DJ Interviews: James Cole

 

Here's my interview with singer James Cole

How'd you get started in music?

I started playing music as a child because my family always had instruments lying around. I became more serious about it as a teenager and learned how to play drums, guitar, and produce things on the computer. I had a little formal music education growing up but am mostly self-taught. 

In high school and college I played a variety of music in several different bands and had the opportunity to open for some big acts. I produced a folk album of my own music in 2013, but took a break from writing and performing for a few years to focus on my design career and continued to produce songs on my computer as a hobby. 

In 2019, I started writing again and set a goal to create a new project where I could share the electronic music I’d been producing in my free time. In February 2021, I released my first EP under the name naideia and have had a string of release throughout 2021. 

Who are your inspirations or influences?

I draw inspiration from a variety of genres, but have been paying a lot of attention to bass music lately, specifically drum & bass and leftfield bass genres. I think the source of truth for this stuff is VISION Radio, hosted by the members of Noisia. I’m really inspired by the future-forward sounds and innovative arrangements I’m hearing from the bass music and electronica scenes broadly.  

What advice would you offer aspiring performers?

Have fun and just keep making stuff! Get used to rejection and become a master of moving past it. 

How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers?

I’m not worried too much about setting my music apart from other music. I’m just trying to make things I like. There’s a kind of cinematic element to this project I’m hoping to express musically and I try to infuse my music with a sense of atmosphere so listeners can imagine being in a different place. I expect the nature of this project to change over time and hopefully the characteristics that set my music apart from other music will become more apparent as it matures.

Any new gigs or albums in the future?

Yes, I’m wrapping up production for a new EP and plan to release it before the end of 2021. 

Special thanks to him for this interview & I wish him luck in his music. So until then I'll catch you on The Flipside! Stay awesome & rock n roll!