October 21h, 2014

Made by: JouTi

 

Norwegian genuis Boom Jinx, mostly known as an integral part of the  Anjunabeats family, luckily found some time to chat to us revealing the upcoming album news and sharing hit making secrets. As a music producer he also made a really successful career in the media industry doing music and sound design for films, video games such as Need for Speed and FIFA, TV shows like CSI: Miami, CSI: Vegas, Nip/Tuck to name a few. So, Øistein J. Eide  aka Boom Jinx has quite an impressive list of achievements regularly hitting Beatport charts and touring on four continents around the world as a DJ.

JouTi: Hi, Øistein! Planning our interview I've been digging your biography and haven't found anything particular about your music education background. Did you study production somewhere or attend music classes?

Øistein: Absolutely no education beyond primary school. I'm 100% self-taught. I became obsessed with music at the age of 16. That's 24 years ago now. (What the !#%? happened?) I'm a pretty decent pianist, especially if I improvise jazz. However, again it's just due to hours, days, weeks and years of practice on my own.

JouTi: That's really amazing! By the way, what was a real breakthrough in your music career?

Øistein: I would say when I got my first freelance job making music for a video game when I was about 16. I was so young at the time, being hired by a major US video games developer I felt like I «found my calling». Really, there was no turning back after that.

JouTi: What do you like the most within the Trance or Progressive Trance genre(s)? In which direction do you think it will develop in the near future?

Øistein: I think it's hard to define styles these days, and I see more and more artists reluctant to label their music any style at all. Some Trance could just as well be labeled Progressive House, Electro House or whatever. Actually, if you take Beatport as an example, it sometimes boils down to how a record labels submit the tracks in terms of how they're classified as a genre. I don't particularly care for labeling my music a certain style. If other people want to, I don't mind, but it's of little importance to me. I'm much more preoccupied with the music itself.

JouTi: Didn't you think about making more music in different styles, blends?

Øistein: Well, that's what I've been doing for 24 years, really. If you're referring to what I do under the Boom Jinx brand, I think my upcoming debut album «No Answers In Luck» will be one of the most stylistically diverse albums ever released within the EDM artist genre or by anybody who's generally considered an EDM artist. It's time to show the world who Boom Jinx really is, and whether or not it will approve. ;-) Fingers crossed.

Q: Øistein, everybody is so curious to hear your new album. I know you've been working on it for quite a long time. Did you have to refresh some older tracks from the album since trends are changing really fast nowadays?

Øistein: Not really, no. I had to take out virtually all old «classics» and replace it with brand new material. I had album mixes of «Phoenix From The Flames», «To The Six», «Milano» and more. All of them had to be taken out for new tracks.

Also there are a couple of tracks on the album that are now over 4 years old that, according to Anjunabeats, sound as fresh today as they did back then. However, these are primarily non-dance tracks so they're not as prone to sound «out of date» as if they were. However, this is one of the reasons it's taken so long because some time ago when I thought the album was finished, Anjunabeats wanted more fresh singles; typical Anjunabeats dance «hits» in tune with their (current) style. So, I made a couple of new tracks like «The Dark» with Meredith Call which should help to push the album with more single-friendly material for the record label. At this point, the album is finished and although I'm waiting for final confirmation as we speak, our intention is to release it in 2014.

JouTi: Let's imagine if there were a complete creative freedom not limited to any music styles, what kind of music would you make?

Øistein: Oh, more than one style, probably some downtempo, lounge with a lot of jazzy influence or something more commercial along the lines of what Zedd is doing these days. Those two styles are very far apart, so I might end up doing both after the album is released or reinvent myself altogether while (inevitably) preserving my sonic character. One of the most important things for me about releasing my debut album is it gives me an opportunity to show people who I really am, musically. Once that's done, I suspect I'll let myself go a bit more. Ironically, the album might feel like I did let myself go a lot, I mean compared to what I've already released or at least am known for. There really is a lot more to Boom Jinx than people have heard thus far.

JouTi: Sounds great! When you previously spoke about your musical influences, you always mentioned Michael Jackson, whom I really admire too. Didn't you think about remixing some of his immortal masterpieces?

Øistein: Nah, way too much pressure reinterpreting him. Not saying I don't want to or couldn't but even if I did, the time isn't right. I would probably be remixing it for ages before I felt I did it justice, and I already have too much to do as it is. Besides, getting that released properly (officially) wouldn't be easy, so it would probably end up as a bootleg at best. I would like to work with George Michael at some point, when I'm «big enough» to be taken seriously by his management. Let's just say it's on my wish list but not a priority. Going back to remixes, I'm virtually allergic to remixing music because it takes me just as long to remix a track as it does to write a new one of my own. The composer in me prefers to make new music, not reinterpret tracks. Coming from a background in media, the fee for doing remixes is so !#%? much lower than doing music for... let's say a TV show as well. Long story short, remixing honestly doesn't appeal to me very much. Anjuna HQ knows this so well they don't even ask me anymore. PS. I did the remix of Dusky's “Lost In You” on my own initiative; nobody asked me.

JouTi: By the way, how long did it take you to make «The Dark», which recently hit #1 Beatport Trance Top 100? What's the story of this song? It feels like there should be an amazing story behind such meaningful lyrics.

Øistein: I'm not sure there's as much of a story as there's an observation in those lyrics. I can't remember exactly how long it took to make, but according to Meredith Call, she wrote the song about me. I thought that was a secret but, umm... apparently she already told Anjuna HQ. I guess the cat's out of the bag. Perhaps not to be taken too seriously (or literally), but she knows me well.

