under the influence with...blackjoy

What better way to introduce our latest guest for the 'under the influence with...' series than to have the man himself talk about his musical journey so far before singling out the tunes that are key influences over the sounds we hear from his edits, productions and dj sets. much thanks to Blackjoy for taking time out to share these stories.

enjoying listening and reading into the sounds of Blackjoy.

Born in a small town, raised in a just a lil bigger one, I had no clue of what "growing with the commercial radios" was. I was trained under the influence of Bernard Lenoir on France Inter (french John Peel), and I got the feeling music is my favorite part of life. Later I went into Jazz, Soul, House, Techno, Rare Grooves and so on. I got my first radio show on Radio Campus Dijon for which I was playin' the early french touch bands as Alex Gopher, La Funk Mob, Daft Punk and Mighty Bop. My studies and connections made a job possible at Yellow Productions in 1998 and I started djing around Europe and Canada... I took the decision of touring less and went deep into making music. A mpc2000, 2 turntables and a zip disk...and here we are: I met the incredible keyboard player François Faure, I knew Thomas Naïm from Tom & Joyce from the Yellow years and this outstanding guitarist became one of my closest friend... And last but not least Guillaume Farley, « the » bassman.

 

Is Blackjoy a band? Yes and no. I'm the brain and I handle the science. I do drums, some keys, arrangements, editing, producing but the instrumentalist parts of the music couldn't exist without the team...

 

The first EP, Untitled was released in 2002 and got heavy plays from specialists and legends such as Kenny Dope, Phil Asher, Lil' Louis, Kerri Chandler, Benji B, Dj Deep... Then I started to work on remixes but the next big job came with the production of Moustache for Yellow in 2005. Still doing remixes I was going deep into producing the first album which I started to work on in 2001. The album was released in France since October 1^st 2007. First single was a song from General Elektriks', who’s signed on Quannum. Then the second single Metalbossa included the remixes from Phil Asher's Restless Soul. The album is called TIME and contains 2 songs from Shawn Lee, a Weather Report's cover and diverse blues and soul atmospheres.

 

Now back behind the desks, I spin the Blackjoy disco sounds and vibes around the globe with more pleasure than ever. Several Edits and Remixes have been released (Blackjoy Edits Vol.1&2, Blackjoy Versions) and a new Blackjoy record project is in process, with featurings from Sandra Nkaké, De Tropix and Aqeel.

 

My name’s Jérôme Caron, hope you’ll like the sound of Blackjoy.

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Michael Jackson - Thriller

This is my first time being scared by music images on TV. I was a kid when the main shows broadcast the Thriller video. That's my most honest memory about it. I didn't know anything about funky music, I was way too young and my parents didn't have a big music background. My father used to play some piano and guitar, he still does actually, but no big record collection. A nice taste to music but... Back to Michael, I maybe didn't know about the groove or the funkyness, I've been listening to this album till he broke. For a long time Beat it was my favorite, but now I'd say The lady in my life is maybe my diamond in there. The ad lib is just insane.

Led Zeppelin - Communication Breakdown

Drumming is something I can't do but this is anyway a passion. I love drums, I can spend 2 days on a drum programming and John Bonham is responsible for that obsession. Communication breakdown used to to make me jump every on my bedroom when I was a kid. Of course the rest of the band was amazing to me but the strengh Bonham had in his playing was pure fascination to me.

The Stone Roses - Fool's Gold

English music was my biggest influence until I got to my 20s. Manchester's bands were very important and I was proud as hell to be able to go to Manchester at 15. I actually discovered this Roses first album several years after it's been released but Fool's Gold never went away, I always kept that song somewhere. I love the idea that pop can be funky, I mean this is a lazy melody on a funky drummer type of... somehow it's insane but it works. Big tune.

Sonic Youth - Shoot

Being obsessed with England, I even went to Darlington for my holidays... in the County of Durham. That's where Dirty from Sonic Youth became my holiday friend. I was killing the tape I had the album on and Shoot had a funky feeling that was always taking over the other songs. With few more years I'd clearly say this album isn't my Sonic Youth favorite but Shoot is my favorite groove from them.

Beatles - Eleonore Rigby

Classic. Unmissable. This tune painted part of my teenage years. The complete Beatles post Rubber Soul made me what I am in term of harmony. But if I'd pick one song that would be it. It's funny when you listen to Caetano Veloso's cover of Billie Jean 'cause he's skipping at the end to Eleonore Rigby, and you could think it's the same song..

Mc Solaar - Prose Combat

The music on this record has been more influential than the rapping but I loved this record. Boombass beats killed me. Same as Bonham, Boombass got me into drumming, fat sound. I just got the chance to spend 1 hour with him to do an interview for my show on Redbull Music Academy Radio. It was hard not to tell him how much his music has been important for me. I still love what he does but Nouveau Western was a revolution in my world. I wasn't into hip hop but this even gave me a certain sensitivity to go to electronic beats too. 

Herbie Hancock - Inventions & Dimensions

Herbie is the man who made me found in love with jazz but I didn't know... short story but! Check that. I was talking to guy who was a drummer in a funk band to get tips 'cause I didn't know about funk. I had my pop rock background when I arrived in University. This guy is telling me about Herbie Hancock, how much funky stuff he did. So the day after I run in a record store and I found that little boxset witht the 3 first albums Herbie recorded. Came back home and discovered these jazz record. At first I was kind of disappointed but Invention & Dimension changed my life. Literraly. I even try not to listen to it too much 'cause I can't do anything else than listening when this is on.

Motorbass - Pansoul

Best house / techno / whatever album. When this came out, I chased it because these guys were involved in the Mc Solaar sound I loved so much. When I finally got it, oh my god. Zdar is maybe one of my favorite sound engineer. Plus this urban sound disappeared a little bit in the newer stuff people are trying to produce now, especially for albums. There was no single in there but who cares? This hasn't been played on the radio but who cares? Best dance music album. 

Peter Brown - Do you wanna get funky with me

Disco in France is a bad word, a nasty style. Disco means pop dance here. So when Dimitri from Paris got big I was not sure being very french myself... but he gave a disco mixtape to a friend of mine and we listened to it so much. The breakdown version changed my vision for the style. Disco was cool and dark too. This tune will stay top 10. Huge vibe.

D'Angelo - Voodoo

I could have had Here 'my dear' from Marvin Gaye on that selection but somehow Voodoo is even bigger because it's more new. D'Angelo has lost himself, sad, very sad. What I know is Voodoo influence but way of doing music, of thinking groove, and once again this album has one single but this was a tv single because of the video more than a radio single. But who cares? Fuck radios. I love album, this is one great album.

Download 02 Devil's Pie (Raw)

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Download 08 baby erik (blackjoy rmx) 1

check out more Blackjoy sounds here.

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