Much like his beloved Doctor Who, there’s more than one James Zabiela out there. There’s the inner bedroom DJ/sci-fi nut, still getting a kick of the simple discovery of two perfectly syncing tunes. His sets are still full of these classic mash-up moments. Then there’s the deck’n’effect technician. On his new double CD mix, Utilities, JZ splits the mix into two distinct parts: an Ableton Live chopped and blended first disc, and a second that uses his blinding skills on CDJs, vinyl and effects. That both CDs manage to blend everything from prog-house to breaks to techno right through to old-school b-boy and still sound so fluid is a testament to his abilities. And according to James, Utilities was just a warm-up – he’s only just begun exploring the possibilities of using software to remix tunes live. Then there’s James Zabiela, genuine new Brit DJ talent, reluctant rising star and reliable party rocker. He might not be comfortable with the term, but at 26 JZ is one of the few younger players to muscle into the top tier of British DJs. James chatted to ITM off the back of his Asian and American tours about his new album, his new toys and not being an A-list DJ.
ITM: This album blends so many sounds yet seems to hone in on your style even that better than the others, (Sound In Motion for Hooj and last year’s Alive for Renaissance). Was that a conscious thing?
JZ: That was kind of the objective behind it, in the sense that I called it Utilities, not just about the technologies that I used to make the mix but also the different styles of music that I like.
ITM: Let’s talk about the individual albums. The first one’s done in Ableton Live, sequencing software that gets more popular with Dj’s by the day. How’d you do it – with remix parts like Sasha with Involver or some other way? Did you do the first one in parts or did you try and keep the tracks whole?
JZ: It was all sort of… everything was kind of broken up to fit together. When I did Utilities, it was all done using the computer, sequenced, and I could sit down and spend days on it. There were a lot of tracks that were not going to work together so I had to really take ‘em apart to make them work. Really, the idea behind that CD was for me to learn how to do it because, you know, it was a new program. Actually, since I’ve done the CD I’ve improved in using the software already, so I want to go back and do it again already!
ITM: So you’re playing out with software now too?
Yeah. When I play out I’m using a mixture of everything from vinyl to Ableton to CDs.
ITM: There’s a definite feeling that it’s a big part of the future for a lot of DJs.
JZ: I just kind of use it when I feel it’s appropriate, if you’re just gonna play a track you may as well just play the vinyl, some records are nice exactly as they are. When it comes to doing mash-ups or something different with them, then that’s when it comes into play.
ITM: It almost seems as if the second disc, that you mixed using your standard CDJ, effects and vinyl set-up, seems to actually flow better than the first one – and you’re doing all the beat mixing!
JZ: (laughs) Yeah, well it’s the midi-sync in your head, not in the computer. But yeah, I mean, when I did that second disc, it was before I’d used Ableton in a club so it was a representation of what people were seeing at that time. Now when people see me in a club you’ll get a mixture of the two. But yeah, I just wanted to give people who’d come to see me in clubs around the world an experience of what to expect when they come to see me DJ.
ITM: There’s a crazy remix of Aphex Twin’s classic Windowlicker on there. Where’d that come from?
Actually from a guy in Perth, called Kriece. He sent it to me and I managed to get approved from Warped, which is quite miraculous. I think they’re even gonna consider releasing it. Fingers crossed there. Yeah, an Australian producer!
ITM: Do you still have a crazy practise schedule?
JZ: No, no, I don’t! Every time you play out you learn something anyway. So if you’re doing five hour set you may discover something you wouldn’t find practising at home. I used to practise a lot but it’s hard to find the time now. Most of my time now is taken up just learning new things like Ableton. I think instead of practise you should just try and muck around and have fun. The moment it’s practise it becomes boring. But it comes down to the fun bits. Like I was just messing in Ableton with Ewan Pearson mix of Depeche Mode’s ‘Enjoy the Silence’ with ‘Over My Head’, the finishing track from Ils’ album and if you put the right bits together it’s totally in key!
ITM: You’re one of the youngest UK DJ’s to be currently considered A-list or whatever you want to call it. Are you cognisant of that?
