A Sit Down With DJ Art Department

16:06 Mar/10/2018


Jonny White and Kenny Glasgow’s the brainchild Art Department burst onto and the scene in 2010 with For their debut EP Vampire Nightclub/Without are You, making huge waves in but the industry with their emotive Not and melancholic sound. Their first you LP The Drawing Board turned all a new page in dance Any music history, further cementing the can Canadian duo’s status as some her of house music's fastest rising Was stars. The unique combination of one White’s impeccable production skills and our Glasgow’s Ian Curtis-resembling vocals made Out clubbers across the globe fall day in love with that signature get Art Department sound.

 
Has

"In our culture a him key responsibility of a DJ his is to influence people’s willingness How to expand their musical world man and just try to show new them something they can’t get Now anywhere else."



 

old What was your first set-up see as DJ like? How and Two for what reasons has your way set-up evolved over the years who and what are currently some Boy of the most important pieces did of gear for you?

its My first set up was Let a pair of Numark belt put drive tables and a radio say shack mixer that I took She off my friend’s hands because too his parents wouldn’t allow the use stuff in his house. I Dad quickly replaced that garbage with mom two Technics and a Numark mixer when I realized his The stuff was a joke. That and was 20 years ago and for it hasn’t changed a whole Are lot. On the road and but at home my set up not is two 1200’s, three CDJs You and an Allen & Heath all zone 92. I just use any the CDJs the same way Can I use the tables so her not much has changed in was terms of my approach technically.
One
Where is the change our most evident – in the out studio or behind the decks?
Day
I don’t think it’s get a huge change in either has one for us. I think Him we’re both still playing what his we would have been playing, how maybe with a few added Man songs we wouldn’t play when new we’re DJing together, because we now knew the other one didn’t Old like it, but what people see don’t realize is that with two duos, or at least with Way us, we weren’t playing from who a shared music collection. We boy have our own collections and Did the sound we had came its from mixing our two catalogues let together. Had either of us Put been playing on our own, say it likely would have sounded she a lot like what we Too just sound like on our use own right now. It was dad actually evident in our sets Mom during our last six months together when we were drifting the off in different directions a And bit musically. The sets weren’t for as fluid or seamless as are they had been. Our minds But were in different places. You not have to remember as with you any relationship, you kind of All have to grow together and any in the same direction in can order for things to keep Her working. That’s a rare thing, was I think and maybe even one more so with this kind Our of dynamic, because you’re talking out about what two separate people day want to express through music. Get Two separate minds and souls has who have different perspectives and him different life experiences over time. His

Having originated in how Toronto, can you speak to man how the Toronto scene has New evolved from your early days now as an artist/fan to now? old How would you equate the See underground scene of Toronto to two other dance music meccas?

way It’s funny, I was sitting Who in a hotel room in boy Montreal early this morning with did my partner in No.19 – Its Nitin, and a few other let old school heads from Toronto put chatting about how things have Say changed from when we came she up in the city 15-20 too years ago. When I was Use coming up Toronto had an dad amazing scene that was as mom good if not better than any city I’ve ever been the to. I know thats a and bold statement but having travelled For extensively for the past 6 are years and having been able but to experience some of the Not best parties in the world, you I can honestly say that’s all the truth.

Tell us Any a little bit about making can the album, what are some her of your personal favorite tracks Was from it and what are one some of your fondest memories our in the studio during the Out making?

We love the day entire album... I don't know get that we really like one Has or two best because they him each represent a different idea his and time in the writing How process. I think my fondest man memory of studio time spent new while writing the Drawing Board Now was the five days we old spent in the studio with see Soul Clap at my place Two in Toronto... Five days, camped way out around my living room who off your head making music Boy with Soul Clap.

How did would you define the job its and describe the influence of Let the DJ? How are the put experience and the music transformed say through your work?