JouTi: Well, let's go on revealing «secrets». Øistein, what's the most important for you when work on collaborations? How do you know from the start if you'll get along well with somebody in a creative scenario?

Øistein: You never know-know, but you get a feel for it early on. The most important thing is the result and that there aren't too many disputes or disagreements along the way.

JouTi: Do you prefer to work with vocalists who make vocal parts and lyrics themselves?

Øistein: Yes. I do not consider myself a songwriter so I stick to what I do best.

JouTi: Could you mention some of your tracks which effected you the most while producing and in which way?

Øistein: Believe it or not, most of those are never released or even heard. They will be improvised things I did while thinking of my children... things like that. Any genuine artist is a very emotional creature, but music for me is as much a need as it is an expression. In fact, the expression is based on the need. During the creative process a lot of my mind «disappears» into a coma-like state where I'm not so aware of what I feel, or at least don't focus on it. By the time a track is finished, I've been working on it — and thereby listening to it — for so long, I have trouble listening to it again. As sad as that may sound, I believe this is fairly common.

JouTi: Incredible! That's how genuine tracks should be born. I've noticed that you're really open for communication with your fans, and it seems like social media is eating a lion's share of your time, isn't it? How do you manage studio work, gigs and all that together?

Øistein: I have long periods of severe depression and will in all likeliness be diagnosed with bipolar disorder before the year is over. There are times depression leaves me incapacitated and dysfunctional, times where I barely get out of the sofa, sleep an awful lot, spend entire days doing absolutely nothing but eat, watch TV etc. With a mood disorder, sadly, this is beyond my control. Fortunately — sometimes — this suddenly switches to manic periods, where I become super creative, productive, requiring very little sleep. Once diagnosed with this mood disorder, I suspect I'll become more balanced between the two extremes.

As for social media, it just seems like a lot of my fans truly appreciate that I interact with them, and it serves me well during periods where I'm not particularly creative or productive. Unlike some other artists, I feel I «owe» my fans just as much as they «owe» me. Had it not been for them, I wouldn't be where I am now. It's very much a two-way street. Plus, although I consider myself a compassionate and passionate fellow, I'm a temperamental man with a sharp tongue. Occasionally, I end up in arguments and filter out the bat shit crazy people by either verbally putting them in the blender or ban them for my page. Perhaps there's a little devil in me that likes to argue? If I had a PR agent, I'd probably be executed the backyard for sh*t like that. But there's always a bat shit crazy person who pops up now and then among the many, and I don't want or need fans like that.

JouTi: A couple of production questions for dessert. How do you usually start making a new track? What comes the first?

Øistein: Chords and melodies these days. If you don't have the foundation for a good song, the backbone of a potential track itself, writing music on top of beats and bass just limits your creative freedom as a composer. Sure, I can and have written music on beats and bass, but it's easier to get more musical results the other way around.

JouTi: What aspect of production you still find the most challenging for you?

Øistein: Overall arrangement and the breakdown's build-ups can be a b*tch sometimes, but with OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) onboard, I just don't let sh*t go until I get it right. Occasionally, this is a very tedious and time-consuming process though.

JouTi: Do you master your own music or prefer to have a double check?

Øistein: I've done a lot of mastering over the years, and occasionally do mastering for various companies and record labels, but I honestly prefer not to master my own stuff. Anjunabeats works with good and professional mastering engineers. It's always nice to get a second pair of ears on your work during the very final touches anyway.

JouTi: Do you record the vocals in your own studio? What's your favourite microphone?

Øistein: The singer/songwriters I work with normally live on different continents than I do. Most of them are Americans and record the vocals themselves, then send them over so I can tune, time and process them.

JouTi: What about your favourite synths? Do you still use some hardware synths?

Øistein: I don't have any. Before the whole virtual instrument thing «took over», I must have had more hardware synths over the years than I can count. Computers became so powerful at some point, a lot of outboard gear became inconvenient, not to mention too expensive for an average beginner. That's why «everybody» is a musician or DJ these days; they just need a computer. Although I own goodies like a Moog synthesizer that I'm very fond of, I mostly lean on virtual instruments.

JouTi: For drums do you mostly use samples or synthesis?

Øistein: A bit of both, really. Mostly samples. I actually never use the same sound twice, unless we're talking about a piano or anything like that.

JouTi: For mixing, do you put some plug-ins on the main output? If so, which ones?

Øistein: Mixing through a mastering chain is a bad idea, but it can be useful to have one on stand-by to get an idea what the end-result is going to sound like, just for reference. As for which tools I use for that, mostly DSP-based plug-ins from Universal Audio (UAD-2) and TC Electronic (PowerCore).

JouTi: Øistein, thanks for taking the time to chat to us today. Before we go, could you please mention your plans for the nearest future?

Øistein: Getting my album 'No Answers In Luck' out on Anjunabeats before 2014 ends is my #1 priority, but I have more ongoing productions and collaborations than I should. My to-do list looks more like a suicide note than anything that's trying to keep a man organized. I virtually have enough unfinished material to be half-way into a second album before the first one is even out! (That makes me an idiot with weird priorities, but that's a different story altogether.) Let's just say I have a lot of work to do, and there's going to be a looot of Boom Jinx out there in 2015. As my brand grows bigger, I suspect I'll be an increasingly in-demand DJ, so there will inevitably be more touring. A worldwide promo tour for the album is pretty much a given, so although we have yet to plan and work out the details, I do expect to be on the road quite a bit in the not too distant future.

– Boom Jinx

 

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