11plus3 is designed to give you an insight into the motivations and aspirations of the best creative minds in the world. This time with Munich based music mastermind and beat producer Jay Scarlett. Each artist is asked 11 set questions and to contribute 3 “facts” which can be any statement from them on absolutely anything: their own views on politics, religion, the environment, sport…or just something they read in the paper or saw on TV.
Facts
1: It’s winter again.
2: Japan is great!
3: We will all die one day.
Questions
What is the biggest inspiration for your music?
My dad. He always dragged me around and got to hang out with lloydy Coxsone & toots from the maytals they all kinda grew up together so you can imagine the exposure to bass roots & ska rudeboy skanking and all those shubins other substances.
How and when did you get into making music?
I suppose when me & Morgan Zarate hooked up several years before the Spacek Curvatia Album was conceived, we used to jam on sundays at Cafe WKD in Camden with a bunch of london based musicians that were prominent in the jazz circuit at the time. He was asked to do a remix for a friend in west London and I went down to the studio were he was hanging and we jammed a little together on the MPC 3000 I think this was like the initial get go to actually loving the idea of manipulating sound and sequencing tracks that sparked me to try and understand the machine more. So of course I went out and bought one shortly after that.
What are your 5 favourite albums of all time?
Trojan Nyahbinghi albums
Michael Jackson – Off the wall
Slum Village – Fantastic Vol 1
Spacek – Curvatia
Joni Michell – Blue
What do you associate with Berlin?
The Wall, Icon club, Mad nights out and a meeting point for lost souls.
What’s your favourite place in your town?
Muffathalle it’s a venue hall, club & cafe which is actually in Munich where I have lived and worked for the last 8 years, it’s a great family there and you get to see a lot of artists if you make your self available to that situation I’ve meet so many great artists first hand there and they usually all very sweet and charming. Everything from the skatalites through to 2 banks of four and beyond.
If there was no music in the world, what would you do instead?
Tricky one…. well I studied to be a social worker for a while after giving up trades as I had enough of Mechanics electronics telecommunication and the building trades I’d say I would have followed football if it wasn’t music.
What was the last record you bought?
Monopoly – The George Machine, actually licensed it for a reebok compilations in 2007 but then saw that faces records released it on vinyl last year so picked it up in Athens.
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
John Holt the reggae artist I think he has an amazing dexterity to his voice that I don’t really hear these days. Lost form I guess.
What was your best gig (as performer or spectator)?
Best was Beat dimensions at Sonar 2007 because me and cinnaman had the last show of the day and it was quite nice to see all these heads bopping along to flying lotus, hudson mohawke and some other at the time considered obscurities.
How important is technology to your creative process?
It’s a love hate relationship lets say that!
Do you have siblings and how do they feel about your career?
Yes, theres a ton of us at last count 10 brothers and sisters, I think they love me for who I am and I never felt a sense of jealousy ever.
Our Favourites:
love music
the jawn
Links: Soundcloud | beatdimension.co.uk
