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Piet Blank and Jasper Jones (a.k.a. Blank & Jones) are one of Germany's top trance production/DJ duos. For years, the two have been producing countless club hits and have also broadcast their sound on several influential radio shows in Europe. Blank and Jones recently switched to FinalScratch 2 and Stanton has the inside scoop.
How long have you been working together as Blank & Jones? Where are your residencies?
We both had our own recording careers before we met. In 1996 we DJ'd together at a gig and realized that we have the same visions about music. We threw our studio equipment together and started working. Our first release was a remix for Moby under the name "Da Bomb."
For 2005 we have taken U.S. residencies in LA (Spundae), New York (Avalon) and Chicago (God's Kitchen), but we are touring the whole world. In May we play in South Africa, Poland, Canada, the United States and of course Germany (visit www.blankandjones.info for complete tour dates).
As Blank and Jones, you are known more as trance producers and DJs. Where is trance music heading and how has it evolved over the past five years?
Basically we love music! When we started as DJs you were able to play all kind of styles in a set. Today you always need define your music in genres. We are definitely very trance influenced, as we like the combination of beats and melodies. After this music became very popular a lot of mainstream pop producers started to work with trance music ingredients, which gave the whole scene a bad picture; trance became a dirty word. For the past year the mainstream started to concentrate on "Eric Prydz" house, so the trance scene finds itself in its original surroundings again. Still, the most popular DJs in the world are trance DJs.
You guys do a big radio show in Europe. Tell us about the show, when and where it airs, etc. and how long you've been doing it.
We have three weekly radio shows at one of Germany's biggest youth radio stations N-JOY Radio. One Saturday night mix show, one "new releases" show, which covers all styles of electronic/dance music (Tuesdays) and one chill out show (Sundays).
What is the goal of your show: to break new music or to play the hits?
For Saturday night we play the biggest club hits together with some new anthems in a non-stop DJ mix. For Tuesday we introduce listeners to all kinds of new music for one hour.
Is it easier to play dance music in Europe versus America and if so why do you think so?
No. In these Internet times people can discover music in the same moment all over the world. Of course the clubbing scene differs in every country but that's why we love to travel and enjoy playing all over the world.
You guys just got a FinalScratch 2. What got you interested in using it?
We are producers, so when we play we often want to play tracks that we just finished in the studio. So we were looking for a way to bring it to the clubs. After a while we discovered all these amazing features in FinalScratch and started a whole new way of DJing.
How do you see FinalScratch improving/changing the way you do your radio show and live DJ sets?
It's great for our radio show because we can create folders with all the new tracks for the week and give it our remarks, so we can easily use it while we are "live on the air." Our DJ sets are very exclusive now, as we started to do our own edits and retouches of the songs we like, which we can play using FinalScratch. No other DJ has these versions, so people who come to see us get something very special.
How do you see the role of a DJ changing now with the emergence of technology like FinalScratch?
We grew up by watching DJs who carry tons of vinyl to the DJ booth. That was pretty exciting, but in the end they all had the same records that they bought in a record shop. By playing our own edits and stuff the audience knows they get something special. DJs can create their own individual sets now, which gives the whole club scene a new pulse.
What are your favorite features of FinalScratch 2?
That you can also use with CDs now, which makes it more reliable, as you don't have to be afraid that the record player or the needle gives you problems. Also, the new recording features are awesome.
Tell us about your latest productions we should look out for.
We are just putting the finishing touches on a remix for the rock group The Killers ("Mr. Brightside") and for late summer you will see our second chill out CD called Relax 2.
For more info visit www.blankandjones.info. |
