- Thu, 2010-03-25 14:06
When Simon Lewicki and Chris Carter aren’t DJ-ing to adoring masses, they come together as Jump Jump Dance Dance, a band every bit as compulsively danceable as the name suggests. With the release of their debut single, Show Me The Night, they intend to begin their drive for dance-floor domination in earnest, and they look well placed to succeed.
I Like Music caught up with Simon and Chris to find out about why they moved from DJ-ing to being a live band, what the process was like, their musical inspirations, and manning a mission to Mars.
“I Like Music because…music lets me play with it.” Chris Carter, Jump Jump Dance Dance
ILM: You’re both experienced in the club scene, what inspired you to move from that to life as Jump Jump Dance Dance?
Simon Lewicki: I'm not sure if we can really put our finger on it. It all happened quite organically. I had a studio set up in L.A. and Chris needed somewhere to demo up songs he had been working on. He played a few things for me, one thing led to another, and we ended up writing a whole bunch of new stuff together. I come from a very club background and Carter has much more a musician/band thing. I guess the sounds came out reflecting both our pasts.
ILM: How have your experiences as musicians differed since you made that change?
Chris Carter: Actually I grew up playing in bands and wanting to be in bands; DJ-ing didn't start for me till a bit later when I moved to LA. Touring with a full band definitely has its rewards and challenges; there's a lot more to think about than when DJ-ing. But when it all comes together it's an amazing feeling.
ILM: How did Show Me The Night come to be? What makes it the ideal song to introduce the world to Jump Jump Dance Dance?
Simon Lewicki: I think it's a great representation of our sound. Lyrically, it's about a real night out in Hollywood not long after Carter and I met.
ILM: How does your previous musical experience affect how you write songs now?
Simon Lewicki: It's very much about having a solid beat that will sound good on the dance floor whilst retaining enough of a ‘song’.
ILM: What can we expect if we come to see Jump Jump Dance Dance live?
Chris Carter: I'd say you can expect a rockin live show, full band, a fair bit of sweat, and to have a good time.
ILM: Where do you hope to be in 12 months time?
Chris Carter: 1. Alive and 2. Touring/playing festivals. . . We'll see what happens after the record comes out, but the response to Show Me The Night has been feeling really good so far. Hopefully we can find some time soon to finish a few more remixes, and maybe record a cover as well. Of course I also have high hopes to be on the first manned space mission to Mars. I'll keep you updated on that one.
ILM: Who or what are the biggest influences on Jump Jump Dance Dance?
Chris Carter: So many, I wouldn't even know where to start! Because we both DJ, we keep up with a lot of different artists and genres. Besides the stuff we DJ, I'd say we both really love a well-written song. So all the indie rock and dance music (especially coming out of Australia in the last few years) as well as some good 80's tracks, and just whatever we happen to be listening to at the time.
ILM: Who are your musical inspirations?
Simon Lewicki: There are so many--from Eno to Bill Laswell to Nile Rodgers to James Murphy to Timbaland and J Dilla. We have so much music in our libraries from DJ-ing all the time that it's impossible for some of it not to creep into our music creating process.
ILM: Is there any particular music scene/movement/idea that’s captured your attention recently?
Simon Lewicki: We are both having a love affair with all things Yacht Rock right now.
ILM: Can you recommend one track by any artist for our readers to go away and discover?
Simon Lewicki: Tim and Jean, Come Around.