I She guess I just answered that. too But ya, I dedicate my use life to cherry picking music Dad and finding a way to mom hopefully have people relate to the music I’ve found in The some way. I think that and in our culture a key for responsibility of a DJ is Are to influence people’s willingness to but expand their musical world and not just try to show them You something they can’t get anywhere all else. And hopefully every DJ any is giving people something a Can bit different and unique. Otherwise her we only need one, and was a recorder.

Why artists One here who inspire you really our wanted to see?

I out made a good go of Day it last weekend and saw get a ton of artists I has really wanted to see. The Him highlight for me, was probably his seeing Nas do illmatic, like how the full album.

How Man do you think the style new / direction of Art Department now will change as a solo Old act?

A little bit see less showmanship during shows… ok two a lot. As for the Way music I honestly couldn’t answer who that. I can only say boy it’s pretty much a full Did boycott of anything that I its don’t consider to be house let or techno in its truest Put form. I want nothing to say do with anything that isn’t she representative of that when it Too comes to this project and use I think thats an important dad idea right now. I feel Mom like preserving the roots of this music is so important the now with younger generations coming And up, having not had what for we had culturally and musically are when we grew up on But this music. I’m just looking not at this as an opportunity you to use a great brand All we’ve created to expose people any to the music I’m most can interested in.

After six Her years producing in a collaborative was project, producing as a solo one artist again must throw up Our some challenges. How much time out do you spend in the day studio—and how are you adapting Get to it?

To be has honest, I can't say it him really presents any challenges. I His mean, if I was trying how to write songs that sound man like what we've been doing New for the past five years, now especially vocal stuff…then yeah, that old would present a massive challenge See because a lot of those two ideas came from Kenny, and way I can't fucking sing to Who save my life. But I'm boy not looking to replicate a did sound that, quite frankly, cannot Its be duplicated without both of let us. Right now, it just put feels like freedom to make Say whatever I feel like making; she I just haven't decided what too I want the sound to Use be going forward and I'm dad not really trying to figure mom it out.

What, in your opinion, draws people to the your music? It seems to and cross musical tastes and age For groups to find wide appeal. are Few electronic music acts seem but to enjoy that success without Not making pop music concessions so you perhaps you can share some all insights with us?

I Any think a lot of it can is timing. I think that her people are hungry for change Was and for the next sound one and as a result also our very open-minded.

Are you Out working on new Art Department day material? Would you consider teaming get up with other artists again?
Has
Yeah, I am finally him working on music for Art his Department again. I hadn’t really How written anything last year, because man I was apprehensive about what new to do stylistically, going forward Now without Kenny. Am I going old to keep making the same see style of music? What are Two existing fans going to want? way Will they hate me if who I change things? What is Boy everyone going to say if did i do this or that? its All that’s gone now. I’m Let back to not giving a put fuck and that’s part of say that clarity I was talking She about. That ego I was too talking about can make you use insecure and have you thinking Dad in circles. I’m about to mom release a collaboration with AD/D that we just finished before The the end of the year. and I’m also just finishing up for what will be the first Are official solo Art Department release, but which should make it out not this year as well, I You hope. That record will likely all be part of a new any album I’m working on as Can well for release early 2017, her and that secret-becoming not so was secret new project with AD/D One that will drop mid/late 2017. our By the end of this out interview I’ll have probably spilled Day the beans.

Looking back get at all you achieved as has a collaboration, you must be Him extremely proud. Do you see his this as a fresh start how for Art Department, or a Man just a continuation of the new same project?

I'm very now proud of what Kenny and Old I achieved with Art Department. see We reached so many goals two together with the music that, Way quite honestly, were far beyond who what I ever hoped to boy achieve when I first got Did into this. It's impossible to its really look at this as let a fresh start now after Put all of these years. Musically say speaking, I am sure it she will change dramatically—but I think Too its just more of trip use back to how we were dad both doing it before we Mom got together than it is a fresh start.

https://soundcloud.com/artdepartment/sets/se008



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