The United Kingdom England in particular is already known for its cutting egde electronic music scene. If it wasn’t for them Techno and House Music would have never left the USA and become what it is today, lets face it Detroit and Chicago created it but UK made it explode. In fact big electronic acts from Canada like Art Department, Blond-ish and Dragonette moved to the UK because they get more exposure. So when a Techno dj from Nottingham moves to a place like Moncton NB you know music is not the part of it.
We talked with Jim “Variant” Kent an Englishman with Dark Techno sound. Already having Beatport charted success and making a name for himself in the underground techno world, he gets the blessing of having a child and moves to the Maritimes to fulfill his role as a father. But that still does not stop him for creating awesome music and sharing all around the world. He created his own label Amalgm8 Musiq that its just putting out the first release. We interviewed him to know more about him, what he thinks about the scene and his future projects.
When did you start djing and producing?
I bought my first pair of 1210s in 1991 and taught myself how to beatmix at home and at house parties. Less than a year later i had gained the confidence and skills to put out some demos and had my first proper booking a couple of weeks later. From then on i deejayed extensively at clubs and bars around the UK, holding down residencies at some of the UK’s best nights as well guesting all over the country & playing in Europe, Canada, and the US.
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In 2004 i made the decision to add producing to my repetoire and purchased Propellerheads Reason 3 and a Roland Edirol midi keyboard,an Mbox2 Interface with protools,a mic, and a Korg Kaos pad KP2, and the fun really began. To date i have over 50 releases as Variant on over 10 international record labels and my best work is yet to come, with more studio upgrades at xmas .Just in time to absorb the mastering responsibilities at my label.
What are some of your best tracks out there so far?
My most successful track so far is Variant feat. Liane Land – ” Necrosis ” – Romport remix , on Dark & Sonorous Recordings, Stevie Wilson’s remix of ” Nephilim ” on Silent Hell Records , ” Cellar Trip ” The GBR Project remix on Vegas based R3gression Recordings, are still doing the rounds nicely. Also the original and the Hefty remix of my track ” Rejected ” also on Dark & Sonorous, are some of my most popular releases to date.
Being in Atlantic Canada now how do you feel about the music scene?
The Electronic music scene here in Moncton is almost non existent & other than the underground hiphop scene, the whole rest of the music scene here seems to be stuck in the 90s, the majority of bar / club owners & promotors will only play safe with the same formula of rock , country , hip hop & top 40 music. A very archaic approach, and not at all in keeping with the rest of the thriving scenes here in the hub city.
What do you think this scene needs coming from a place like the UK?
This scene needs the bar / club owners to move with the times and embrace the newer more vibrant genres of Electronic music and to snap out of this top40 mentality and actually put on events with headlining djs. There are djs and artists here and close by, who will play for peanuts and fill venues . There is some awareness now but any progression is stifled .
What are the future plans of Amalgm8 Musiq?
First & foremost the future plan for Amalgm8 Musiq is to continue to release only the most cutting edge, forward thinking techno and electronic music around. We already have an awesome first 6 months release schedule with artists from UK, USA, Canada, France,& Germany turning in fantastic EP’s. The next move will be to set up merchandising and label clubnights and to work on the Live set for next years festival circuit, as well as keeping the Amalgm8 Musiq radio show on Fnoob Techno Radio to the high standard of the first 8 episodes.
Any other future projects?
Actually, just last month i took on another 3 exciting remix projects as Variant and signed 2 of my best EP’s to 2 of my favourite labels, and i still cant seem to say no to incoming projects so you can expect to see and hear a lot more from me yet, as well as a steady High Quality output from my label.
Hockey or Football?
Football ( or as they like to call it here Soccer ) Up the reds 😉 Top 5 finish this season for my beloved Manchester United would be nice!!
