London-based Montrealer Stonehouse taking control on the latest episode of Select Cuts. The Smiley Fingers and Jeahmon! producer delivered an exclusive sixty minutes ahead of his upcoming appearance at the next When We Dip showcase at Opium Rooms in Dublin on March 25th. The Canadian is all set to release a whopper new remix on Javier Orduna’s Nightcolours label (March 27th), which you can also check out below.
WWD: Joe, great to have you here. We’re very much looking forward to your trip to Dublin. What’s the one thing you’re most looking forward to on your return to Ireland?
The people! Dubliners are a friendly and entertaining lot. I had a great time pub hopping and meeting all sorts of characters last time. It’s going to be an especially crazy weekend with the WWD lads.
WWD: You re-located to London from Montreal, Canada last year. What’s been the hardest thing about the change of scenery?
That’s an easy question: rush hour tube traffic. Life on the tube at 8:30 am is less than pleasant. People usually say the weather, but I was happy to trade my snow shovel for an umbrella.
WWD: What’s the most enjoyable thing about living in London?
The amount of incredible parties is mind blowing. Fabric was shut down the week I arrived, and I thought “well, I guess I shall save a bit of money”. I think Seth Troxler was schedule to play, that weekend, and I was heart broken. Thankfully it has re-opened alongside the arrival of Printworks, and the weekly lineups at the clubs all over town have been rocking. I’ve been to a few Chapter 24 parties, who do a great job of making top notch music accessible in cool venues. The crowd at their parties are loads of fun, and it’s a great bang for your buck (pound?).
WWD: You’re dropping a new remix very soon on UK imprint Nightcolours. What can you tell us about the track?
I got the stems right before I moved to London and I loved the vocals I bought a Vermona DRM MKiii specifically for the remix. I synced it up to my TR-8 and had a day long jam session. Im a big fan of the groove and vibe of the track. I hope everyone likes it as much as I do.
WWD: We know you’ve got an unhealthy affection for the hardware. What analog has been going in to your recent productions?
I really need to read all of the questions before I answer them…. My Vermona DRM1 is so sexy, but it broke a few weeks ago and I need to get it fixed. I bought a Korg Minilogue, and I love it. I’ve been finding sounds in Triilian and Omnisphere, writing music with them, and then using those to patches to model sounds on the Minilogue.
WWD: Montreal will see it’s prodigal son returning for a while in April. What’s going down?
Trouble. That’s the only thing that ever goes down in Montreal. I’m setting the vibe for two incredible artists, MK and Shiba San, who are on their North America Tour. The party is at Theatre Berri on April 1. I Love Neon are hosting it, and they are some of the best promoters in the city. It’s going to be a ridiculous party. April is always a fun month in Montreal. The snow has finally gone – hopefully- and the city is waking up to the joys of summer. It’s going to be a banger of a party.
WWD: One thing that would make this a great Summer for Stonehouse?
Honestly, a month long hiking trip in South America. Between law school and music, I am on my laptop 18 hours a day. I would love to leave it all behind to experience the wonders that this world has to offer.
I will probably settle for some weekends away with my friends, and producing music in my basement to avoid the heat.
WWD: We got a little somethin’ somethin’ from you to get us in the mood for the show on March 25th in Dublin. What will one find in this mix?
Last year, my favourite release was Suara’s Kitties On Trance. I think it reflects the mood of a lot of producers, who grew up listening to the progressive tech house sounds of the pre-EDM boom of 2011, but who stuck to the underground side of that sound (or maybe I am just generalizing my experiences on others ahhaha). Swedish House Mafia use to play tracks by underground legends like Butch and Mark Knight, before ‘Banger’s took over. It was a really fast transition, so a lot of people forget that there was a lot more overlap between Tech and Progressive. Deep down. I’ve always loved the balance of tech house beats and progressive melodies. Last year, there was a lot of smooth melodic deep and techno coming out, but Kitties On Trance had more bite to it, and those chunkier, darker beats with progressive / trance like melodies caught my attention. Anyway, Kitties on Trance 2 just came out, and Einmusika Recordings released some tracks that kinda fit into that sound. Those two releases are what sent me track hunting last week.
All of this to say, I picked some dark, melodic, tracks with some heavier grooves to them. It reflects what I’ll be playing, and what I am working on in the studio. You’ll also find Mark Hoffen’s remix on my collaboration with Scott James ‘Seduction’. It’s set for release in early April.
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