Jeremy Clarkson once described the Jensen Interceptor R Supercharged as ‘the only thing fiercer than the tiger in the Life of Pi’, and that quote could also be describing the Australian producer’s vast spanning discography. Cooking up releases for the likes of Boys Noize Records, Cultivated Electronics, Bromance, Central Processing Unit and now Maceo Plex’s Lone Romantic imprint with his debut album ‘Mother’, Jensen Interceptor is fast becoming one of the leading figures in the next generation of electro icons alongside the likes of Helena Hauff, Assembler Code, Sync 24 and The Exaltics. Churning out original productions and remixes like there’s no tomorrow, Jensen Interceptor also runs the label International Chrome which has homed releases from The Hacker, Assembler Code, Jon Convex, Mikron and Mona. S. It’s completely mind boggling how he manages to keep up with it all as his international touring schedule is getting bigger and better each year with key slots at No Bounds Festival, ADE, Corsica Studios, Concrete and Splendour in The Grass all in 2018. In the midst of all this, we caught up with Jensen Interceptor to discuss his new album ‘Mother’, the scene in Australia, outside influences for his music and some of his recently discovered favourite records.
“All the music you are now hearing is a direct result of that life line she threw me. Her love and support is never ending.”
Hailing from Australia, a country where it only just seems like it’s catching up with the rest of the world, what are some of your earlier experiences with electronic music?
My early experiences were great, raves in the late 90’s / early 2000’s were good & proper.
Is music something you’ve always wanted to explore? Did you have any other ideas for your career?
I wanted to be a marine biologist after I saw the movie Free Willy.
Congrats on releasing your first album ‘Mother’! After releasing a strong selection of shorter records, what made now the right time to release a LP?
Thank you, unfortunately with 90% of my releases I never have the luxury of choosing the timing / release date. Some labels put it out straight away others can take up to a year, sometimes 3 years (which has happened). Maceo asked me for some tracks for a EP, I sent him a bunch, he said let’s do an album, I said sure why not, wrote some more, he signed them and about 3-6 months later we had a release date, it was as simple as that. I don’t have a strategy for when I drop projects, I am always writing tracks so It’s really whenever the labels I want to work with can put it out.
Why have you decided to dedicate the record to your Mum? What is your relationship like and how does she inspire your music?
I almost gave up on music a few years ago, as it can be really difficult to make a living of music in Australia. Struggling to pay bills my mother saw how passionate I was about music and said I could move back home to focus on my it. All the music you are now hearing is a direct result of that life line she threw me. Her love and support is never ending and she still shares everything I do on her Facebook page (which will include this interview), Love you mum!
Did you have an idea of the concept before you went into the studio?
Not really, most of the time when I have a preconceived idea it can go straight out the window once you turn on a machine and start jamming. I just kept writing tracks and had a play list of about 20 cuts, then Eric chose the track list.
What was the production process like for you? Were there any difficulties?
My mac book is about 11yrs old and I’m still using abelton 8 but despite the odd crash here and there she is still kicking along (touch wood)
As you head into the studio, does your mood or emotions influence your productions? When you listen to a record back, can you hear how you were feeling that particular session, is there that connection there?
No not really, if my music did reflect my mood or emotions I think it would sound something like Bobby McFerrin’s ‘Don’t Worry Be Happy’
The collaborators on the album include DeFeKT, Assembler Code and The Hacker, all bringing very different sounds to the project. What made these artists right for ‘Mother’?
They are all close friends who’s production I absolutely love and have been a big part of my journey to date. It was only natural they be apart of the project.
What do you hope listeners take away from ‘Mother’?
Love your mum
Are there any outside influences such as film, sci-fi or art that impact your work? Could you reference some if so?
With out a doubt, anything from John Carpenter & Ridley Scott has played a huge role. Like people in a office listening Spotify or Soundcloud as they work, I usually have Halloween or Alien playing on the TV as I work on tracks. Over the years I have also sampled tons of stuff from Carpenter, Ridley, Spielberg, Kubrick & George Lucas.
Within your DJ sets you span across EBM, electro, breaks and sometimes Italo. Are there certain scenarios where you just don’t feel like you can push things that far?
Depends how open mined the crowd is and how long I am playing. If Ive been playing a really long set and its getting close to the end of the night, some italo works really well. If the DJ before me has been playing techno, I find EBM works well as a bridge to my electro & breaks stuff. I generally like to play longer now days so I can drift between everything with out it being to dysfunctional.
Are there ever moments where you’re playing a record out for the first time without properly listening to it?
It does happen, when I only listen to that 1 minute sound clip online, if it is absolute fire I will more often then not download it and put it straight onto the USB. It can sometimes be funny when the track goes in a completely different direction to the original 1 minute sound clip.
When it comes to digging for new music, do you tend to set aside a few hours a day to do this or is it whenever you get a chance? Do you get involved in any of the many music groups that are now prevalent on Facebook?
I do follow some of the groups on Facebook and have found some absolute gems. I tend to go through waves, sometimes looking all the time, other times wont have had a dig for weeks, then the day of the gig I will hit the panic button and search like a mad man.
What are some of your favourite records you’ve discovered recently?
Assembler Code – Mental Escape EP
Lou Karsh – Phantom Structures EP
Music For The Other People Place 006
Cultivated Electronics From The Dark Series
Mechatronica 009 Various Artist EP
As 2019 is upon us, have you started thinking about what you would like to achieve next year?
My 2019 is pretty much already full, will let you know how it turns out this time next year.
Looking back on this year, what has been your favourite memory?
Touring Europe has been the highlight for sure. I played so many wicked parties & met some amazing people. Cant wait to go back in February.
‘Mother’ by Jensen Interceptor is out now on Lone Romantics – buy here.