Jonesz Japan Edition Interview (included in CD digipack)
Q1.) Can you briefly let us know your childhood? When and where you were born, and where you grew up? Maxwell I was born in ’83 and grew up in downtown Toronto, Canada. As teenagers, my friends and I spent a lot of our free time at house parties or just chilling out in the park freestyling. I was always working on my craft one way or the other. After finishing high school I moved to Montreal to pursue further studies but ended up mostly focusing on my musical endeavors. patr00 I was born in Poland. I grew up there and moved to Canada in 1996. I believe I had a great childhood. I would spend my days sailing, playing sports and studying music.
Q2.) What kind of music did you listen to growing up? What do you think was your greatest musical influence? Maxwell The first song that made me nod my head was Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’. I was about two years old then. Growing up I had an uncle who was really into music and he exposed me to everything from punk rock, reggae, blues and jazz to classical. I got into hip hop at around age 12 when friends of mine started playing me tapes passed down from their older brothers and sisters. patr00 I started from Jazz and RnB of the 70's. My father is a musician, his friends were musicians. There was always music in the house. My greatest musical influence was Keith Jarret's "The Köln Concert " which I bootlegged from a friend at age of 12 and pretty much know every single note on that album.
Q3.) How was The Jonesz formed? Maxwell We met in the Montreal rap underground and first came face-to-face at a showcase for local musicians in 2006. There is a song on our album called “Sneakers n’ Heels” that discusses Montreal’s rap scene and the events that prompted us to book our first studio session.
Q4.) When did you start making beats? What got you into hiphop? patr00 I started making beats in 2000. The first time I heard "Full Clip" by Gangstarr I knew that making beats would be a major part of my existence.
Q5.) What kind of equipment do you use to make beats? patr00 I base all my production on MPC2000XL and MPC1000. I usually mixdown on reel-to-reel tape having compressed the output with a tube preamp. Simple and effective.
Q6.) How do the ideas come to you when composing music? Maxwell Most of our studio sessions are like a freestyle. Often patr00 makes a beat on the spot and I come with some lyrics written the night before, or just off the top, and we leave with a blueprint for the final track.
Q7.) Do you do live shows often? What is The Jonesz' live show like? Maxwell We follow up on as many opportunities to perform live as possible. If they want us at a show, we want to be there! At The Jonesz live show, we bring as much music equipment as we can carry and set up the studio on stage. As well as partying and having a good time with our audience, we want them to get an inside look at how we make tracks. Producer patr00 plays his beats live off of the MPC and we’re known for improvising beats onstage laced with my own freestyle lyrics.
Q8.) What is Montreal's hiphop/underground music scene like? Are there any Montreal musicians you recommend? Maxwell You will find some very innovative and experienced hip hop groups buried deep in the dusty basements and smoky jam studios of Montreal. If you hang around the clubs and at shows you’ll get to know a lot of familiar faces from different backgrounds and ethnicities all of whom represent on the local scene. Check out Specifics, Karma & Lotus, Narcicyst, Sikh Knowledge, and Chromeo.
Q9.) If you had to choose and recommend one album, an album of a lifetime, what would it be? The Jonesz :: Season 2, coming soon.
Q10.) What are your future plans? Maxwell Currently we are planning dates for live shows and in the meantime working on concepts for a follow-up album.
VA - Mellow Beats, Spirits & Freedom Release: 2008 Label: P Vine Genre: jazzy hip hop TRACKLIST 01 The Jonesz / Guess What 02 Jazz Liberatorz feat. Fat Lip / Slow Down 03 Natural Self / The Love Theme 04 Induce / Rebirth's Reprise 05 Pat D & Lady Paradox / Perspectives 06 Superscientifiku / Aayeahwhatcasay 07 Embee feat. Jose Gonzalez & Supreme / Send Someone Away Remix 08 Giant Panda / Let It Go 09 2 For 5 / Whatz Ya Naim?! 10 Louis Logic / Idiot Gear 11 Sound Providers feat. Wee Bee Foolish / Its Gonna Bee Part II 12 Niamaj / The Vibe 13 G Frequency feat. Tableek / Eggs n Cheese 14 John Robinson / Melinda's Dress 15 - Free The Robots / Session Two 16 ParanormL / Keep It Moving 17 Atmosphere / Sushine 18 Nosaj Thing / Aquarium 19 Surreal & DJ Balance / Moment In Time 20 Ghost feat. Verb T & Asaviour / Exactly 21 Raw Produce / The Feeling of Now (Thes One Remix)
