James Holden is the visionary young producer who has created a personalised world of techno and electronic music via his own Border Community record label. Providing a platform for the intelligently twisted music of artists such as Nathan Fake, Luke Abbot and Fairmont, James has also released much of his own genre bending work via the label, such as his much lauded 2006 album The Idiots are Winning. Border Community rightly hold a position as one of the most innovative and interesting music labels, a natural heir to Warp’s experimental crown. Border Community is beacon of hope and innovation in the rather uninspiring sea of average techno of the last decade, making James Holden the ideal candidate for our final Tough at the Top this decade.
What does a typical day involve for you? How much of it is spent on music?
I don’t really have a ‘typical day’ - with doing so many different jobs at once my life is quite varied. The last couple of months I’ve been a bit busy with the label/life for music, which is a little frustrating.
Is creating music still your main focus? Or performing it?
Creating is still what I’m mostly thinking about. and I read synth blogs every day at least. performing not so much! I try and keep that in a box. I’m looking for good new music every day, but am thinking to DJ only from Thursday to Sunday..
Why did you decide to start Border Community ?
The music industry is, for the most part, shit. I wanted to make a place where I could do what I wanted musically, and where my friends could be free of the kind of irritations I’d already encountered. We’ve always approached it with the idea of just doing what’s interesting to us, putting out records we’d like to buy, rather than any sort of concern for sales or journalists.
You have a number of quite dedicated fans, do you ever find yourself comparing the music you produce with people’s expectations of you?
I think I mentally divide them in two - the ones that just get it and the ones who’ve got the wrong idea. I completely don’t care at all what the second group think, sometimes I meet them which is a bit annoying, but if I was trying to make/play music in whatever way would please them it would be fundamentally condescending and disrespectful.
What is the greatest difficulty and what do you love most about running a record label.
It’s quite a lot of work. But watching people you like do well, and grow and make even more exciting things is the best.
Does it become harder or easier to discover exciting music? How do you mostly discover stuff?
Finding new artists for the label seems fairly easy - next year we’ve got so much stuff we’re incredibly excited about. I don’t really know how it happens though - people reach us through different routes, for example Luke Abbott was the most beautiful demo CD we’d ever received, and came with a bonus disc of improvised noise/jazz, so we knew we’d like him. Finding new music to DJ with has been hard the last couple of years, but I feel like the techno scene has got so utterly boring that something new to replace it must be just around the corner. and in the last two to three years the British music scene has got much more exciting – people like Zomby, Lone, Bullion, Four Tet, Paul White making stuff that is totally modern and free – the opposite of the conservatives of a too-old scene.
What would your advice be to someone who wanted to become more involved creating in electronic music?
For everybody’s sake, just do your own thing, don’t try and make ‘normal’ music, and don’t listen to other peoples’ advice.
How do you continue to find inspiration? Is it something you even have to think about?
For a couple of years I was finding techno to be the opposite of inspiration, but being defined in opposition is a kind of inspiration, I had to sort of feel around and see where I was heading, but this year that’s crystalised and I’m on my way somewhere. When I actually have time to make music I enjoy it so much that I don’t really think about inspiration.
What have been your best and worst experiences in the last ten years?
I think there are too many of both to pick some out! The worst ones were before we started BC, unless you count hauling myself through grotty foreign airports with no sleep.. The best recent things have been our London BC nights – the one last week was lovely, a psychedelic village fair with the nicest crowd ever.
Where do you see yourself in ten years time?
A little house in the country, near the sea, with a dog and even more antique synthesisers.
Links & backgrounds
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ONES TO WATCH - Lorn
It could have been Lorn who brought on the impending apocalyptic 'solar flare' staring down upon us; this dark wobbl...
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