After last weeks venture the Truancy volumes roll onto numero 25 and this time we’re proud to present a mix all the way from Canada. They’ve brought us Bieber, Egyptrixx, Drake, Neoteric, Jacques Greene, Milt Mortez and the beautiful Robin from How I Met Your Mother (small crush) but today steps up the enigmatic John Roman. Supported by the likes of Brodinski, Carte Blance, Nadastrom, Congorock to pretty much everyone else he’s known as a guy who gets his head down and doesn’t stop working. You might have heard of heard of a ‘little’ mixtape he did last year titled ‘Reclusion’, a mix compiled of remixes and originals from the man himself that sent the blogosphere into a bit of a frenzy into finding out when all these elusive tracks would be coming out. Hot off the press in 2011 with his Sing EP, Roman has a mighty string of releases in the pipeline including remixes for the likes of Milt Mortez and Neoteric and his hotly anticipated Sala EP, which Laidback Luke recently played in his most recent Essential mix. TRUANCY VOLUME 25: JOHN ROMAN goes in hard at around 58 minutes of music with a diverse range of techno and house from Cosmin TRG to TWR72, that should appeal to a number of music lovers. The fact that he ends with Vangelis should be a reason alone to listen to this mix. Throw in some exclusives in the form of the NT89 remix of Sala and John Romans own track War Drumz and some of the tightest mixing I’ve heard in a while and you’ve got yourself a dam tidy mix.
Hello John! Could you give us a brief introduction for those who may not have heard of you? I’m a 21 year old producer/DJ from Toronto. I make a pretty wide-range of music: electro, techno, tribal, house, but I think all my tracks share a few commonalities: rhythm, interesting use of samples and deep bass. I work most closely with Plant Music in New York, and I have my my first EP with them coming out shortly called ‘Sala’ (with B-Side ‘War Drums’)
2010 was a great year for you. How do you look back on it and is there anything you have have liked to have done differently? Favourite moment of 2010? 2010 was definitely a great year, and a year of many personal ‘firsts’. ‘Reclusion’ was a huge project that took a lot of time and effort, but now it’s almost been a year later since most of those tracks were completed and I’m still very proud of the result. 2010 was definitely a year of many changes as well, as I explored more tribal, rhythmic ideas, moving away from my electro comfort zone. Now in 2011, you’ll see the merger of the two, futuristic, weird sounds with danceable rhythms. I feel like I’ve really found my sound lately and I cant wait to share it.
Do you find you have to be in a certain state of mind when making tracks, any rules or habits or is it something you can just sit down and do whenever? I think my technique is that I never stop working, haha. There are definitely days when I feel more inspired, and others when I don’t but even when I’m not at my most creative, it’s still worthwhile to persist and improve my technical ability. I find the more I absorb outside my own music, whether it’s art, literature, technology, travel or others music, the more creative energy I have. There’s a condition called synesthesia where you mind automatically translates sensory inputs into colours, shapes and textures. Because I have this, anything I see, feel, smell, taste or hear can be re-translated into another form. In this way, anything can serve as a ‘visual map. for a new track. be it high art or the taste of a big Mac, haha.
You’ve recently embarked on a UK tour. How’s it been so far? So far its been amazing. I just played on London (Dalston Superstore, ‘Back to Back’) but the crowd and vibe were incredible. Club- goers seem to have a different kind of appreciation for dance music here. They aren’t always demanding the hardest tracks from opening to close. I felt much more at home behind the decks here, like the crowd and I wanted the same things. So, I’m definitely excited to come back!
From your massive Best of 2010 list and some of the tracks in your mixtape it seems your a fan of more darker stripped back techno. Cosmin TRG, Martyn, Shed, stuff on Ost Gut. Is this a direction you might want to explore in the future in terms of your own production? I listen to a lot of different types of music and am always looking for ways to create something innovative and original. I wouldnt like to mimic any of these artists outright, but I am learning from some of their ideas and applying them within my own production techniques. You will definitely hear this influence in my forthcoming work.
Whats next on the agenda and what do you hope to achieve in 2011? 2011 will definitely be my busiest year. I have many official remixes and originals coming out as John Roman, and I also have two other aliases that are busy doing the same. One is more sampled based jackin’ house tracks, and the other is more experimental, dreamy music ranging in BPM anywhere from 80 to 135 – really a ‘no rules’ approach. Also I’m just going to say it now; Reclusion 2 is definitely in the works.
Any parting advice? Be honest, be humble and be original.
Stream/Download: Truancy Volume 25 – John Roman
