Mono Sono - Interview
To celebrate the release of the Cosmos EP by mono_sono we caught up with him to discuss how he started producing and his current inspiration/influences.
Tell us a bit about yourself…
Well, my folks and friends know me as Jarred Parenzee, producer/dj/daydreamer. By day I work at a school theatre fulfilling their sound, lighting and theatre management requirements. We also run an extramural program around that. For fun, there’s food, coffee (at the minute Kenyan and Guatemalan), gifs and general fun stuff.
How did you get started producing music?
Alright, so it all began with a little tape recorder grabbing music off the radio and making mixtapes for myself and friends. I then started recording them into my computer, back then it was all Cool Edit Pro. The first track I made was a remix of Bad Company’s Numbers; well it wasn’t so much a remix, I just added some extra bass as I felt it was lacking (128k MP3). Shortly after I got a copy of FLstudio (then Fruity Loops) and started making beats, that was around 2003/4. I was just making tracks and mixes for my travels at that time until I met my friend Lee-Ursus who brought me out the bedroom and into the hip hop fold. Fast forward a few years and a few hip hop albums that I helped produce with friends and I launched mono_sono.
What message are you trying to relay with the tracks on the EP?
Nothing specific, I’m always imagining a space/location/time where my music could exist whilst I produce. I guess it is always some form of communication.
Cosmos by mono_sono
Can you describe the recording process?
Generally I’ll start by banging in some grooves on my qwerty keyboard, then working it until I’ve got a basis. With Cosmos, I already had an idea of the type of sounds I wanted. Torus was more of a challenge. Once I have a groove I’ll create a few melodies and a couple of passes of automation and then begin the editing process. I’ve only recently got into using my 25 key keyboard for jamming melodies and using my phone and iPad as sound sources; in fact everything is lot more jam and audio based now which is quite exciting (I know, what took me so long?).
What artists do you admire?
First off, Chris Eschaton (Omnimusic), his music is just inspiring; he creates entire worlds with each release and he also put out some of my first releases. In addition to all that he asked me to remix a track of his and has always had faith in my music and my (long) production process.
Jason Os! The mood and atmosphere he creates gets me every time. Drum and Bass perfected. dBridge; for his groove and atmosphere plus his label Exit records for pushing the boundaries of DnB. djrum! The way I channel my influences has changed because of him and lastly, my amen brother/friend, Tehsynes. He’s supported my music right from the start, watch out for some crazy jungle/footwork/DNB he is putting out later this year, trust, as well as everyone I’ve encountered on the Subvert Central forum.
What else helps inspire you?
Mostly my friends and family; there’s also digging for records, making the perfect cup of coffee (fresh beans and aero press), food, books, sneakers and all that cool stuff.
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