Dubliner James Rogers aka Jimmy Rouge has enjoyed a barnstorming start to his new label Orange Tree Edits with widespread support from a plethora of industry names as well as via radio portals like BBC Radio 1. We caught up with the budding producers to get the full picture on an exciting project from one of Ireland’s foremost up and comers.
Jimmy Rouge, welcome to the When We Dip hotseat!
1) We’ll start with the big news on the horizon, your very own label Orange Tree Edits has its first release this week, what can we expect?
Thanks for inviting me for a mix and a chat. I had a great time playing at the When We Dip showcase in Opium Rooms last Saturday.
I’m happy to say that after 6 months of preparation the label’s first record will be released this Friday Feb 17th in some of my favourite record stores like JUNO, Phonica, Mr Bongo and Rush Hour. The two tracks on the record are edits of african funk and disco that I reworked and beefed up for the dancefloor. The test pressing of the second release on Orange Tree Edits has just been approved and will be released in the next two months. It has an edit by my brother and I on the A side with a fantastic edit by Dublin producer and heart-throb R.Kitt on the B side.
2) The two edits set for release have a distinctly African flavor, what attracts you to that kind of music?
African rhythms really resonate with me and their take on disco and funk has an honesty and joy that causes dancefloors to really kick off.
3) With so many new labels and release platforms out there at the moment, what made you want to start your own, and how will you differentiate it from the crowd?
I’ve wanted to start a label for a few years now and when I sent some tracks to a friend who runs Wolf Music Recordings he gave me the push and support I needed to get it off the ground. One of the reasons for starting the label was that I wanted to release tracks that my friends and I were producing and road testing in Irish Clubs.
4) What’s it like to get support for your music from industry pillars like Hunee and upcomers like Peggy Gou?
It is an honour to see my heroes playing my tracks and fills me with motivation.
5) As an artist (and now a label owner) we want to get your feelings on a topic that we’re diving into at the moment. The lasting value of a track or a composition in electronic music seems to be diminishing by the second in terms of listener consumption. Is this a frustration for you?
I believe that whether or not a track has lasting power is a function of quality. Rates of consumption are up because people can illegally download music or stream it for free and the amount of releases has increased with the ease at which people can afford to make home studios.
That said, I don’t necessarily think that there has been a proportional increase in quality alongside quantity and that’s why there are a lot of tracks that have no staying power.
6) The scene in Ireland is going from strength to strength at the moment, why do you think this is? And who are the guys inspiring you at the moment?
It is very hard to pin point exactly why a scene gets stronger, but I guess one of the reasons is technology. Social media has revolutionised promoting and events. Also, it is now easier than ever to get your hands on dj and production software. As a result there are more and more people DJing, producing and going to and promoting dance events, which has made the scene strong. House and Techno have really been pushed centre stage and out of the underground. I have seen this being reflected in the changes to festival lineups with more DJs on lineups than bands.
People inspiring me at the moment include BREEN who just released a record on Irish label Vision Collector and all the crew that have set up and host shows on Dublin Digital Radio. Shout out to the DDR crew!
7) What’s on the horizon for the coming months? We know you’re sitting on oodles of new music!
I have two records coming out in the next few months on Orange Tree Edits and I’m also putting the final touches on an EP of original music.
8) A few quickfire q’s to finish things off
-Whats the greatest edit you’ve every heard?
Cottam’s edit of Bola Johnson – Lagos Sisi
-Where’s the best place to get groovy in Dublin?
The basement of Isakaya
-Logic or Ableton?
Ableton
Afro Edits Vol 1 is out now:
Juno: tinyurl.com/jhepnab
Phonica: tinyurl.com/h4592pp
Orange Tree Edits:
www.facebook.com/orangetreeedits
James Rogers/Jimmy Rouge : Facebook