15 questions with… JIMMY EDGAR

Playing games with music, using three EQs, no compression, nor reverb. Welcome to the glorious mind of Jimmy Edgar

Jimmy Edgar signed to Warp Records at just 18 and has released four albums blending electro, funk, hip hop and techno, not to mention DJing across the world. He has used every type of tech imaginable, from custom software, to pure analogue hardware. Here he goes more EQ than compression, as he tackles our 15 questions…

1 How did you get into music?

JE: “Hello, I’m Jimmy. I became interested in music because it was reflective of my highest excitement. I love the whole process of creation and having fun with visual aesthetic. It’s amazing because I am always learning too!”

2 When and how would you say you became successful, or at least able to make a living from music?

JE: “I see success as the freedom to do what I want, when I want to. I was making a living from music from before I left high school. Even though I had taken odd freelance art projects here and there, music is always my main focus. I started DJing internationally when I was 19 and signed to Warp Records.”

3 What is your overall philosophy or approach when it comes to music?

JE: “Get into your zone and go with the flow for initial ideas; this is vital to starting ideas. This can start with anything including making beats, composing on a keyboard or playing with sound files. From there, I get creative with arrangement ideas and adding in new sections and movements. To finish a song is a big challenge for me as I go through the process many times and I mix while I produce. This is when I start to sculpt and design the sounds a bit more as that can be time-consuming.”

4 When and how did you discover the route to computer music-making and how has it changed the way you work?