Another of those people we gotta talk about this month : James Duncan ! A guy who’s a complete artist, known for his cameo appearances as a trumpeteer alongside Metro Area and Morgan Geist, he’s also unleashed deep house prods on his own Le Systeme label. Based in NYC, he keeps on creating on his own mostly influenced by Chi-town & Detroit classics. His most recent releases incl ‘Night Tracks’ on Le Systeme and ‘Peoples Are Peoples’ on Real Soon. He has kindly accepted to respond to our Q’s…

Who were your first inspirations, as for DJ’s or any house producers ? The people who gave you the impetus to start making music?

Well I've been playing music as a musician for quite a long time but the desire to produce really started with A Tribe Called Quest I guess.

I had gotten into early house and new wave, along with punk rock, during the 80's in high school, but started listening to a lot of jazz and jazz funk once I went to university to study music. Then I heard Low End Theory, just when it had come out, and I discovered that they had sampled one of my favorite Art Blakey records at the time for the first song on their CD. I was totally blown away by how they took that track and had re-worked and re-used it to suit their needs, but in a really musical way. Hip Hop was something I was pretty new to at the time so that just sort of sucked me right in. So I started trying to learn studio gear and started making my own hip hop/break-beat tapes that I would pass around to friends in Toronto. This activity was still sort of on the side at the time, since I was busy doing more live music in bands and such. But I kept doing more and more of it and then it eventually just sort of took over.

What is the favorite track you have produced yourself or collaborated on ?

Hmm I think it would have to be "Lullaby" on Morgan Geist's ’Super EP’ on Environ. Morgan really created such a great track for me to add something to and I think the end result worked out really well.

Have you ever worked with other musicians to produce your own songs or do you prefer to work on your own ?

Well I've worked as a producer/engineer of other people's material but never really worked with other people on my own material in that way. I think it'd be cool but I still sort of enjoy working on my own. But doing a remix is a nice way to get a collaboration going and its nice to hear what other people have come up with etc.

Your music sometimes melts the hard side of techno and the groovy sounds of house music. Could you comment on that...?

Yeah that's sort of what I'm trying to do I guess. Bring those 2 sounds and approaches together, plus mix some of the dirtier sounds coming out of Detroit with maybe the more "floor-oriented" approach of NYC producers.

I think there was a time when a crowd really didn't care if something was house or techno, as long as it was interesting and grabbed you somehow. So I guess I'm just trying to speak to that energy and excitement.

There's a lot of great music floating around right now, so it's a shame to think someone wouldn't play something because the house crowd might not like this or the techno crowd might not like that. Of course the BPMs have gotten faster, but I think those 2 styles can still mix well and easily if the crowds are still open to both.

As a dj, what kind of music are you playing ?

Haha! Well anything I just really like I guess! I try to play records and tracks that I enjoy, then hope that the crowd feels the same way. I think if they can tell a DJ is really into the music, they pick up on that energy and excitement too.

What do you think about today's deep house scene ?

Well, there's a lot going on as always (which is cool of course!), but I think the current drive to make things sound more polished and more spiritual has taken a lot of the rawness and energy from house, at least like it used to have in some ways. Listening to older records, you really get a feeling that they are almost punk rock records in some strange way. You can hear the energy and excitement of those producers trying to push themselves and the sound of house as a whole, always trying to expand their own knowledge constantly, almost with each passing release in fact.

So while it's unfair to expect house to still sound fresh and raw today, I think the desire to make things sound more "live" has stripped the music of some of its real essence. I think that has been reflected in the scene over here too. I mean throwing a larger party in NYC is now a huge undertaking. The rents are really expensive and getting a space together isn't as easy as it once was. So I think the sound has "matured" as a result. So I try to seek out the smaller events where the DJs are a bit more freer to play what they want, rather than trying to satisfy a large crowd and keep them coming back week after week. I think E Man's Bang The Party was the last thing I went to on the regular here, because he created such a great vibe and Frank's in Brooklyn is such an awesome little spot. Like all good things, it has passed. Now the best thing I feel that is happening is the No Ordinary Monkey monthly parties. Not totally Deep House, but definitely a totally good time!

You are a trumpet player, are you playing other instruments besides, and for how long have you been playing music ?

Well I also play guitar and played in my own bands in Toronto for a number of years. Same with the trumpet. I always used to play music with friends in high school but after finishing University, I started to put together groups and present music in a more professional manner. I was active in Toronto for about 10 years before recently relocating to New York to continue my musical career.

How would you describe your commitment on projects as Iztiziz and Aarktica in terms of musical direction?

Well IZITITIZ was an improvising collective that I was a part of that was founded by Matt Heyner of the No Neck Blues Band. We would rehearse regularly and worked on getting a solid group sound together, even though everything was totally improvised and spontaneous. Most of us had played with some of the older Free Jazz generation currently here in NYC, so it was our way of mixing that experience with something that was more reflective of our own generation and influences. As a group, we released 2 recordings on the Sound@One Record Label and did shows up and down the East Coast with people like NNCK, Chris Corsano and Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth). Everyone is sort of working on their own projects now, so IZITITIZ seems to be on "hold" but it was definitely one of the best groups I've ever played in.

Aartika is my friends Jon DeRosa's live and studio project. So my role in that is a touch different from what it was in IZITITIZ. I am a part of a larger group of musicians that Jon calls on to help him present his own recorded works live. In June we will be doing a small West Coast Tour so that should be a blast. Jon's recordings are available on Darla Records.

What your plans are for the coming weeks and months ?

Well, first off I'm getting ready for the Aarktica Tour in June, so once that's finished, I'll be starting in on a new series of recordings for Le Systeme. I'm also contacting a few artists I really admire and seeing if they'd be interested in releasing something on the label as well. Le Systeme has always focused on not only my own music, but the music of people I really enjoy as well. So hopefully this will all lead to some nice releases for the Fall of 2005! Keep an eye out !

Discography

James Duncan s/t 12" Le Systeme
James Duncan "Sounds Of A City" Le Systeme
James Duncan "Times Like These" Le Systeme
James Duncan "Night Tracks" Le Systeme
James Duncan "Peoples Are Peoples" Real Soon
James Duncan "City Life" Traxxx
Dan Lui "Big Smoke Nights Vol 3" Chair (Remix)

Appearances (Select)
Metro Area "5" Environ
Metro Area "Metro Area" Environ
The Rapture "The House of Jealous Lovers" DFA
Morgan Geist "Super" Environ
DJ Romain w/ E-Man "Respect the Music" Metrotrax

More info : lesysteme.org