Jay Jay Johanson
was born in the Swedish woods, applied for art school in Stockholm and found his voice. A voice as unique and haunting like a spooky hotel (see answer below). With eight albums under his belt and releasing music for over 15 years, «Sweden’s coolest dandy» has peerless sincerely devoted followers.
Still one of my biggest influences is the first album by Portishead «Dummy». It actually still has a place in my CD player. I just got the news that Portishead will play some dates in december to introduce their new album, which should finally come out in early 2008. I mean after 10 years it's time! Okay, Beth Gibbons released in 2002 «Out Of Season», the album together with Rustin Man (the guy originally from Talk Talk). This album would also be very nice to listen to when coming home from a club.
I don't ride bicycle anymore that often. And the last time I rode one I defenitely wasn't having my iPod on. I guess some hectic bop jazz music would fit the situation. For instance The Modern Jazz Quartet or something by John Lewis, who wrote most of the stuff for MJQ and was it's musical director. Yeah, jazz music fits biking.
I love music from Paris in clubs. In my opinion Paris is ruling the dancefloors since 1997 when the whole French house scene started off – with people like Etienne De Crecy, Cassius, Bob Sinclair and of course Daft Punk. And nowadays with labels like Ed Banger or Versatile Records. They really brought the fun back on the dancefloor. Before that it really kinda got depressing in clubs. Everything was getting so serious. But dancing is meant to be crazy and having fun like it used to be. Therefore I would love to hear the new Justice track «D.A.N.C.E.» or a new track by Thomas Bangalter (one half of Daft Punk), which I think is called «Signature»...
This is also a situation where soundtracks work. For instance the soundtrack to Peter Greenaway's «A Zed & Two Noughts». The score is by Michael Nyman and some elements of it invoke the work of Heinrich Ignaz Biber. It's really hectic and monotone music..
Something with a lot of subbass. «Aerodynamite» on full volume would defenitely disturb them!
Oh, there's soooo much good music to listen to while driving a car. It's the perfect setting to listen to music. But if I have to narrow it down I would chose two of my biggest idols ever. That is Chet Baker and David Sylvian. When it comes to Chet Baker I listen to all his classic stuff, that everybody knows. For David Sylvian, which was the singer of Japan, I really like his album «Blemish» and also his first one («Brilliant Trees») and his second one («Alchemy: An Index Of Possibilities»). There's also this album he did with Holger Czukay from Can called «Flux & Mutability» which is great. I just read that Holger invited David to re-record the two albums they did together in 1987 and 1988 which contained only one song a side – actually to extend those songs into 80 minutes versions. Which makes total sense to me. The music of guys like Czukay or Brian Eno, this ambient, trippy stuff, is meant to be very long and epic. So they probably must have been very frustrated back then to cut and edit it to just one side of an album. Well yeah, so a lot of this stuff fits the situation when you're driving a car. I also have a lot of soundtracks. The biggest part of my record collection are soundtracks anyway. So they would work as well very well. But then also spoken word stuff. I like those Charles Bukowsky things. And this guy called Robert Ashley, who did a lot of interesting stuff in the 70's. I love to hear stories when I drive.
I like all three albums he recorded but I think this one is the best. It's so naked and lonely, just him and an acoustic guitar. «Five Leaves Left» is also very, very beautiful – with the added strings and orchestral sounds. He died more than 30 years ago and released just three albums but still has such a huge impact on todays music. It's amazing. I think they just found some unreleased stuff by him. I'm eager to hear that...
Hm, when I make love to my wife, it's mostly her who puts the music on. Lately she put on Air, Jarvis Cocker and Phoenix.
Electronical music would work for a parachute situation. The beautiful sounds of Aphex Twin for instance. But then, if the parachute wouldn't fold I'd have to chose something else. This would also be my funeral song: «Farewell San Francisco» (from the «Albert's House» album).
On my last flight, which was today, I listened to Nico. I recently re-discovered her by listening to her «Chelsea Girl» album. Hearing that I got into her work. Like her other albums «The End» or «The Marble Index», which when I first heard them thought were too gothic and bizarre for me. But now I really appreciate what she did and truly adore her music. I also listen to Lou Reed's «Street Hassle» a lot on planes. To me, this is the best song ever recorded! Just the other week we were playing in Valencia on the same bill as John Cale. And it was great hearing him play those old Velvet Underground songs and some of his early stuff – also some tunes he wrote for Nico. So, let's say everything connected with The Velvet Underground is perfect to listen to while sitting in a plane.
Oh! I wouldn’t listen to any music in a spooky hotel. I would feel totally inspired! I’d get a pen and paper and write some new songs. I guess I should write my next album in a spooky hotel! Great idea!
That changes so often. Right now there is a pile of CDs next to the CD player in my bedroom which includes a lot of the ambient stuff by Brian Eno – for instance «The Plateaux Of Mirror» or «The Pearl» (with Harold Budd). There's also a CD by The Penguin Cafe Orchestra which is beautiful, or the «Late Night Tales»-CD compiled by Air, which features a lot of great songs (f.e. one of my all time favourites, «Ghost» by Japan). This is the kind of music I listen to when I can get up slowly. I like to start my days smoothly and in a calm manner. But if I had to get up in a rush, when I need to hurry, then I listen to the CD player in the kitchen. And right now I listen a lot to «D.A.N.C.E.» by Justice. It's absolutely fantastic. I hope it's gonna be the big hit of this summer!
