"We’d rather do less but give it our whole, there’s too much trash out there if you ask us." - With a philosophy like this, it's no wonder that French DJ/Producer Jerry Bouthier has rapidly become a figurehead for the chic sound of indie-dance.
Although growing up in Paris, Bouthier first rose to prominence in England. He circulated as a DJ amongst London's eclectic nightlife before making a splash at BoomBox, Richard Mortimer's trendy East-end club that became a symbol of the capital's sophisticated dance scene.
The scent of style coming from BoomBox was soon sniffed by über-cool label Kitsuné, who snapped up Bouthier for a regular DJ slot and a mix CD - known as 'Kitsuné BoomBox'.
The life of BoomBox was short but sweet. However in 2008, it's natural offspring, Ponystep, was launched. Ponystep is Mortimer's fashion/style webmag that also features a parade of lavish parties and club nights. A lynchpin of its success was again the talent of Bouthier, who along with Andrea Gorgerino, performed a regular DJ slot under their moniker of JBAG.
With the London club scene now conquered, Bouthier and JBAG have branched out into the wider international sphere. The duo have become synonymous with fashion, with JBAG regularly providing soundtracks for major modeling shows and designers' events (such as Vivienne Westwood). It's not just their mixing that has caught the ear though. JBAG have begun to release their own productions and remixes, garnering a lavish amount of praise for their effortlessly cool tracks and catchy melodies.
Most recently, Kitsuné have come calling again for Bouthier, this time releasing 'Kitsuné x Ponystep', a mix CD that encapsulates the unique sound and vibrant atmosphere of a Ponystep event. With a bright future and a busy schedule ahead, DancedOnArrival caught up with the man himself to find out more about this Franglish icon -
DOA: What are your favourite songs you’re spinning at the moment?
JB: JBAG feat Louise Prey ‘X Ray Sex’
Everything Everything ‘MY KZ, UR BF (Original Mix & Grum Remix)’
Bunny Lake ‘Army Of Lovers (JBAG's hot pop Remix)’
Kylie ‘Get Outta My Way (BeatauCue Remix)’
Amari ‘Tiger (Cecile Remix-JB edit)’
Chemical Brothers ‘Swoon’ (Original & Boys Noize 'Summer' Remix)’
Doctor's Cat ‘Feel The Drive (JB edit)’
Passion Pit ‘The Reeling (Yasutaka Nakata Capsule remix-JB edit)’
The Sneekers ‘Teletronik’
Janelle Monáe vs Nancy Sinatra ‘This Tightrope's Made for Walkin (Party Ben edit)’
DOA: Which of JBAG's remixes or original songs are you most proud of and why?
JB: These works become like our children, you like them for what they are despite of their imperfections, we wouldn’t put out tracks we’re not happy with, we’d rather do less but give it our whole, there’s too much trash out there if you ask us. But since you’re asking, as far as our remixes go, our version of Kylie’s ‘BoomBox’ gets full points for party atmosphere (we did try to emulate the madness of our club BoomBox), our Sparks re-rub ‘Good Morning’ is our most rockin’ effort yet, the Ladyhawke song we’ve remixed (‘My Delirium’) is one of the best on her album, well worth kicking off our JBAG’s hot pop direction with… Now saying this, the next project is always the most exciting one.
DOA: You split a lot of your time between London and Paris, do you feel each city helps to craft your sound?
JB: Definitely, I grew up in Paris and I’ve been in London a long time. I’m a pure product of both cities. I’d like to think I’m a bit 50/50 these days.
DOA: How would you describe the atmosphere at a Ponystep event?
JB: Unique, fun, inspiring, silly & unpredictable.
DOA: Will the fantastic single 'X-Ray Sex' be getting the release it rightly deserves soon?
JB: Yes, we’re going to give it to blogs soon and it will be on sale digitally too. We’re awaiting some remixes to add to the package and have started a collaboration with some nice London-based graphic designers named Julia, they are going to look after the artwork of our releases.
DOA: What was it like working with Louise Prey?
JB: Louise is really nice. She had a baby recently, congratulations dear! We still haven’t seen it because she now lives in Sheffield where her boyfriend’s from. She knows the score. She might have a little girl’s voice, but she’s seen a lot and doesn’t take shit from anyone. She was in Ping Pong Bitches, a great all girl band as only London could have spawned it.
DOA: What projects are you currently working on?
JB: New JBAG tracks and a remix of ‘Theme From S-Express’ for our good old friend Mark Moore, (almost) a dream come true.
DOA: Your known as a 'go-to-guy' for fashion soundtracks, how important is fashion in your life and work?
JB: Fashion shows are a lot of fun and always a different experience, we do all Vivienne Westwood shows and other designers, it’s a big part of our activity. It’s great to work with people that aren’t musicians but still very excited about music as most fashion designers are. Music’s part of their world in a spontaneous way that’s refreshing. Shows often have a rock’n’roll dimension, music’s played loud to a thrilled packed house. The effect can be very powerful. It’s interesting to mix all these segments of tunes, overlap them, add effects and create a whole new 10’ soundtrack with its own atmosphere from that. It’s almost like surgery, quite intricate. You can totally remodel music to your own needs these days, it’s insane.
DOA: If you could work with any DJ/producer at the moment, who would it be?
JB: We’ve fell in love with Cecile, this Italian producer is sublime, he comes up with fantastic melodies. Would be amazing to do a track together – if you’re reading mister Cecile… We’re about to work with a Parisian band called Jolie Cherie, we’re going to help them produce some tracks and we’ll probably do something for JBAG with Etienne de Champfleury the main composer also a vocalist or the whole band even. He’s very talented.
Buy Kitsuné x Ponystep (CD)
Is it tech-house? Is it deep-house? Is it even a sub-genre at all? Could this not be the traditional sound of the original house movement? Any way you look at it, it matters not one iota! This untitled piece by Oni Ayhun is all about the laid back beat with some absolutely beautiful melodies placed delicately on top.
