SXSWorld
Issue link: https://sxsw.uberflip.com/i/81859
In Th e Night Air: Meet Jamie Woon, Electronic Troubadour by Chase Hoffberger recording devices such as Logic, Pro Tools and Cubase. In Great Britain, that evolution is evident in the case of Jamie Woon, a London-based songwriter whose debut album, the just released Mirrorwriting, combines traditional singer-songwriter aesthetics with icy, electronic pop. Woon debuted his new approach with two show- cases at SXSW at Emo's Jr., and at ND and more recently, discussed how technology is making it easier for songwriters to expand beyond the limitations of the acoustic guitar. T he face of the singer-songwriter is changing. Once a typecast reserved for acoustic guitar-slinging troubadours, many current songwriters are foregoing their six strings for computer-based How does the music on Mirrorwriting compare to what you were putting out in the earlier stages of your career? Jamie Woon: Well, I wasn't really releasing music. I was kind of playing on the acoustic circuit from 2004-2008. I had only released one single in 2007: "Th e Wayfaring Stranger," the American folk song. Th at was an a capella thing. At the time, I was doing a lot of acoustic nights and playing troubadour style and working on songs for my record. What were you listening to when you started this transition? Did any sounds in particular help kick-start the process? JW: I had always been into electronic music when I was growing up, people like DJ Shadow, drum 'n' bass and hip-hop and stuff . But I'd kept it pretty separate from my songs. Th e main factor was getting a laptop. I kind of knew that I had something I could do something professional with. I started demoing my songs and would fi nd that the arrangements and rhythm and body of the tune would be in my accompanying guitar part. As I'd add more sounds or fi nd something to mimic those sounds that I was getting into, I would eventually take the guitar away. So I ended up trying to make the electronic sounds do the same job as the guitar. Th ere's a lot of R&B-based pop on Mirrorwriting, almost like it has a Justin Timberlake feel. How long did it take for you to settle on the sound? JW: I wanted to be able to work on it until I felt that it was done. Th at's the luxury that I had in doing it the way I did. I think that the way in which I made this music also had an impact on the mood of the record. I was doing a lot of it on my own and at night. In total, I was working on this sound for about two-and-a-half to Jamie Woon at the Windish Agency House @ND during SXSW 2011. vibe: I'm less aware of the mechanics of the songs and the chords now. Guitar is still my fi rst instrument though, and one that I probably will come back to. What is your live setup like? Is it just you up there? JW: For the most part I'm just singing. I've got a table with an MPC so that I can play samples. I've got a KAOS pad and a loop sampler that I can use to loop my voice. Behind me is drummer who plays a mixture of electronic and acoustic drums. I have two synthesizer players, one of whom plays bass as well. It looks like a pretty normal band, I think. What do you think the future holds for traditional singer-song- writers now that artists like you and James Blake are combining that aesthetic with electronic sounds? three years, and I was mostly just experimenting for the fi rst year-and- a-half of it. It took about that long to get it so that the mood and the sentiment hit the song and could occupy its own space, which is what I wanted it to do. Will your songwriting process change now that Mirrorwriting is out and behind you? JW: All the songs on that album were written on acoustic guitar, but I'm actually starting to write from a computer these days. It's a diff erent 50 SXSW ORLD / M AY – J UNE 201 1 to record acoustic instruments; there's more of an art to that and a skill. But you can jump headlong into electronic music quite easily. Th at's what makes it appealing. For a fi rst record, it's quite an attractive proposition. ■ JW: I think that people still want to hear music that's live and sounds like it was recorded professionally and in a studio. Th at's something I want to hear as well. But it's sort of the deliberation of being able to make such music and being able to get it out and be empowered by that. It's much easier to make electronic music at home now than it is MAGGIE BOYD