5 questions for... James Teej

James Teej is a 28 year old DJ and musician living in Toronto. You might have heard about him for numerous reasons; lately, he has remixed guys like Trentemoller and Solee, and is currently working with numerous labels including Rekids, Rebirth, Connect Four, No.19 and My Favorite Robot Records. He has just completed his first full length LP entitled "Evening Harvest" and will be releasing it on Rekids in late 2009. This rising Canadian star is fast on track to becoming a household tech and deep house name worldwide, with an expected world tour to begin at the end of 2009.



Would you say the Toronto scene is inspiring, right now?
Toronto is inspiring for me in a few different ways. First off because there is a plethora of artists all located here, it's a great city to widen one's influences. It's also inspiring for me because I'm lucky enough to have a really great network of support here. People that help me stay focused, and lots who have been in and around the industry for a long time, so I always feel inspired to do work... even on those days when things are tough. Also because I don't DJ or perform locally all that often here, a lot of my time is spent working in the studio and on writing music, which is a very good thing. I don't think I could have gotten as much material written had my schedule been busier. Overall Toronto for me has really become my new home, and I hope I can keep it as my musical home base for a while, even as I begin to tour more internationally.

How did you manage to get signed to Rekids?
Rekids was sort of a suprise for me - basically I was put in touch with Matt (Radio Slave) Edwards via Connect Four after an email had been sent to the label following my String Theory EP. After a few conversations, Matt told me he would like me to do something for the label, so that is when the idea came to be. I started off with a remix for Toby Tobias, and following that emerged the plan for a full length LP. I signed with them in December 2008, and spent the first 5 and a half months of this year working on my album "Evening Harvest". It has been a great experience, and it's extremely exciting to have my first full length record come out on such a respected and innovative label. The guys have been hugely supportive of the music... and that for me has been the biggest thing.



How would you describe "minimal soul", a label you have used for your productions?
Minimal soul actually is more of a term I coined for my sound. I sorta got exposed to the "real" minimal movement when I moved to Toronto in 2006. I hadn't really been exposed to much of that music when I was living in western Canada, and I really enjoyed the stripped down aesthetic. As time went on though, and after many attempts to produce the type of stuff I was listening to and playing at the time, I felt compelled to put a bit more musicality into my production. Then after a few early attempts at adding vocals to my music, and after slowly reverting back to some of my house based roots, minimal soul really came to be. I like how the term grew to describe my sound... and how I grew to make music that fit in that description... stripped down music with lots of heart and soul.

Tell us a little bit about My Favorite Robot Records and your link with these guys.
I met Jared from My Favorite Robot years ago, and we sort of came together through mutual friends like Nitin, Jonny White and Kenny Glasgow. As MFR Records began to grow, Jared asked me to do a track for a compilation he was releasing (MFR Records' Stimulus Package) around the same time Jonny White had asked me for something for No.19's "I Live in Toronto" comp. I decided to to do 2 versions of a track "Cabin Fever" and put one mix on each of the labels... that's where it began I guess. Since then for MFR I've done a few remixes, and also have my first full release on the label "Condensation EP" coming out Aug 26. In the end I like the direction of the label and will continue to work with the Robots as things move forward.



What's coming up for you in the next few months?
In the next few months people can expect to see more music and mixes coming out. Though I have really focused on putting out records, and people have come to think of me as primarily being a musician and producer, the reality is that I've spent over 14 years DJing and don't want that overshadowed. So my main focus over the next few months is to highlight my brand of DJing with live vocals, and start touring and promoting my album internationally. I expect 2010 to be very busy, and I hope to remain as focused as I am at the moment. I also hope that I can create a solid foundation of support that will help materialize my next vision of creating a more elaborate live show, one that will coincide with a follow up LP to Evening Harvest.

James Teej plays alongside Kenny Glasgow, My Favorite Robot and Clifford Brown at Resident (400, Notre-Dame East) on August 22nd for a MFR Records label party. No cover.