He DJs, he produces, he runs a label and an imprint of that label and now, Jesse Rose is a music journalist. Kinda. We gave Rose the keys to the THUMPmobile and he took it for a spin, asking questions of the artists featured on Community, the new compilation he and Oliver Dollar mixed for Rose's own Play It Down imprint.Rose has been pumping up Dollar for a minute now, mentoring the Berlin-based house head and frequently playing tag team sets across the globe. In addition to collabing on the mix, they teamed up on the new track "When We Heard Gilles Peterson." The tune pays homage to the legendary tastemaking radio selector, affirming Rose and Dollar's shared musical mind. Check the premiere of the tune here and see what Community's other featured artists— Brillstein, Lewis Boardman, Christian Nielsen, Ninetoes and of course, Mr. Dollar—say to and ask of Mr. Rose.
Advertisement
Christian Nielsen: Since signing to Play It Down about a year ago my sound has changed massively. I think the confidence in which the the label is run has without a doubt taught me to be more confident about my own music, and I think that is the real change you can hear.What's the difference on releasing with Play It Down compared with other labels?
Lewis Boardman: I would say it's a lot more family and friends type of label, I've had constant feedback [from Jesse] about how to improve my tracks; that's is really important for new producers!Do you think your background has influenced your music?
Ninetoes: Yes. My background definitely influences my music. A lot of percussion, like you can hear. ;)Do you think you are more influenced by the city you live in, Berlin, or the label, Play It Down?
Oliver Dollar: I would say both, Berlin is a big part of Play It Down from sound to history.What was it like doing your debut album, Back To Bed, on Play It Down?
Brillstein: Back To Bed was initially five tracks I brought to Jesse as demos to get notes on. He gave me some great pointers and said he felt like they all worked together nicely… then he asked if I'd like to have them be released as mini-album for Play It Down. Obviously, I was down and very excited for that.Jesse came up with the title, as I tend to be a bit nocturnal. he'd call me up in the afternoon and ask what I was doing I would say I was going back to sleep. When jesse proposed Back To Bed as a title for the project it just made sense. And then finally, Todd James, one of my favorite artists, really killed it graphically with that as a theme.
Advertisement
Jesse Rose: I guess I could have started producing & engineering my own tracks earlier, at first I would always co-produce until I was about 21 or 22, but as I started going to the studio at 14 this felt quite late. At the same time I learned a lot watching others. I think a lot of times I've gone from A to Z to get to B but I learned a lot in between; I guess that was the journey I needed to take.Lewis Boardman: Is DJ Harvey the messiah or is it just hype?
DJ Harvey is great, I used to hear him play when I was a young kid but maybe the hype is a bit much. I think the best DJs in the world are normally not professionals at all, they're just people that love and collect music.Ninetoes: Which track is your all time favorite ?
Funny, I'm just about to start remixing one of my all-time favorite house records, Isolee's "Brazil.com," for Classic Records, Derrick Carter's label. That's gonna be tough 'cause I love it that much. In terms of a non-dance music track, Debussy's "Clair de Lune" is a really special piece of music I always go back to.Oliver Dollar: When you went out the first time to a club and how was the experience?
The first time I went to a club was actually the spot you and I played in Bristol on Halloween: Lakota. I wore a hoodie to cover my face as I was about 13. I thought it was amazing. I went with my mate Jamie Anderson who was older and as I remember they were playing pretty hard techno. I came home as the sun was up and felt pretty inspired.Brillstein: Made To Play and Play It Down once co-existed. Is MTP ever coming back or is the focus now permanently on PID?
Made To Play got to a place where it was releasing hit after hit and I ain't feeling that. I started Play It Down to get back to the grooves and it feels like we can do anything on the label now. Made To Play may come back if I hear a track that would make sense.Community is out now on Beatport and iTunes.Jesse Rose is a boss who Tweets and Instagrams like one.