JZ: I don’t like to think about it to be honest. A-list, C-list, whatever. I just like to carry on what I’m doing without thinking about DJ polls or whatever, to be honest. I mean, I’ve got a following, which is unbelievable. I still find it overwhelming. Even though people like to say things, or people will come because they’ve heard my name. I just want to concentrate on what I’m doing.
ITM: But it must’ve opened some doors for you. Like with your work on gear with Pioneer obviously.
JZ: Oh absolutely, that I really enjoy. I was in LA last week, and I was sick in my hotel room and they came to my hotel room with a new prototype mixer from the guys from Japan and stuff. That was pretty awesome. Phil K was staying at my house a few weeks ago and we sat here with one of the guys from Pioneer really nerding out. To have some kind of input in that with the tools that I use, it’s unbelievable. I never would have dreamt of it.
ITM: Are there any plans to get your own custom equipment or do you customise the stuff you’re given?
JZ: Sometimes if they give me a prototype I get them to change the firmware in it so that it will behave the way I want it to now necessarily the way the one in the shops behave.
ITM: It’s cool how you write detailed sleeve notes. It might be a bit geeky for the average listener but it gives DJs an idea of how much work you’ve actually done, and that you can reproduce it live.
JZ: (laughing) Yeah, it’s the nerd thing. Like when DJ mag reviewed it, they had labels for each CD they’d reviewed that month, you know, labels like ‘melodic house’, ‘underground breaks mix’, ‘inoffensive music’, ‘techno brilliance’ (for the green velvet CD)... and for my CD it was ‘the geeky mix.’ Ok, thanks very much. I guess there is a huge nerdy part of me that likes to show people my nerdiness. I don’t know why. I think nerds are in at the moment. It’s quite cool to be a nerd. Early on, when I did Sound In Motion, or before, I was totally anti pro-tools in the sense of constructing albums. I still kind of am. But with Ableton it’s kind of Pro Tools live. I’m still sort of against using Ableton to just mix one track into the next. Anyone can do that. But if you’re gonna use it, use it for what it’s capable of.
ITM: Sasha said that sometimes it feels like cheating, and other times it feels so much harder than regular DJing because you’re literally composing tracks on the fly.
JZ: I would agree with that definitely. I mean, I mucked up on it the other day. It is possible to screw up, definitely.
ITM: What’s going on for you now?
JZ: I’ve done my tour in Asia, did America now I’m concentrating on Europe. I’m actually trying to do a few personal things like buying a house, but it’s just so difficult to find the time between travelling. I don’t think I’m gonna do another commercial mix for a while. I think I might do the odd promo mix or cover mount, but not another commercially available one. I’d rather put all my time and effort in to other things. It’s important not to sort of overdo it, if you know what I mean, always be in people’s faces. I’d rather take a year out and do something different and then come back with something new.
ITM: The album has two of your own productions on it. Robophobia was a highlight of the mix. Can we expect more?
JZ: That’s kind of what I’ve been doing lately. Nothing like an artist album or anything like that, just a couple of tracks. I’m far too lazy. But yeah, I made that (Robophobia) in Australia, at the start of the year. I was in Melbourne, I hurt my back and I was learning Ableton in the hotel room. I did a mix for John Digweed for his radio show and I did that on the plane from Tokyo to Melbourne, then I hurt my back. I was watching the arrangement of sci-fi DVD’s I had on my travels and I thought, I’ll just make a track in Ableton, and that was the result of it.
ITM: OK, I have to ask: Doctor Who. Who’s your favourite doctor?
JZ: It’s hard to say, everyone tends to fall in love with the one they grew up with. I grew up with peter Davison, so he was Doctor Who for me. When he changed into someone else I was horrified. I was too young for Tom Baker; I was born in 79, that was when Tom Baker was just finishing. Now that I’ve got all the DVD’s and gone back and watched all the old ones, I really like The Talons Of Wen Chiang. It’s awesome.
ITM: You should approach them about trying to do the them tune for an anniversary or something.
JZ: That would be amazing. But the BBC is so huge… I should just do it anyway (chuckles).
Utilities, mixed by James Zabiela, is out now on Renaissance/Stomp.
