true European side I will confess that my first 45 single was ABBA's "The Day Before you Came".
What's recently been added to your ipod?
Zum Schneider, the new German Punk-Rock sensation from L.A. And Chab's brilliant album "Dubs, Edits, and Whiskey-Coke"
What mix is the Scumfrog most fond of? What one couldn't have left your deck soon enough?Ha! A favorite that comes to mind is my single "Simmer" from 2004 becauseI'm 100% satisfied with its sound. There are some mixes that never even made it to my sets, and some that I played even though they were never released.
I can't begin to tell you how crazy I was (and still am) over your treatmentof Kylie's "Love at First Sight;" that one rerub catapulted you into the commercial stratosphere. Do you still listen to that song the same way you did when you first let go of it?
No, music that has been exposed as much as that one have become part of the big music catalog in the sky. Wherever it comes on, I don't register it anymore as something that I created. It's really difficult for songs like that to go back and remember exactly how it came about.
Do you think satellite radio has had much of an effect on dance music sales?
Well, if you mean that independent labels now lose less money per month than before satellite radio, then yes. But to say that it caused a turnaround would be overly optimistic.
The Scumfrog was rather innovative releasing, for free, Mp3 rerubs in tandem with a commercial release of an artists' single. How difficult was it to get the labels to sign off on this?
Some refused and others saw the potential. It is ridiculous to hear a label say "we're not going to commercially release this mix, we'll just spend money on vinyl and then send it out to DJs in the mail, but HELL NO, you can't give it straight to those DJs through your website because that will hurt the artist" I have always laughed at that argument because most artists don't even realize how much money of theirs a label spends on cross-marketing their record with remixes they have never even heard, let alone approved. I am very grateful for the opportunities I had as a remixer, but I'm kind of glad that that era is behind me and I can focus on remixing artists with whom I actually have a rapport.
If DJs are Alive are to dance music what The Traveling Wilburys were to rock, who is Roy Oribson? Tom Petty?
I saw that you posted on your blog that we were "the Traveling Wilburys to the gay dance set". In my humble opinion that is a rather limited description of our abilities and demographic. To actually dissect theTraveling Wilburys (God bless most of their souls) into how they pertain to us, would be even more limiting, so I'll refrain from that.
Have you witnessed a "gay sighting" of Kristine W? Did pandemonium ensue?
What is a "Gay Sighting"? Is that like an exorcism? Whatever it is, I can ensure you that pandemonium and Kristine go hand in hand.Do you think you'll do any DJs are Alive remixes of other artists?
Interesting idea. I'll discuss it with the group.
Is there a point at which you consider a track "done," or do you feel like it's always a work in progress? (And that a promo or commercial release is simply a version?)
Most of the time it's a work in process. Only very few are done to the point that I'm satisfied. That's a reason why I spent so much time on my album, and still only half of the songs on there would get my approval today.
Given the varied musical and production-related inclinations of group members, how did you approach molding the DJs Are Alive sound? Did you haveto overcome any feelings of competition among members?
The downside of us all having our own careers is that it's hard to schedule anything that involves all of us in one room. The upside of it is that wehave our own careers to completely devote to our egos so when we do the band we can all focus on the common good and there are very few artistic clashes for that reason.
Do you anticipate seeking any outside DJs to give your [DJs are Alive] tracks their treatment? Or do you each want to put your own spin on a single?Again, interesting ideas, I'll throw em in the group.
Jesse - you effin' rock for takin' the time to chat with me. The readers will really groove on what you're putting out there. Keep up the amazing work!
My pleasure!
- Listen to the first single "GImme Some Love" at the DJs are Alive myspace page
- Buy "Gimme Some Love" at Beatport
COME ON BACK TO MIDNIGHT LOUNGE
About me
- I'm midnight lounge
- From Rochester, New York, United States
- My profile
