BOOM! Jamie Van Goulden has taken Vancouver by storm so quickly that before you can even finish saying his whole name...he’s already playing at your party! Not much longer than a year ago, I remember Jamie’s very first gig in Vancouver. It was at the old Stone Temple (now Joseph Richard) on a night hosted by DJ Slip, and Jamie had just moved in from his hometown in Manchester. How do I know this? Well I was playing there myself =P. Little did many of us know at the time, that our Brobot Jamie would end up becoming the event manager for the legendary Cecil nightclub, and then claiming the Clubvibes “Best Electronica DJ” this year in 2010! It’s crystal clear that talent and work ethic aside, Jamie’s kind and helpful character are what shot him to the top. Try finding a reason not to like the guy!
How did Jamie accomplish so much in such a short amount of time? And did you know how established he was before he even stepped foot in our country? Read on to the interview to be surprised by what kind of tricks are up his sleeve, and titles are under his belt.
Having already been established back home before you went to Vancouver, what exactly were you leaving behind? Why the move?
I felt like I needed a bit of change to be honest. I spent a lot of time DJ’ing in Europe and the UK and when the opportunity arose, I took it. One of my business partners from Sunglasses At Night, Rachel Sehl, was going over to Europe so we sort of swapped places. She went on to do Ibiza, UK, Amsterdam, and I came over to do Vancouver. Being an ambassador for Mad Hatter and Looking Glass Recordings, this seemed like a good venture for me to go to North America.
Can you tell us a bit about the gigs you played back home?
I started in 1997, DJ’ing at some of the underground clubs in Manchester. Over the years I progressed to London, and met Jimmy Bell (founder of Sunglasses at Night). We then started doing parties abroad: Amsterdam, Sweden, Ibiza.
We know the house scene is much bigger in Europe, but how is the competition? What makes it more difficult to be successful there, and here?
I think definitely at the moment over in Europe it’s very difficult to try and break in dance music. It’s the number one sound, everybody’s into dance music. You can be big, have a large following but still not break through. Whereas in North America, there are many other varying genres like country, and Hip Hop is still the top genre in the U.S. But the music scene is changing. People in North America and especially in Vancouver, are embracing dance music a lot more and the result is an increasingly strong electronic scene. It’s still got an edge.
Since you’ve only been here less than a year, can you describe to us your progression from arrival, to becoming the event manager for the Cecil and then winning the 2010 Clubvibes Best Electronica DJ of the year?
I was very surprised actually, I didn’t expect it at all. It was hard because when I first got here because obviously I’ve come from a place where nobody knows where I am. But it’s like anything, you gotta work hard and get yourself out there. If you help other DJ’s work, you might end up throwing some good parties and I’m glad I’ve been recognized. I would like to personally thank the following:
Jimmy Bell (owner of Sunglasses at Night), Rachel Sehl, Nick Hussey, Joe Luciak (owner of Cecil), Javi Tejada, Savio, Reza, Eric Carver, IMU (Rebecca Leigh) and most especially the whole Brobot Syndicate.
Can you share some advice in getting gigs for those who are just starting out, and would hope to progress as quickly as you?
The only thing I can say is basically to just get yourself out there. If you want something you have to keep pushing yourself. You gotta keep physically getting those mix cd’s to the club owners. Don’t send emails, go old school. Show your face and network, network, network! If you keep trying your break will come eventually.
In between all of this, you are banging out beats in the studio! How long have you been producing and which software do you use?
I’ve been producing for about 4-5 years now, and we’re using Cubase as a group (Jimmy Bell, Nick Hussey and Rachel Sehl). Cubase is still probably the best program to use.
What did you find was the toughest part of the learning curve?
Working out where everything is. The ideas are there, you just gotta sort out how to layer it. I’ve had a lot of help from Nick Hussey, he’s one of the best guys in the industry to work with. He’s been doing it since 1988 and has sold more than 6 million records. He’s the man you want!
Can you name some of your favourite synths and plugins, and why?
We only use the analog gear sent from Wonk Records but unfortunately we’re not allowed to share them with anybody ;).
What are some projects you’re working on at the moment?
We have just completed a small EP with local Vancouver singer IMU (Rebecca Leigh). Included is a remake of Reflekt’s “Need to Feel Loved” and an original track called “Work it Out (Brobots).” They’ll both be in Mad Hatter Records and Looking Glass Records. In fact “Work it Out” will be a part of the soundtrack of a new Indie movie based in Vancouver called “Ecstacy.” Nick is actually doing the whole soundtrack for the film and when the director was listening in on one of our studio sessions while making the track, he liked it so much that he decided to add it to the soundtrack. I’m really happy about that.
I’d also like to mention that I’m in the process of organizing a “Brobot Supperclub.” Back home in Manchester the DJ’s in the circuit would get together on an off night (maybe Monday or Tuesday) at a different venue every week. This time was spent catching up with each other (because we couldn’t all go to each other’s gigs), share stories, ideas, and even gigs! A lot of us are buddies anyways so this would be a good excuse to get together outside of a party environment and just be Brobots :).
Who were some of your early inspirations?
The American DJ’s in the disco house scene like Armand Van Helden, Roger Sanchez, DJ Sneak. Also in the UK clubbing scene like Graham Park and Tony Wilson back in the late 80’s and 90’s were a heavy influence on me.
Lastly, if you could open for anyone, who would it be?
Trios!
Hahaha very clever! But joking aside :P
After long thought, I would say the guys from Swedish House Mafia. They’re doing big things in the scene right now.
Thank you Jamie! We sure have learned a lot here. Ok folks you will find all the goodies below. Stay tuned because I will be playing with Jamie one last time before the Cecil closes for renovations. But not to worry, Jamie and the Cecil crew will continue to throw parties with the same Cecil atmosphere ;). BOOM!
BOOM! Jamie Van Goulden has taken Vancouver by storm so quickly that before you can even finish saying his whole name...he’s already playing at your party! Not much longer than a year ago, I remember Jamie’s very first gig in Vancouver. It was at the old Stone Temple (now Joseph Richard) on a night hosted by DJ Slip, and Jamie had just moved in from his hometown in Manchester. How do I know this? Well I was playing there myself =P. Little did many of us know at the time, that our Brobot Jamie would end up becoming the event manager for the legendary Cecil nightclub, and then claiming the Clubvibes “Best Electronica DJ” this year in 2010! It’s crystal clear that talent and work ethic aside, Jamie’s kind and helpful character are what shot him to the top. Try finding a reason not to like the guy! 
