Ojpb: The 'Monday Is Okay' Mix

Music

Based in Montreal, there is a sense of innocence and a genuine quality to the words and music of OJPB. Following a long running love of electronic music his tastes have evolved through the years: from Kraftwerk to Goldie, Alice Coltrane to Basic Channel, OJPB is well versed. Most recently he has released upon Tensnake's True Romance record label, a rare feat which certainly shows intent from him as a producer. We caught up with him to talk music, Monday's and aspirations. Read the interview below and listen to his mix:

Please introduce yourself… Who are you, where are you and what are you?

I’m OJPB (aka Bowly, DÐD, MTSP). I live, love and work in Montreal. I’m a producer, a DJ, overall music lover and I’m trying my hardest to be a decent human.

What does your music sound like? Can you draw what you think it sounds like for us, an image from the old internet is acceptable?

My music sounds like a night time car ride on an highway (at least it does to me). If I had to draw it I would probably draw it like this guy is drawing a picture.

How did your relationship with Tensnake come about, how did you feel when he asked to release the record?

I knew Tensnake through the music on the records of his I own. I got to meet him through my friend Alex Lemieux, an unspoken hero of Montreal’s underground, who now, amongst other things, owns True Romance with him. When he asked me to release the record I felt like a million bucks.

How would you describe the music scene where you are based?

The scene here is really expanding in both really inspiring ways and some slightly depressing ones as well. Nevertheless, Montreal has TONS of good DJs, parties, organisers, promoters and musicians who bust their asses 24/7 to do really great stuff. It is really hard to pin a sound on it which I find very refreshing. You have an incredible hip-hop scene, darker electronic/new wave scene, house/disco/world funk, Techno, you name it…

Tell us about the Monday mixtape you’ve put together for us.

It’s a pretty scattered brain assemblage of music I used to listen to keep me from going insane when I was working the 9-5 plus a few bits from myself and some newer not-that-dancefloor stuff I’ve been itching to share.

Who got you hooked on electronic music?

Where I was born (in a small town in France) none of my friends really listened to any electronic music. I saw a documentary about Jungle/Drum’n’bass on television in ‘97 that fascinated me and bought Goldie’s Saturnz Return shortly after, from then on it was just a few encounters with other people that turned me into Kraftwerk, industrial, Warp. Things got really serious when I moved to Montreal and met my friends Skinnybones, Jacob Checlkowski, Recife & Collis Browne and all the rest of the gang who turned me heavily into house, techno, electro and all the rest.

Who would you say are your biggest influences and what are you hoping to achieve with your music?

I could tell you Theo Parrish, Moodymann, Soulphiction, DJ Premier, Maurice Fulton, Metro Area, Basic Channel, Scott Walker, Alice Coltrane (oh look, I just did!) but I will say the people I met since I moved here have been far more crucial to my knowledge and development as a producer and a DJ. What I want to achieve with my music is mostly moving people while making them wanna move.

What were your original aspirations as musicians and how do you think you're shaping up?

My aspirations were trying to make the music I have in my head and finding the means to be able to do so as much as possible. I’m getting there.

Some self help questions for a Monday:

Am I excited to dive into the challenges that i have lined up for the week?

100%

Am I looking forward to engaging with the people i am meeting or working with?

Absolutely!

Am I going to my dream job?

Yes sir!

Am I being compensated fairly for the value i bring to my job?

Hell no!

Do I feel energised, rested, and confident?

On a Monday, generally, I’m sufficiently energised and confident, but never rested enough.

Your doctor says you need more exercise… what do you take up for exercise?

Dancing 30 minutes a day, 6 hours on the weekend!

If you could travel in time…where in time would you go? Why?

Maybe I’d go back to that night of October 1945 Fred and Mary Trump got sexy and put laxative in there food… because I’m pretty scarred right now.

What was the first electronic record you heard and how did it make you feel?

I’ll go with the first one I recall vividly, Autechre’s LP5. It made me feel like I discovered some secret experiment room that my brain blocked until I heard this music that suddenly made the memory comes back.

How does your brain work when making music? How does it work when you aren’t?

I’m lucky enough to have my studio at home so music making is never really stopping. There is often some loop running for hours in the background even if I do other things like cooking/cleaning/answering emails… so I’m not sure how it works when I’m doing music because I’m in the moment (I know, what a cliché) but when I’m not it’s missing it’s drugs and it goes in all sort of direction, wants to do everything at the same time.

What were the first and last records you bought?

The first was probably a 7” by some French pop band or singer like Gold or Jean-Jacques Goldman. The last one was Philou Louzolo “Alkebulan Republic” on Lumberjacks In Hell

What are you obsessed with at the moment?

Music wise, I’m obsessed with Hip-Hop and Dub at the moment but that changes on a weekly basis if not more often. Otherwise I’m obsessed with politics… I wish I were not.