T.H.E Interview – James Marvel

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James Marvel’s drum and bass career began as a DJ, but his career in music spans back to his early childhood when he learned guitar and saxophone, later studying piano at the Ghent & Brussels Conservatory. With scoring a #1 on the D&B chart with ‘Way Of The Warrior’, his collab with MC Mota, James is fast establishing himself as a producer and performer to watch out for.

We caught up with James about ‘Way Of The Warrior’ and the current D&B scene. Read our chat below.


T.H.E – Hi James! Thanks for taking this interview? What are you upto currently?

James – Hey. My pleasure entirely. I had a rather hectic summer. Played at a couple of very nice festivals including Tomorrowland again and at the same time our latest release was one hell of a ride with everything falling into place at the last minute. I’m also visually restyling James Marvel as well with the man who designed our latest artwork. And with our latest single unexpectedly doing so well, my mailbox is becoming exponentially more loaded. So yes, pretty busy little bee here. But a happy one at that.

T.H.E – Congratulations on your collab with MC Mota, reaching the #1 spot on the Beatport DNB chart. How did this collab come about?

James – Mota and I met in Belgium at the beginning of his career, very briefly. When I moved to UK I invited him over cause we were keen on collaborating. We became very close friends ever since and worked together on several projects. There’s an undeniably constructive and creative energy when we’re working together. Cause we both seem to understand and accept each others criticism as progressive and push each other forward. As easy as that sounds it’s a rarity to find this kind of synergy and keep it up for a long time.

This specific collab was the result of another one being put off for a while. However the release plans were already made and I needed a new tune quickly. So I just went full frenzy in the studio, made the instrumental and sent out a text to Mota saying ‘got something new, come record this weekend’ He arrived, we wrote the lyrics together and spent another two days perfecting the recording to what it is.

T.H.E – In your early childhood, you learned guitar and saxophone, later studying piano at the Ghent & Brussels Conservatories. How has this helped in becoming the producer that you are today?

James – To me, the academic part of my musical background aids me in several ways. It’s a great aid to have some solid knowledge of classical and modern music theory and be able to actually play some keyboards while composing. Ear training too is an important skill for anyone in the music business. It helps you analyze styles, melodies, rhythms and harmonies in a way you can easily learn from it.

At the same time it can be a burden, because theoretic knowledge can lead to trying to be too ‘correct’. Or in other words; what you know is correct is sometimes very different from what you feel is right for the tune. The choice should always be what feels right for the tune, but it sometimes becomes harder to recognize the difference. In that way I do sometimes envy producers who have less of a theoretic background cause they rely solely on the emotion to make choices in their productions. Often the wrong note IS the right one.


T.H.E – Before making the switch to electronic music, you played keyboard with several bands in Belgium and Holland. How did this switch come about? Why DnB?

James – Playing with live bands came naturally out of what I was doing before. I was playing guitar and studying piano and had known many people in the circuit while growing up. So I just kind of stumbled into that whole ‘hired-gun-musician’ thing. I had a bunch of great experiences and had the honour of playing with some very talented musicians from whom I’ve learned a lot, but I’d realized at some point that this wasn’t for me. I needed to do my own thing.

Why dnb? Cause I’d been in a very committed relationship with it ever since I discovered it 15 years ago and it never ever loosened its grip on me. It makes me dance everytime and anywhere. It allows for so many varieties, colours, different tastes. And at the same time it’s rigid as hell in its unwritten rules of structures and vibe.
It’s a style of music that has been evolving for over 20 years, yet it still sounds like the future. I think that’s good reason to believe it’s here to stay for another good while.


T.H.E – What do you feel about the current DnB scene?

James – I don’t really feel as if there is only one scene at the moment. If there was ever such a thing really… But now it’s definitely more divided than ever. Labels and even youtube channels are becoming brands with their own nights and their own audience. Nights are being catered to fans of particular substyles. And several d&b artists who had this unifying quality in d&b have risen to real popstar status, but in the process also lost their d&b-only stamp. Which is obviously a good thing for the artist if that’s where they want to go. But it is always a bit of a loss for ‘the scene’.

In general I think the global d&b scene is growing stronger again though. The generation of teenagers who started their journey into drum & bass with Pendulum and Netsky seems grown into a solid scene of twenty-somethings who developed a true passion for the style and full-heartedly push the music in all the ways they can. If you see festivals like Let It Roll emerge and grow big as they’re doing, and every year more mainstream events are including drum&bass acts in their line-ups, that’s all good signs. I’ve not too much worries about it really.


T.H.E – Which are your 5 essential tunes of the moment?

James -In random, non-ranking order;

1. Lenzman – Paper Faces (Ivy lab remix). I’m absolutely in love with the Ivy Lab sound these days. They have created a very unique, warm and silky sound that is at the same time incredibly heavy and just hits you like a steamroller when playing on a big rig. And nearly every tune they’ve put out so far I think are essential tunes in drum & bass history. Instantly.

2. James Marvel ft. MC Mota – Way Of The Warrior

Shamless self promo here, but at the moment it is really one of my essential tunes. Because I actually enjoy playing it out, which I don’t necessarily have with all the music I produce. I also feel like we’ve created a solid mixture of influences here that don’t often find their way to each other.

3. DRS ft. LSB – The View

This one has the words ‘instant classic’ written all over it. Even when I’m playing darker and harder dj-sets, I’ll always try and find a moment to briefly turn the mood around and play this.

Great lyrics, fantastic vocal and pristine production by one of my favorite liquid producers of late.

4. Audio – Collision

This one has found its way back to my permanent playlists lately. It’s just one of those tunes that always works and that nearly everyone mixes in the same way cause it just screams for it. These kind of tunes just are pure fire, straightforward, hard hitting. One essential riff. Simple but solid beats. No frills. Pure d&b.

5. Grooverider – Where’s Jack The Ripper

The one tune that once made me a believer. Today to me it’s still one of the ultimate and perfect examples of everything I love about drum & bass. Sinister, compelling dark vibes, raw funk, narrative. Essential part of my d&b history.


T.H.E – Lastly, what would be the 5 things you would definitely carry for a camping adventure?

James -Based on my recent trip to Croatia; a rubber frisbee, a hammock, a flint rod, a sense of relativism … and an EMP to shut off everyone’s cell phone for at least five bloody minutes, including my own! :)

T.H.E – Thanks a ton James and wish you the very best! :)

James – Thanks to you!