Bedrock 10 Feature: Part Seven / Jamie Stevens

As our Bedrock 10 feature continues, we turn to one of Australia´s most respected names, Jamie Stevens. As part of Infusion he has wowed crowds worldwide with the band´s high energy live shows and in recent months he´s become highly regarded as a solo producer and remixer in his own right. His remix of John Digweed´s ´Warung Beach´ is already causing a stir ahead of it´s release on the Bedrock 10 compilation, and Jamie takes time out to tell us about this, his thoughts on the new venue Matter and also about a new Infusion album and single in this latest installment.

1. Progressive-Sounds: What was your first experience or association with Bedrock?
   Jamie Stevens: I can´t recall an exact first experience but I got to know John through my Infusion productions, playing at various venues together and things like that. This remix is the first time I have been directly associated with Bedrock.
   
2. Progressive-Sounds: How would you describe the track or reinterpretation you have presented for the Bedrock 10 album project and how do you feel it compares to the original version of the track? What other tracks from the label would you revisit if given the chance?
   Jamie Stevens: After a lot of experimenting, I decided that the strongest idea that I had was to re-interpret the melody of John´s original version of "Warung Beach", give it a more subtle flavour and re-do it completely. The dive bomb-like sound from the original was also what I wanted to highlight in my version and to pull the track into darker, trippier and teched out territory. I like how my mix ended up having a very different atmosphere to the original. As far as Bedrock´s back catalogue pillaging is concerned, Steve Lawler´s "Rise In" would be a track I would love to get my hands on. Moonface´s "Syncronised Knowledge" has huge updating potential, I think. And obviously I would love to try to do something new with "Groove Is In The Air" and Gerber´s "Stoppage Time". There are too many brilliant tracks that have the potential to be bent into to so many different directions.
   
3. Progressive-Sounds: How did you feel when contacted to be asked to contribute to the 10th anniversary project?
   Jamie Stevens: "Hmmm... let me check my schedule". Hahaa! No, I was very taken aback that I was asked and it´s such a cliche to say but I was absolutely honoured. For me, the request was up there with Infusion being asked to remix The Cure.
   
4. Progressive-Sounds: What are your thoughts on the new venue Matter where the 10th Anniversary party is being held, and what do you feel a state of the art live music venue such as this brings to the global club scene?
   Jamie Stevens: Well, we actually have an Infusion gig there in November and I can´t wait to play there. Obviously my background in electronic music is playing live and to find out about a venue like Matter is wonderful. I sincerely hope it does bring back an element of surprise, chance and energy that I think is missing in some electronic music today. At the end of the day, it´s a very different beast to DJing and they can sit happily side by side, doing their own thing but to see live music in the electronic realm be nurtured so much more in recent times is very healthy thing to my mind. I can´t wait to see the venue! I´m a huge fan of Fabric and we´ve played live there numerous times so one can only imagine how great this space is going to be. I only wish I could get over there for the Bedrock party!
   
5. Progressive-Sounds: What other projects have are you currently involved with and what are your plans for the coming months?
   Jamie Stevens: Infusion has an album finished and a single ready to roll out so that´s a pretty huge and exciting deal for me, which involves lots of touring both inside and outside of Australia in the months ahead. I´ll be working on a lot of remixes of tracks from that album which I´m really excited about getting stuck into. I still have a handful of solo remixes to finish off for Deepchild, Chris Fortier and a couple of others and of course I have Dieb Audio to help out with which is just going from strength to strength because if the hard work John Dalagelis and Stel have put in. It´s all just a little bit exciting.