Touching Bass: Jimmy Edgar

Jimmy Edgar’s discography is one alluring dip-dye in retro dance tracks spanning across labels like Warp, Hotflush and his own Ultramajic imprint. The latter is the home of his latest works, Mercurio EP, which lures you into a spell of seductive techno. Originally from Detroit, he’s now settled himself within the dense musical textures of Berlin. We say settled, but the last couple of months haven’t seen him suffering from cabin fever. Instead, he’s been on his travels around the world playing shows, fronting his label and falling in love with Egyptian philosophies. Somewhere in between a long walk and some Asian food in Paris, we stopped for a chinwag that skimmed between Atari, jewellery and women’s clothing in the process. Then he laced this week’s Touching Bass with tracks from Machinedrum, Danny Daze and Truncate.

YNTHT: Hey Jimmy, how’s things? Whereabouts are you at the mo?
Jimmy Edgar: I’m currently in my hotel in Paris. I just went for a long walk and some Asian food. I was taking photos of textures for an upcoming project. Its raining, I quite like when Paris is raining, seems to cleanse the city.

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Now I really want a chow mein. First though, I want to dive in and talk about your label, Ultramajic. I really like the theme but how did you first get into Egyptian magic and could you explain how it’s relevant in the modern world?
Thank you. We are exploring all types of philosophies, but most of all bringing these ancient old ideas into a new light and a fresh design. The hybridisation of ideas of the focal point of our generation, refining and discovering. We are exploring ideas about musical shamanism, digital altars, and meditation through colour and vibration. We aren’t doing anything profoundly new except hybridising and attaching visuals to ideas in unfamiliar ways, it’s kind of the core. For instance bringing more visual life to new age philosophy.

Have you ever been to Egypt? I’ve heard there’s a few pyramids there or something.
I’ve been booked to DJ there several times and then supposedly it became dangerous and they decided to cancel. We are planning on going early 2014 and it’s a dream come true to be able to face them. I’ve been fascinated with Egypt since I was little, and my label partner Pilar Zeta has been obsessed with it her whole life. We are all scheming how to be able to do a meditation inside the pyramids.

But if you get shut inside, you face a lifetime of just yourselves and some hieroglyphics. That may suck. I’m guessing the name for the upcoming Mercurio EP is a reference to the element? Or is it the planet? Or neither?
It’s a reference to the second elemental of alchemy. I really felt these tracks had a liquid, watery kind of vibe, but also a bit like steam, vapour, or fog. Mercury is the collaboration of water and air. Our first release was “Hot Inside” and you can find the alchemical symbol for sulphur, which is warm air, fire and air. We are taking the artwork through an evolution. Right now, it’s a bit of a turn off to reference anything occult because of the recent influx of symbols and triangles in the music industry. We are steering the ideas a bit, but we are more interested in exploring the self instead of manipulating reality with magick. For me, magick is for people who haven’t realised the power comes from the heart and mind, not outside.

Word. The EP/single has a vibrant yet metallic feel to it too though.
Exactly, “Mercurio” is also a reference to the liquid metal.

It’s quite dancefloor-y. Was that one of the initial aims?
The name works on subconscious levels, we didn’t really plan it that way but we do take it into consideration. A lot of the projects with Ultramajic are based on our interests and our intuition as well.

Keeping things metallic, are you a jewellery fan?
I am. Quite into gold at the moment. Pilar is working on some jewellery pieces, excited to see that.

Which bits and bobs in your collection are you feeling the most?
I wear mostly crystals, I feel them alive. I like to just hold them and look at them. My favourite is clear quartz, which is made of some kind of silicon, just like computers. I find this fascinating. I also like to wear pendulums; I have a few gold coloured ones. I don’t use them for divination so much since I would rather meditate, but I do find them very contemplative.

You mentioned computers and the EP also reminds me of 80s computer animation…
Me and my friends had an Atari video generator in high school, which is sort of similar. I was always really intrigued by 3D design. I figured it was so outside my realm that I never bothered to learn.

This year, I did about 200 hours of teaching myself 3D design, both still renders and camera animation and that’s how we came up with the Mercurio [EP] cover. I did the 3D sculpting of the pillars and Pilar was working beside me on the layout. We take turns on design, but generally I do the more masculine technical stuff and she does the feminine side of making it look amazing, then we clean up the lines and colours together. We are also really interested in keeping the video vibe; we did a great video for “Hot Inside”. This guy from Glasgow did it, Brez.

That reminds me, you’ve been travelling so much this year. You must miss your yard just a bit, right?
Yes, I miss my studio very much. I’m away from it far too much. This is something I’ll change soon.

Out of interest, what’s the oddest item in your house?
I have a baseball signed by Little Richard. I’m not even sure if its real but I love it. I have some interesting things from occult shops. Doves blood ink, wolf hair, and coffin nails (most likely all fake). I always visit occult shops; I find it really mysterious and inspiring, as long as it doesn’t seem evil. Not because of fear, but because I don’t align myself with evil in any way. This is why I don’t subscribe to Aleister Crowley and all that. I have lots of new age books and tarot cards, since we are designing 22 major arcana redesigns.

A great collection of resin incense, I use these every day. My favourite incense is Guggel Bdellium; it really puts me in a state. My friends always say my studio smells like meditation or a temple. I also have a gift from a friend in Ireland, Faerie Tales from Ireland, and I love reading about wives tales and superstitions because I ponder about how much truth is in them. Other than that I think people are surprised how much women’s clothing and shoes I have, from photoshoots and random shit.

HA! Nice! Thanks Jimmy.