The JT Effect: the name conjures up images of twisted psy, driving hard dance, trance and techno and of course… hot blonde groupies (well perhaps not blonde groupies, but they live in hope). It’s been over a year since ITM caught up with the duo – since then they’ve been igniting dance floors all over Queensland with their infectious personalities and back to back debauchery. ITM reporter one_tjc recently caught up with Tristan Cameron and jFrantik the duo that is the JT Effect for what was an interesting chat to say the least…

Tristan Cameron Interrogation:

Your weekly radio show on Radio Metro 105.7 has been broadcasting for a number of years now – can you tell ITM readers a little bit about the show?
I started radio broadcasting back in 1999 on the Gold Coast when I presented a Top 40 chart show of all things! Not long after my stint in Top 40, I was given the opportunity to present a 2hr ‘mix-up’ style show where I had free range of what I wanted to play. 8yrs later and my weekly radio show “Harder_Education” on Radio Metro (www.radiometro.com.au) is thriving partly due to the quality of music being broadcasted and the scarcity of being able to hear hard dance/psy/electro/breaks on the airwaves. The show is now mostly done using Abelton Live and gets broadcasted around the world via the web.

From the various genres you are into, which DJs and producers are pushing your buttons right now?
This year has seen the return of Nick Sentience to his very best along with Sander van Doorn, Ian Betts, Ali Wilson & Mark Sherry also featuring heavily in my sets. Also a big thumbs up to King Roc, Tom Neville and Cheshire Catz for their electro goodness.

Favourite gig you have ever played?
Either our back-to-back set after John 00 Fleming last year (which also happened to be my graduation night!) or Endorphin.UK vs. Sunday School in London.

Where do you get your tunes from these days?
With the advent of mp3s and digital downloads, I purchase many tunes from sites such as Track It Down, Beatport and Tidy Digital. Given the short shelf-life of tunes when trying to host a weekly radio show full of new release tunes, legal downloads are really the only viable option for me. I miss playing records though.

jFrantik and yourself seem to be doing more sets with JT Effect than solo sets recently – do you enjoy working together more than doing solo shows?
Teaming up you has been the worst thing I could’ve ever done haha! Nah, I consider some of the b2b sets we have done as the JT Effect as some of my most memorable – sets like our one after J00F last year was insane. It’s also comforting to know that one of us can get completely hammered while the other plays on for the team!

You have been known to be a work-a-holic, with little spare time – if you had the chance would you ever consider studio work and writing your own material?
Not with my current work situation. I would like to see my name on a release at some point, but can’t see it happening soon unfortunately. At the end of the day, spending time in a studio isn’t going to be financially viable for me in the long-term. I have bills to pay like everyone else!

*‘Carbon’ (your branded line of events) back in ’03-‘04 was looked upon as an innovative and forward thinking promotion, particularly on the Gold Coast where events can be somewhat of a challenge in organising and making successful. Any future plans in the area of event promotion? * Cheers for the kind words. A lot of hard work and fun went into hosting Carbon. There was always a strong emphasis on the programming of the night and production which lead to its success. There was certainly a great atmosphere at some of the Carbon events. The next one? Who knows….when the time is right and the opportunity arises.

Current Top 3?
Filterheadz – Santiago (Love Distortion)
Elude – Pergatory (Ian Betts mix) (Six:Thirty)
Nick Sentience – Contour (Quality Trax)

jFrantik Interrogation:

You recently were involved in the creation of the event Ibiza Uncovered event – What’s the story behind this event?
Myself and Steve Woolley (friend and one half of “Dingostyle” DJ duo) decided to try our luck with some dance events. We didn’t exactly want to go with whole rave style thing seeing there are already quite a number of them being done. So we thought a combination of both house/breaks and electro stuff with the harder genres such as trance, techno, psy and hard dance would suit both ball games. A little goal of ours was to someday educate the Brisbane based house orientated crowd with a tougher sound and the harder crowds with a more understanding for the softer stuff because it seems to be either one or the other unfortunately. Whether we’re trippin’ or not is a different story. The first event was a huge success so I think we can expect loads more to come…

I hear you’ve have been studying Music Tech in Brisbane for the past 6 months. What have you gained from this and what do you hope to achieve from it once the course is completed?
Although this course has been good for learning a lot of the theory side of music technology, it hasn’t really helped me on the practical side of things (e.g. how to use an industry recognised software package such as Logic or Cubase etc). However, I strongly advise people who want to learn how to write music to enrol as it can be a great thing for new comers. The course has been great with helping understand what equipment will suit you and what to want to write. It’s a very good start for those new to the industry or those wanting to brush up on their skills.

I’ve noticed that you have started playing some of your own productions out. Are any of your tunes set to be released?
There’s a few in the pipeline I guess. In all honesty though, releasing material isn’t the biggest thing for me at the moment. Defining and perfecting my production skills is. Learning Logic (Music software program) is a very in-depth program and it’s something which will take time alone. I’ve been full on for nearly 6 months now so the tunes I’m writing are definitely on their way but, I want to make sure that the material which I will be releasing are quality, not just another average piece of vinyl (like a lot of stuff seems to be these days). Until that day comes I guess its heads down ass up!

Who inspires you and what sound truly represents the jFrantik sound for ‘06?
As you said before, Nick Sentience has been on fire and at his finest again this year so he’s definitely the biggest inspiration. James Lawson and Matt Williams are also huge inspirations of mine for both studio material and DJ sets. I’ve also been finding myself going back to my trance/tech roots for the early tackle stuff which is working a lot. In terms of sound for me this year, I don’t really have one specific sound as I love all corners of dance music, but on the tough side of course. This year artists such as Sander Van Doorn, Psycraft, Greg Downey, Astrix, BK, X-Noise Ali Wilson and the guys listed above have all been getting a good caining… But again, I love it all so if I hear a tune and I like it, I’ll play it!

Where do you see yourself in 5yrs time?
Hopefully touring as JT Effect as well as some solo sets. Writing tunes is also a huge priority for me, so all going well this will eventually give me the opportunity to play in all corners of the globe.

Top 3 tracks of all-time?
That’s a tough one, there’s way too many but here’s what currently springs to mind;

1. Nick Sentience – Discotech (Nukleuz) 2. Faithless- We Come One (Nick Sentience remix) 3. Push- Strange World (’06 Bootleg)

If you asked me the same question tomorrow, I’d most likely say something completely different!

Upcoming JT Effect dates include:
July 28th – Ibiza Uncovered @ Birdie Num Nums
August TBA – Motown- August Date (Electro/breaks/tech house set
August TBA – Bar 240V-
September 16th- Ibiza Uncovered @ Birdie Nums Nums
October 24the -Secret Sessions @ Undisclosed Location