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John Gibbons Interview 2014

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John Gibbons Interview 2014
Want to know more about John Gibbons? I had the honour of interviewing this talented DJ/Producer from Ireland, in which, interesting subjects c. Read it completely below!

1 – Could you tell us a bit about your musical background? What led you to begin DJing, producing, and composing music in the first place?

I began DJ’ing while still in school, in fact my very first gig was as stand-in for a DJ who didn’t show up at a school disco at home in Ireland. I still remember the incredible buzz that I felt from being on stage from the first time and from there I managed to work my way up the ladder into better and better gigs over time.

I always had an interest in production and dabbled from a young age also but really began to take it seriously after ‘Beautiful Filth’ broke through into the mainstream and crossed over to the Irish pop charts in 2008. At that point I realized that production was about to become a whole lot more than just messing around on my laptop!


2 – Where are you originally from? What is the music scene of your hometown like?

I’m originally from a small town in Ireland called Carlow. While the music scene is tiny, as is the case in any provincial Irish town due to sheer lack of population, as a nation Ireland has always punched well above its weight in musical terms and I got an invaluable grounding in the skills required to properly DJ (as opposed to simply playing a pre-determined set as is the case with so many performers now) while playing in local bars and clubs, equipping me well for the career that has followed.

3 – What can you tell us about the experience of DJing with some of the elite in the industry and your interest in music production?

I remember being blown away by the initial experience of playing alongside DJ’s whom I had looked up to and idolized growing up, the likes of John Digweed, Armin, Tiesto and many others and it’s still a huge thrill to consistently play alongside the industry elite and be considered a contemporary as opposed to a fan. I’m very lucky in that regard and would never take for granted the opportunities I’ve received to date.

As I mentioned earlier, music production became serious from 2008 onwards and huge influences for me in this regard would have been Tony de Vit, Corvin Dalek, John Digweed, Yomanda and almost anything that was released on the ‘Manifesto’ label. I still consider ‘Manifesto’ to be the best dance label of all time, particularly in terms of capturing the essence of what dance-music is all about for me, ie. eliciting a variety of emotions and feelings in the clubber or listener.


4 – What life experiences and/or events inspired the writing and recording of your upcoming collaboration “Get Down” with Mac & Gannon? Is this your first single on Insomnified?

Yes, ‘Get Down’ is my debut on ‘Insomnified’ and is very much inspired by my feelings with regard to world events and in particular the militarized subjugation of the so-called ‘free’ West we are currently witnessing on a frightening level. The track is written with forceful, almost dystopian, high-impact moments and sugar-coated with contrasting melodies in order to reflect the present Orwellian/Huxley-esque societal juxtaposition with the double-entendre vocal deliberately placed to mirror both sides of the metaphorical coin, ie. the global control structure and ‘we the people’.

Mac and Gannon have been a dream to work with, we have a similar musical vision and work ethic and I firmly believe the have a massively bright future as artists, hence my keenness to work with them.

5 – How did you find out about Insomnified?  Is their utilization of global & territorial resources / listenership the reason you went with the label in the first place?

I’ve been a close follower and supporter of Insomnified for some time now, having first stumbled across label boss Magnetie through her release ‘You & Me’ on the label and despite offers from a number of other high-profile labels, a combination of their musical ethos, distribution clout through Black Hole and attention to detail with regard to maximizing the potential of each release made Insomnified the perfect fit for this release.

6 – What can you tell us about some of the tracks you have featured on your Soundcloud page?

My Soundcloud page offers a diverse sample of some of the tracks I’ve released over the past few years and includes solo tracks, collaborations and a variety of styles. I also includes some of my more recent cross-over tracks which have charted in Europe over the past 18 months, in particular ‘All I Need’, ‘Colder’ and ‘Feelings’, which have helped open many recent doors for me in the music industry and have inspired the direction of my debut artist album which is pending.

7- What is your favorite social networking platform? Why?

On a personal level I love Twitter for its condensed simplicity and the speedy way it allows me to keep an eye on and interact with both those whom I choose to follow and my own followers. It has really broken down the boundaries between artist and fan which I think is a great thing!

In terms of pure music Soundcloud is great, although they really need to take a closer look at the back end that constantly flags tracks erroneously for copyright infringements – it gets very tiresome having to have my own tracks reinstated!


8 – Who are your biggest musical influences? Why?

Queen for their groundbreaking versatility and showmanship which tore up the rulebook in terms of what was acceptable to a mainstream audience at the time, Judge Jules for his incredible ear for uncovering diverse and groundbreaking dance-music spanning decades always focusing on creativity above all else, as well as tirelessly championing new talent and Tupac Shakur for inspiring me to make a statement with music as opposed to always pandering to the bottom-line.


9 – What are your favorite activities or hobbies outside of music?

I’ve a huge interest in the law and have studied it extensively for years. It fascinates me how the law is used by the parasitic professional ‘elite’ to chevy the general populace into doing things that go entirely against our natural instincts, when in fact it can be used to protect us from a wide-range of social ills and financial malignancies. I regularly practice as a lay-litigant and it has genuinely changed my world-view and on a macro level, my entire life and allowed me a heretofore unimagined level of real (as opposed to illusory) freedom. I recommend the study of law to everyone. While initially intimidating, it’s a hugely empowering journey.

10 – What does 2015 hold in store for John Gibbons? A full-length release perhaps?

Next year marks the release of my debut artist album and the continued roll-out of my ‘POWER’ tour concept which has been in testing at various global events since 2013. I’m extremely excited about the coming year and believe it will be a career-defining twelve months. Watch this space!

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John Gibbons
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Paul Gannon
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Karl Mac
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By Erick Ycaza

Hi, my name is Erick Ycaza. I have a BA in Advertising & Graphic Design. This blog is to provide you with daily music news and share my personal style. Surprisingly, I have been blogging and writing about music since 2007.

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