Shine A Light On… Fairmont R$N Mix

Roving Canadian troubadour Jake Fairley aka Fairmont has built up a loyal worldwide following throughout the course of his ten year long musical trajectory. Back in 2005 he released 'Gazebo’ a bit of a monster that sold a mad amount of copies. This was followed by two a full-length albums, and several EP’s under various pseudonyms on imprints such as Cologne's Traum and Kompakt, Berlin's Sender and Toronto's Dumb-Unit. These days he's recording mostly for My Favorite Robot Records and of course his own label, Beachcoma.

He's the provider of this week's Shine A Light On mix, you can check it out right here along with a Q&A with the curator;

Who are you?

My name is Jake Fairley. I produce music under the name Fairmont. 

Where are you?

Right now I'm in my kitchen in Barcelona, where I live.

What are you?

I'm not sure… A Disco Machine maybe?

Where was the mix recorded?

There's a DJ equipment place here in Barcelona that rents DJ cabins by the hour. It's perfect for recording mixes or practicing or just getting to know new tracks. The only problem is that the booths have large windows and are facing each other, so you can't help but watch the cheese-balls in the other room working on their DJ-moves and hand-signs.

What would be the ideal setting to listen to the mix?

To me it's pretty energetic, so I guess anywhere where that would be a good thing – getting ready to go out, on a road trip, doing your taxes. 

What should we be wearing?

Anything but those asymmetrical gym clothes that all the festival-techno DJs are wearing these days. The stuff that looks like it was made by a four-year-old ninja who just got a sewing machine for his birthday? I can't get into that stuff.

What would be your dream setting to record a mix? Location/system/format.

Somewhere I could play loudly at any hour, where I could really take my time would really be Ideal. A spot like that with 3 of those new Pioneer XDJs would be perfect.

Which track in the mix is your current favourite?

It's tie between "Sunburst" and "Sugeito." These are definitely two of my favourite tracks that we've ever had on Beachcoma. Running that label has become so much fun, we have such great artists working with us now, giving us amazing tracks like these. That's really what got me started DJing last year. I had all of these exciting, unreleased songs on my hard-drive and I just had to. Now I have as much fun DJing as when I play live.

What’s your favourite recorded mix of all time?

Probably Andrew Weatherall's "Watch The Ride." Or is that just, cause I'm on there? 

If you could go back to back with any DJ from throughout history, who would it be and why?

Tobias Thomas. It was at his Total Confusion party back when I lived in Cologne in the early 2000's that I developed my philosophy on DJing. Even though I didn't start DJing until recently, I still feel his influence. Those parties told a story over the night, because they had a real beginning, middle and end musically. They covered a wide range of sounds, yet had their own personal focus. And everything was approached as much by art as by entertainment. It's a shame so few people bother to make things interesting. Electronic music is not inherently boring, it's just too often in the hands of boring people.   

What was your first DJ set up at home and what is it now?

Last year I bought a couple CDJ800s and that's what I learned on, but I sold them as soon as I found that spot with the rental cabins I mentioned before. My apartment is tiny, so anything non-essential goes out the window.

What’s more important, the track you start on or the track you end on?

Every track is the most important! I don't put anything on my USB stick that's "ok" or "could fit in somewhere" There's so many interesting tracks coming out every month, that it's no problem to be selective. I'm sure that by the time this mix goes online, I'll be wishing I could update it with whatever new songs I have found in the meantime. 

What were the first and last records you bought?

The first record I bought was probably the Sex Pistols when I was maybe 10 or 11 and the last one was Etienne Jaumet "La Visite" which is absolutely fantastic. I get a lot of my music through promos, but when I love something I am happy to spend money on it.     

If this mix was an edible thing, what would it taste like?

Maybe coriander? It's not so easy to describe, but once you get into it, you love it. Maybe not something for everyone, but quite exciting for those with an eclectic palette.

If it was an animal what would it be?

A camel I guess. It might not be fast, but I'd like to think it has power.

One record in your collection that is impossible to mix into anything…

Most of my collection is hard to mix. haha When I told Jared from MFR that I was going to start DJing he was like "With the shit you like? Good luck" Playing out is less of an issue, because you have hours to play and can take your time. Doing a one-hour mix like this one is harder, because there's say 5 or 6 tracks that I absolutely want to include and it's a struggle as there is a wide range of keys and tempos, not to mention some sloppy drums too.   

Upcoming in the world of Fairmont?

I'm heading to Tel Aviv soon to do an all-night-long kind of thing. A long DJ set plus a full live set. I've never done that and it's a bit daunting, but I'm up for it. I'm often scratching my head at what people play before or after my Live show, so it will be interesting to be the one in control of that. I wonder if I'll make myself happy, or if my DJ-self and my Live Set-self will hate each other.

Find out more about Fairmont through Facebook.