JGarrett “Waterworks”

Dividing a limited-run 12-inch right down the middle, imprints RF and Subspec call on Rennie Foster and JGarrett, respectively, to each contribute two tracks for a split release. Both parties have done a bang-up job. Coming together for a sharply contrasted outing, the Vancouver-based producers are seen holding their offerings up to the light as they refract their own takes on techno.

On the Subspec end, label boss Josh Garrett jumps in with a stripped-back club-jacker. “Waterworks” is an uncompromising, tweaked production that gushes with nonstop analog basslines and effective percussive programming. Precision-cut and minimalistic to the bone, this tune is evidence that you can use very few elements and still manage to move bodies.

Available March 10 via RF / Subspec Music.

Were you impulsive on this track, or did you have a sketch in mind before you started?
“Waterworks” came up really organically. I built the groove on the fly, and as it came together I realized I didn’t want to get too fancy with it. I just laid in some fairly simple 909 and 808 patterns with it and tried to keep the production crisp and solid. I was looking to do something tricky where I could really let the groove ride, and even when it changes up it mostly moves between a few patterns. This track is about letting this funky groove ride out, and just twisting up the tension in increments.

Do you think advances in computer technology and gear have affected your creativity?
Absolutely. I’m a die-hard Ableton guy these days, and it’s really made my workflow smooth. My stuff is always best when you can hear my hands in it. There’s immediacy and presence when I do my tracks live that I don’t get when I program them out. I quickly figured out the best way to get my ideas across was basically jamming them live in the studio. In the mid-‘90s, I used to jam on hardware for 30 or more minutes onto DAT and then spend a bunch of time editing the audio down to a finished length of three to seven minutes, for the most part. Now with Live, I can combine that live, hands-on approach, along with iterative adjustments and fine-tuning. The workflow is no longer a struggle… I can just work on my ideas now.

Describe the best setting/activity to hear this track.
To me, this is a DJ jack track… It’s really just focused on delivering some funk to the dancefloor. The best setting is a dark room with an awesome crowd and a thick vibe where it’s just going off. The people who will get the most out of it are people up front, jacking the speakers with a wall of quality sound. No doubt in my mind. That’s what I was picturing when I was working on it. When I’m working on this kind of stuff, I usually think about how I felt back at the party scene I came up through, and there were certain people who were always around, jacking the sound system… I make these tracks for that crowd.

What’s your favorite sound/synth/effect/etc. used here?
The tweaky bassline that rides over the whole thing. I’m a sucker for a backward edit, and I combined forward/backward changes into the bassline programming, so I’m modulating a filter on this instrument while it’s also changing direction as it moves. It gives it a whole other dimension of movement.

If this song were a color, what color would it be?
This track is straight-up true blue… like proper blue, not the blue of that dress on the internet that everyone was going crazy about a few days back. But real, honest blue.

Follow JGarrett on Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud
Follow Subspec on Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud
Follow RF on Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud

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