T.H.E Interview – Jody Wisternoff

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jody wisternoff interview

A legend of Bristol’s dance music scene, Jody Wisternoff released his brand new twelve-track LP ‘Nightwhisper’, on May 1.

This marks his first solo album in 8 years, and we sure had plenty of questions for the man himself, in terms of how it came about, and his inspiration for it. Read on, and learn a bit more about the album was conceptualised.

Jody Wisternoff Interview

T.H.E – Hey Jody! Welcome to T.H.E – Music Essentials. How has 2020 been for you so far?

Jody Wisternoff – Thanks for inviting me! Besides the current state of the world ( which will hopefully be mellowed out by the time of this publication ) I’ve enjoyed a fantastic year, having finished and released Anjunadeep11 with James Grant, played really strong shows in the US, UK, UAE, EU + Japan, plus somehow managed to spend quality time with the family and finish the album too!

T.H.E – We were so excited about “Nightwhisper”, which dropped on May 1. How long was it in the works?

Jody Wisternoff – Nice one, thanks. Pretty much just over 365 days from start to finish, which is a lot faster than usual. A few of the tracks had been knocking around for a while (Nightwhisper itself was first road-tested in Miami 2018) but the majority of the tunes came together during the condensed period of last year.

T.H.E – This is your first solo album in 8 years. How was the creative process different, given that you were solely responsible for its creation?

Jody Wisternoff – The creative process was no different from how I usually work alone, but the driving force and inspiration behind the creation was largely due to dealing with the illness and death of my dad in the summer. For better or worse, strong emotions need to be felt in order to be creative – in my opinion at least. When I wrote Startsrings in 2007, I took the pain from learning how to adjust to life with tinnitus and turned the energy into something positive. I don’t think much great music is ever made by people who are totally happy, otherwise they would be out doing other things instead lol

T.H.E – What does the name “Nightwhisper” signify?

Jody Wisternoff – A lullaby to the soul. An antithesis to the overstimulation of modern life, technology, and media controlled horror news.

T.H.E – The album has 12 tracks, and we are sure certain ones didn’t make the cut. How did you go about identifying and creating the songs for this? What was the process like?

Jody Wisternoff – The songs that survive from inception to completion are the ones you can handle listening to over 4000 times without chopping off your ears lol. Even if a track doesn’t actually get finished, I usually end up using the best elements in a later project anyway (as I’m sure everyone does…) Alongside the guidance from James Grant on our two tracks, I also worked with an amazing mix engineer for the final mixdowns this time (Igor Garanin) who also happens to be the accountant and part-time social media director at Anjuanbeats – a man of many talents lol. Collaborating with him for the final stages also made me realise which tracks sounded good enough to commit to the world.

T.H.E – What are your thoughts on the UK rave scene? Did it play a role in the creation of this album?

Jody Wisternoff – I was 18 during 1991 which was the peak of the UK rave scene, so as you can imagine it had a major impact on my life. Submerging myself fully in the scene, I gave up higher education to fully focus on making music and DJing, and the echoes of this time period have had a constant ripple effect throughout my entire creative life. It was a special time to be alive, and when I reminisce it often brings feelings of inspiration, so in a nutshell – yes :)

T.H.E – What can fans expect from it?

Jody Wisternoff – My signature melodic sound, deeply emotional in places but also firmly aimed at keeping your body (and brain) dancing”

Jody Wisternoff’s “Nightwhisper” album is out now. Download it here.
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We have made a special playlist to help you stay engaged, and stay at home during this lockdown, you can stream it here.

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