Jason Midro is arguably one of Australia’s biggest success stories in dance music. From his ever-growing franchise that is Bass Station to a long list of gigs alongside the world’s best DJs, and productions that include a brand new DVD, it seems nothing is out of his reach. With all the hype & opinion surrounding Melbourne’s “Master of Bass” I was keen to get the story straight from the source and, I must say, I was pleasantly surprised.
I heard my first Jason Midro CD in 2000. How long have you been DJing for?
I chose to do my work experience when I was at school in year 10 in 1986 at Central Station Records. I mainly worked in the Dance department listening and learning to distinguish between all the differences in styles of modern dance Music and also about its evolution from classic 70’s Disco, to 80’s Alternative, commercial Dance, Acid House, Hip House, Hi Energy, Euro Disco and even traditional cultural sounding songs with foreign language!
I loved the clubby Dance stuff and use to look forward to Alan Rados coming in on Friday’s and collecting a pile of fresh new tunes for his show later that night on his 3RRR radio show. I use to sit up with my headphones on listening to him for long hours, late into the night, in the dark taping my favorite tracks.
Around this time I first met and fortunately became friends with the Music specialist Steve Robbins. He was already a well-known and respected Dj working in the Underground Club scene and held several different residencies. Working and hanging around him was when I really began learning so much about the different culture and attitudes related to each style of music and where it all fitted into the club scene.
Steve was also the first person to formally introduce me to the Technics 1200 Turntables, mixers, headphones and 12”vinyl way back then in 1986.
2. You have been described as the DJ people either love or hate. Why do you think you draw such strong reactions from people?
That is a question that requires a very careful answer. I could go several different ways in answering this and I think I have to be as unemotional as possible to give an accurate answer. My most common and I think the safest response to this question is something like you either understand what I do or you don’t. When someone comes up to me to pay me a compliment I will always thank them for saying so and also often remark how I am glad that some people out there actually understand and appreciate what I do. This inspires me to go on and strengthens my faith to believe in myself and the positive mission i am on! And for those who hate me, as long as they are talking about me that is a good thing! So thanks anyway!
What is it like being Jason Midro in 2005? Where are your future directions?
I am so fortunate and lucky in so many ways. I am very grateful for all the good things that have happened to me, and all the opportunities I have been given and experience’s I have had. I am also grateful for some of the bad which I put down as learning experiences. I don’t ever take these for granted. There are many directions I am heading in the future and many things I am doing to reinvent myself and keep myself inspired and challenged. I began 2005 with a big statement by playing an unexpected housey set at Summadayze! I have always loved house music and have been collecting and playing it since I started Djing. I really want to get out there and play a lot more house gigs and display my versatility. It is just another part of my musical career that I want to master which fits in with the whole musical journey that has become the path I have chosen to be my life. My latest Bass Station CD is also another distinguishing change in direction or rather another addition to my career and that is all about concentrating and focusing a lot of my time and energy into writing and producing music. All the tracks on my CD are original and have been written by me or are remixes that I have done with both international artists and the best producers from the Sound Of Now DJ team. I really want to get our local producers music recognized overseas. It is so long over due. There are so many talented artists here and I have been spending so mush time working with so many of them and getting material ready to take to the world. I am currently on my national tour for the release of the Bass CD and still have six weeks of touring for this. Then I am going to be heading over seas and taking much of the music that I have been working on and hooking up with some of the biggest and well known producers in the world to do remixes with them and get the Australian music released on international labels so we can finally be heard across the globe!
Bass Station is by far Melbourne’s most recognized club night. Have you had to alter your approach over time for the franchise to “age well” or do you still work from the same principles as day one?
Yes to both of those questions and more! We have always stuck to the Underground sound and theme to keep that Rave spirit alive in the club which was the thing that really created the whole scene so many years ago. We have also been able to adapt through advances in technologies like the Internet and its ability to reach so many people. That’s why we have made our website such a big part of it all. Our many CD releases, national tours, merchandising, record label and three venue changes have all been a part of bass station’s development. As far as the music goes we have always been at the forefront in Australia continually evolving the sounds we play and allowing our Dj team to have the biggest influence in the direction we go and what we should be playing. As a collective we always manage to find the sound and stay on the pulse with the rest of the world keeping us right up there! We have always been open minded and have had so many different and diverse styles of music and sounds played over the years in many of the different rooms at the venues we have been based at!
