Interview: Back to Basics Resident James Barnsley

Producer, DJ and Back to Basics resident James Barnsley talks to Jasmine Phull ahead of his Limetree Festival show.

A residency for a DJ is a place they can call home. They recognise, if not know, most of the faces and are given room to ‘experiment with different sounds’. It’s this comfort zone that means both patron and DJ know what to expect. It’s a mutual understanding. It’s the reason they each come back a week later. 

Leeds DJ and producer James Barnsely found music when he was merely 12. It was an elder brother’s friend that introduced him to a world that would one day become his own. He doesn’t feed the on-stage antic clichés, but instead all his energies are focused on the turntables in front of him. 

You hold a residency at Back to Basics in Leeds. What is it about a residency that interests you?

A residency is always good for any DJ, it gives you a platform to showcase yourself on a regular basis where you know the crowd and what they expect, and I feel I can experiment more with different sounds. I also love doing warm ups and closing the night, which you rarely get to do when playing guest slots at other clubs.

Do you have a preference between support slots and your own headlining gig? Do you find one more effective than the other?

I always love doing headlining gigs because they are usually when the club / event is at its peak but I love support gigs just as much if I’m supporting for a DJ or act I have a lot of respect for.

Do you have a preference between touring and staying put? Do you find being on the road suppresses your creative output, or inspires it?

I don’t really have a preference between the two. I always make sure I’m prepared for every event; there are always good gigs and bad gigs and I don’t let the bad gigs affect my creativity. But being able to playing in my home city is very handy.

First album you bought?

I think it was Guns n Roses Use Your Illusions but I’m sure that was a copy so maybe it was AC/DC Blow Up Your Video.

How important is the live aspect of a James Barnsley shows? Are your onstage characters and their antics all part of the show?

Personally I am not one for throwing my hands up in the air and waving my arms up to the crowed, I’m quite a shy person, I just try and get into the groove and enjoy myself.

At festivals the crowd is always divided between those who know you and those who don’t; do you ever feel pressured to prove yourself or to deliver? 

Naturally I always want to prove myself and deliver to both the crowd and myself and probably always will, but the pressure does ease off the more events you do.

How much time do you put into practicing your live shows, if at all?

It depends really, if I have some gigs coming up I spend time getting fresh music together and playing the records together to see what works and what doesn’t but most days I spend more time producing than playing on my turntables.

What music did you listen to growing up? Did you have influences (friends, family) around you that shaped where you are at today?

When I was growing up I listened to all sorts, mainly rock bands really, then at the age of 15 I got a pair of turntables and started playing around with different types of dance music. Not long after, I found my love for house music, and I guess many influences as well as playing at Basics have got me where I am today.

You’ve been signed to a number of labels from Get Physical, District Raw and Break Out Audio. What are the signs of a good label? What characteristics do you look for?

I look for a label that constantly releases good, fresh sounding music and has its own identity.

What are you working on at the moment?

I’ve been working really hard this year on different projects, which are due to be released over the next six months on labels such as Microtech, Murmur and Amazing Music. I have also started using a lot of hardware in the studio, which I have been learning about over past two months. Then I’ve been concentrating on my next demo, which is just about finished so I am really looking forward to playing it at my next few gigs.

Interview by: Jasmine Phull

Catch James Barnsley at Limetree Festival near Ripon this weekend. Find out more about the festival here. Tickets for Limetree Festival are still available through Skiddle below. 

Tickets are no longer available for this event