Page 39 - Zone Magazine Issue 012

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Electronic music has come a long way since its inception in the late 1800s: from the invention of instruments such as the little-known telharmonium, to the infamous theremin, through the beginning of its rise with Kraftwerk in the early seventies, right up to the present day, where the world is rife with electro- pop superstars and bass-dropping dubstep DJs.
It’s through this unlikely chain of events, crossing time and space as it does, that I come to be chatting to Jounce, one of the aforementioned bass-droppers. His new remix of Twenty One Pilots ‘Ride’ has gone down smooth as a bottle of Orchard Thieves with his own fans and diehards of the original track. No mean feat.
“I’m a big fan of the original song, especially ‘cause it’s a hybrid track,” the man himself says. “But I could hear an alternative take in my head,”...
And thus it was born, a truly unique take on the art of the remix. With reggae drums, a wall of sound chorus and as few breaks as possible to slate the thirst of dance floor hungry club goers.
However, Jounce’s new take on the track changes comparatively little. Where some remixes would merely take the hook of the song, loop it, and wedge a ‘floor friendly beat behind it. Jounce elected to put his stamp on ‘Ride’ in a relatively subtle way. Or so it would seem...
“What’s interesting is I’ve had some comments (on the remix video I posted on Facebook) where people have said, “I like how you kept some original parts of the song in tact” ... but I actually only used the vocal acapella and completely reproduced everything else. So maybe it was a big change, maybe it wasn’t.”
Jounce was aware of the possible backlash he could receive from TØP fans, but that didn’t deter him one iota;
“When I heard this alternative version in my head... I guess I just had to get it out. Sometimes music ideas are like an itch you gotta scratch. I know what I did was a risk because there are some hardcore TØP fans. But I believe that as an artist you should create based on what you hear in your head, and not create based on what you think fans would want to hear.”
So, while some critics and supposed “upholders” of “real” music would claim there’s no art to the remix, it’s clear that Jounce was merely taking a different approach to scratch his creative itch. Rather than composing a song, he built upon an existing idea to create something new, something different than what had gone before. Not unlike Flann O’Brien’s theory in At Swim Two Birds that says a writer should not create characters, but borrow them from existing texts.
And Jounce has something to say to the “upholders” mentioned above.
However, like his remix, it’s a refreshingly unconfrontational response:
“Admittedly, I was somewhat critical of electronic music as a kid because whatever I was exposed to sounded too synthesized or “fake” compared to the real instruments. But technology has advanced so much, I think well produced electronic music can sound just as real as anything else. And if you add some real world samples or vocals, the song can sound less artificial.”
Jounce’s history with more traditional instruments lends his words a certain gravitas. He claims that, unlike your average DJ, he doesn’t count beats or measures. He prefers to “feel the vibe of the music,” rather than take a more
mathematical approach.
He also stresses the importance of letting the music breathe;
“As a DJ, you have total control over the entire song, but you can suffocate it by trying to overdo things. Some scratching and FX are great, but I try to limit it to only when I feel it’s adding to the listener’s experience.”
It was the freedom that seduced Jounce away from the meatand- three-veg band and towards DJ-ing. He explains that as a DJ, you have total freedom with regards to what to play and how you
play it. Whereas with a band, you’re limited to what you’re known for and what your technical capabilities allow you to play.
But, it was a mere request for help from a friend, yet another series of unlikely events that led Jounce to this
interview;
“I had dabbled around with DJ’ing more out of curiosity. But I didn’t get serious about it until after a friend asked if I could help him at a new club where he was a resident DJ. I was able to play the opening set on an off night. Those were good learning experiences to get better faster.”
And that’s Jounce’s plan for the uncertain future lying ahead;
“get better faster.”
Connect: https://www.facebook.com/ DjJounce/videos/10153819548265796
Words by James Fleming
Pic by Isaac Klotz
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