What is your greatest achievement to date?
It is hard to put my finger on just one. I think as an overall to be still in the industry and to have been and still be involved in and a part of it in so many ways!
Do you have any plans to take Bass Station to an international level?
I think Bass Station reached an international level a while ago now. It is recognized across the globe as the place to go in this country for the best music, vibe and people! The international artists that have played at Bass all say this after they play and then when they return home and travel the world I have been told they always remark this when asked. I have had so much feedback from the international market in regards to this. It is quite overwhelming! I think it really started sinking in when I began getting personal phone calls from some of the biggest international artists in the world asking to come and play at Bass Station.
Your latest Bass Station release (Live at Big Bass) includes a live mix from yourself. Was this more fun than the usual studio recording?
Definately not. One of the most stressful things I have ever had to do!
A DVD release is on its way to compliment the Live at Big Bass CD. Tell us more about this.
This is just about complete and the premier screening will be july 15th at Bass station. For the filming of ‘Live at Big Bass” we had a huge team come together including 9 cameras that captured the night from many different angles and perspectives. We have include footage of as many people as we could to show the amount of diverse and wicked types that come together to make Bass station, Bass Station!
The hard dance/hardstyle genre in Melbourne – and indeed in the rest of Australia it seems – is arguably the most popular form of dance music, far outstripping the trance, drum and bass, progressive or breaks scenes. This is a bit of a contrast to the international scene, where DJs such as Tiesto, Armin Van Buuren and Sasha dominate over their harder cousins. Any thoughts on why this is the case?
I can’t entirely agree with your comment. Especially as far as Bass station goes. Our main room’s musical diversity and changes are very in touch with the international scene as I mentioned earlier. This is what I believe has separated us from the rest. After the hardstyle phenomenon our main room dance floor and especially our DJs including myself jumped right on the huge uplifting trance, Tiesto and Armin van buuren sound. You can really notice this by the style of music and the sound of my last two Hard NRG CD’s. They definitely introduced this sound as part of my new sound at the time and was also a reflection of what we were playing in Melbourne and Bass station. I personally supported and played before many of these artists including Tiesto last NYE and also was the only DJ alsongside Mark James at several events to support Dj’s such as Armin Van buerren, John OO Flemming, Ferry Corsten, Paul Okenfold and more. Our Dj’s work as a team knowing when to play what sound and at what tempo and intensity for the certain time of night they are playing. We have given that uplifting sound a thrashing and have only recently had another shift in direction back to a much harder, faster, more aggressive style of techno with lots of guitars, harsher sounds and acid!
With such a strong following do you think it is possible to come out on top of the Technics ITM Top 50 poll in 2005?
This is something you can never predict. I was shocked the first time I won two years ago and then last year had no idea how I would poll. I was still very happy to up there in the top few last year nationally and locally. It has become a little like a mini election with DJs sending out emails and text messages to get people to vote for them. I have done what I can and hope on the strength of my CD sales, my performances and all the hard work that I do put into the scene that I get this recognition. If not I am just happy to be nominated and asked this question. I don’t really expect to win but it would be a great surprise an honor to do it again! Thanks to all those people who have in the past and again voted for me this year! It means heaps!
Last year Jason Midro scored the 7th national position in the technics inthemix50 DJ poll and 2nd in Victoria. Voting for 2005 is open now, where will he rank this year? Vote now!
http://www.inthemix.com.au/50
‘Bass Station: Live at Big Bass’, mixed by Jason Midro and Jewelz, is out now through Sound Of Now/EMI.
nikeefa says...
So so glad midro is back in the swing of things. Went a bit hard about 2 years ago, so I went off him for a while, but I was pleasently supprised at belfast last august, back to his funky self. Now that sounds more like the man that became my first fave dj 10 years ago!!!!!!!! Thanx jase, keep it up, c u at resonate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!