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It's
been quite awhile since the release of "breakup" (a rather
humble beginning, we might add, in which Dj FM sold the first
CD out of the box to one of his co-workers!) Dj FM in fact began writing new material in late 1998, beginning
with the first single from his new record, "I Believe."
"I
wanted something entirely different for this new record. So
much had changed in the years since "breakup" was written.
First of all, I really didn't own much equipment. Most of
the synths used to record "breakup" belonged to Tom or the
studio, and the majority of the arranging took place in the
studio as well. But since then I was able to acquire a nice
little set-up and really had time to fine-tune the new songs
and arrangements.
"The
other major difference comes from the fact that three years
ago when I began writing "breakup," I wasn't a DJ. One of
the biggest things DJ-ing teaches you is how to listen and
observe. Playing records (or CDs) and seeing different people's
reactions is a strong educator. And if you want people to
dance, the beat is everything - it has to be strong, or you're
just wasting your time."
So
how is "I Believe" a step in that direction? "It has to be
the poppiest song I've ever written, period. I don't think
I could write anything more pop than this song. The beat is
much more well-defined, and the melody more simplified and
focused, to better serve the lyric." Judge for yourself with
a listen to this instrumental demo....
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Yet
even at this stage, the song was only half complete. "One
of the things I was aiming for with this record was much more
of a band sound, a live sound. My goal is to use loops and
samples on this record as infrequently as possible. Jason's
drums will be featured prominently throughout, layered next
to the electronic drums, and Tom will be adding plenty of
percussion. I also wanted a live bass and guitar track on
this song as well. These are things that could only take place
in the studio.
And
how WAS the recording process? "Well....difficult! Tom suggested
that this song be the 'guinea pig' in terms of how to get
things done, and it certainly has been. The first day of recording,
our MIDI interface (the 'little black box' that syncs the
computers with the ADATs and so forth) went completely bust,
and I had to go buy a new one. And I know playing against
electronic drums was a new experience for Jason. Obviously,
a person doesn't have a built-in 'quantize' switch, or a way
of keeping time perfectly, so you just have to keep re-taking
until you get it right. Jason handled it like a pro, as usual."
So what's the secret? "The first rule of thumb: if you've
spent over an hour trying to re-take the same part, stop and
EAT! Thank God there's a Wendy's down the street from the
studio!"
Lyrically,
the song was a "guinea pig" as well. "Even when I wrote 'Valley,'
I was never entirely comfortable writing lyrics, or putting
vocal melodies to songs. It was so easy for me to stay in
my 'comfort zone' writing instrumental music - putting a message
behind it, and a personal one, takes a bit of doing." Even
when he tried to write the vocal line, Dj FM had to come up
with the melody using his guitar rather than hum it with his
own voice.
So
now it was time for Dj FM to really pull out
all the stops, enlisting the aid of Bobby Patterson, former
vocalist/bassist for local funk heroes DAG. "Bobby wasn't
telling me how to write, or what to write. He basically sat
down with me and pointed out certain things in my writing
style that could hold the song back. His philosophy: Don't
become attached. If a certain line or line(s) doesn't work,
get rid of it. It was quite an eye-opening experience for
me!" Unfortunately, Bobby was unable to lend his vocal talents
to the track. "I can't speak for him, but I'm sure he's very
busy with other projects. I certainly appreciated his help!"
There
were many who wanted to audition, including Sydney White.
"I met Sydney at Top of the Hill Grill in Chapel Hill. We
struck up a conversation about music and it turned out that
she was a huge fan of U.K. DJ Paul Oakenfold. Unfortunately
she never called me back." So the second person to actually
audition was Susan Wood, aka Destiny, a local singer-songwriter
from the Chapel Hill area. "She was a real professional about
the whole thing, really sank her teeth into the song. I learned
a lot watching her work out the vocal parts, and took a lot
of it to heart when writing the lyrics to 'Garden.'"
Then,
out of the blue, an old friend of the FM Initiative stepped
back into the picture - Elizabeth Fountain. "Elizabeth had
previously done vocals on 'Baranquilla' and 'Valley,' and
I was extremely pleased with the results. But by the time
I was ready to start recording again, she'd gone away to school
to study acting and I thought that she was out of the picture
for good. I'm glad she was still interested - it provides
continuity between the two recordings, and quite frankly,
her vocal on this new track is off the hook!" The
recording process lasted well into the early morning hours,
but the results were well worth it.
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