As a hot commodity at this year’s Miami Music, we simply had to chat with American producer Jimmy Edgar. Appearing all across the board, Edgar’s originals and remixes are positioned for a takeover. With what sounds like a perfect recipe, Jimmy’s influences while growing up in Detroit and getting comfy in Berlin, produce a unique style of electronic infused art.
Taking the fashionista approach, Edgar and Ultramajic are paving the way by setting trends with self-described ‘forbidden’ releases. Including a healthy chunk of techno, their vibe is for the refined dance enthusiast. Right up our alley for well-rounded club tunes, we are looking for more from this producer who seems to be in all the right places. With originals on Hotflush, !K7, and Warp as well as remixes on Bromance, Boysnoize, and Visionquest, he has proven to be running in the right circles. Support on all sides leads to interesting gigs including this years synth-inspired Moogfest.
In anticipation of an ongoing rise to the top, we were lucky to ask a few questions about Jimmy, Ultramajic, and his roots.
Ultramajic. Seems to be more than just a label. How would you describe WHAT IS ULTRAMAJIC? Ultramajic is, at its foundation, a record label. We have a very specific integrity that we put into all of what we do, its been a sort of joke but its stuck with it; everything has to have a bit of fun, magic, fashion and mystique. We like the art to feel like you are looking at something lost, forbidden or secret… but we never loose the fun aspect of it, and we all have different disciplines from fashion. Currently, Pilar Zeta (our graphic designer), does all the visuals for Holographic Universe FW14/15, a new fashion label.
So you started releasing under Ultramajic last summer, now here we are with a dope Miami showcase under your belt. What are the steps that led to this rise? It really just happened from nowhere, the label has been successful and it just made sense to get a bunch of friends together while we were all in Miami. When you combined focus and integrity with passion for art, I think amazing things can happen. If you try and fake it then it doesn’t ever work, so with these ideas we all have to agree that its something we would be impressed with ourselves. We now have upcoming nights at Fabric in London, Social Club in Paris and several more. We plan on doing something very special for Art Basel in Miami.
You just made the jump from Berlin to LA. What prompted the move to head back stateside for a home base? We have opened an office/studio in LA, but its so very fresh that its not fair to comment on it, we just decided to make a drastic change and see how it functions with the people we work with. We still have heavy ties in Berlin and I have kept a studio there, with all the traveling it doesn’t feel like we have moved because we are always moving. The move to LA is more about lifestyle changes around the music, different selection of food, options to exercise, weather… we still work so much from home that we need a great environment, for me having a garden and place to meditate means we can create more brilliant/bright work.
“We like the art to feel like you are looking at something lost, forbidden or secret… but we never loose the fun aspect of it..”
The trending sound right now seems to be influenced by a perfect blend of techno and disco. Where are you influences and what artist contributed to make dance music what it is today? The influences are the same as they have always been for my music. RnB, Chicago House, Detroit Techno, Boogie/Funk, and more recently I discovered what Berlin Techno was all about. Before I lived in europe I didn’t know much about Berlin techno, I think you really have to spend time in the clubs to understand it. So, we have managed to combined the patience and sound of Berlin techno, with the arrangement of american/Chi/detroit electronic music to find some mid ground that works at big parties. We all come from underground music background, but both Travis (Machinedrum) and I have played massive stages all over the world so we create music for this, were inspired by mass amounts of people and there is nothing worse than dropping a track that is too weak for the amount of people there to see you.
Give us some insight into the future. What off-the-wall trend will we hear in dance music songs ten years from now? Polka Gabbers? I love the rehash of 90s pop music in new electronic music. Its suddenly feeling cool to work with major chords. One of our artists, SOPHIE, is doing some amazing stuff. We really have some cool stuff planned, we are expanding our palette. We always planned on establishing ourselves as a dope dance single label and then moving on to expand the sound. So, with that, this year will reveal several new artists we are developing!
A unique blend of techno roots and European innovation, Jimmy has a style like no other. Holding an ear for mystical dance, his label Ultramajic has a bright future ahead. His tunes reflect a misinterpreted style crafted like no other. Jimmy’s club prowess integrates industrial groove with funky drive. We can’t wait to hear what direction he heads next.
As a Detroit local and frequenter of the Chicago area, the late Frankie Knuckles had a huge influence on the house theory the led to Jimmy’s style today. Surrounding Frankie’s late passing, Jimmy reminisced of the early dates dropping in Chi-town’s iconic spots. Giving an rinse to the man himself, Jimmy recently dropped a rework of ‘Baby Wants A Ride’. Get the tune while it’s up for grabs below.
This content was originally posted here: http://stoneyroads.com/jimmy-edgar/