Giom - deephouse.com podcast #012

This week, we welcome one of our favorites - hailing from London, UK - DJ/producer and Supremus Records label head, Giom. With a lot of his deep sounds and infectious compositions being widely played across the globe, it was only fitting to have him as a guest on our show as he prepared a very special mix which includes a few of his original mixes and remixes. Enjoy.

Thanks so much for lending us your talent with this mix. You've been around for a while and many DJs have had your cuts in their playlists. How did you get started in the whole scene?

My pleasure, thanks for having me. I had been making electronic music in my bedroom for a few years before I decided it was time to finally show my work. When I felt it was (sort of) ready, I sent it to my then-favourite DJs and labels via early social media platforms. My tracks eventually got played out, released, I got asked to do remixes and then invited to DJ at parties around the world. It all happened in a very natural, heathy way. But it was also a much less saturated market 10 years ago: making this sort of music was very niche, and I didn’t know anyone that was actually listening to it apart from myself and a couple of other friends. And nerds on undergroundhouse.net, back then one of the only blogs talking about this kind of music.

Being originally from France, but over the years making London your official home, how has it helped your musical upbringing?

London, didn’t just help my musical upbringing, it totally shaped it. I think it still is one of the best cities in the world for music in general, there really is something for everyone. Also, I moved there when I was 18 to go to music college, so for 4 years all I did was meet, talk, play and hang out with musicians. Jazzers, rockers, total geeks... it was awesome! A big difference from my actually town of birth, which is tiny and had zero electronic music going on at the time. Having said that, I did a show there last month and it was really good, busy, sweaty, and actually quite a messy night. I feel that something is definitely happening there.

You've had releases on many reputable labels such as Bunny Tiger, Large, Defected and many others. When did you feel that making the move to starting your own label (Supremus) was the right moment?

I’d been wanting to do it for ages but always had an excuse (didn’t want to do accounts, just wanted to remain an “artist” etc...). Eventually I grew a pair and launched Supremus once I felt I had a solid debut release. This obviously isn’t a money thing, it’s about putting out music that I love from producers that I love and I believe in the long run. I’ve learnt a lot since the first release but with digital sales already being down since last year, it’s proving to be a challenging business, one that is profitable to everybody that isn’t involved with the actual music. If you’re a streaming platform, a distributor, art designer, mastering engineer or promo platform, there is always plenty of work for you as there are so many labels and tracks coming out all the time. But as an artist it is as difficult as ever.

What's your musical background like? Who are your biggest influences?

My dad was a DJ in the late 70s/early 80s and had a pretty hefty record collection. He still does, I steal from it every year when I come back to see the family at Christmas. I had a very musical upbringing, plenty of rock, pop and jazz was always being played loud in our house, and I became a Michael Jackson obsessive when I was 9-years old. That eventually got me into wanting to be a radio DJ, then learning to play the drums, then move to London to become a musician full-time. Firstly as a student, then as a session drummer. My all-time biggest influences are Michael Jackson, Steely Dan, Jaco Pastorius (he was also an incredible horn arranger), Frank Zappa (there is so much more to him than the funny songs), West Coast smooth rock (Hall & Oates, Doobie Brothers, Toto) and tons and tons of Jazz-Fusion. House-wise, I’d say that over the years Daft Punk, Basement Jaxx, Etienne De Crecy, Derrick Carter, Mark Farina, Sneak, the Lawnchair Generals, Inland Knights, Maceo Plex and DJ Koze have all had a strong influence on me.

Any thoughts on your creative process? Where does it all start for you when you get a track started?

I tend to start with the drums, but it depends what mood I’m in. I just really enjoy being in the studio making music, whether I’m being productive or not. I like to take my time, choosing the right drum sounds, the right atmosphere, noodling on presets to find melodies, tweaking sounds for hours until they sort of fit together... I love it all. I try to share this passion in my online lessons, because I think it is the most important part of making music.

Can you tell us a little bit about your mix?

As usual with me it’s quite chilled, but I tried to make this one warm and cosy, so I think people will enjoy listening to it while looking at the gloomy weather outside. It features some upcoming tracks from me and some upcoming Supremus stuff too, including 2 tracks from the next release, which is an EP from Munich-based Tale Cooper. There are also tracks that I really like at the moment, like “Paul” by Jimi Jules. It’s taken from his album Equinox and is simply stunning, so musical. I also included the latest Maceo Plex offering on Ellum, it’s so well produced and has tons of emotion too. I also had to include one from my current favourite Robag Wruhme. I can’t believe I’ve only been aware of this guy’s music for about a year and a half, his take on melodic techno is so good, and I think he’s a genius in the studio. This one is taken from the latest Hart & Tief 12”, it’s very simple and straight to the point but is an absolute banger!

What ARE your go-to tracks these days?

Apart from the ones mentioned just before, I’ve been rinsing &Me’s “Cape Coast” for the past 4 months, this one gets every party started, guaranteed. This, and also my own track “Some Love”, which you guys premiered last month. This one got a lot of love from Traxsource and also works a treat on the floor.

What's in store for you in 2017 and beyond?

I have a few remixes coming out for the likes of Nils Penner and Miguel Campbell amongst others. But most importantly, I think this may be the year where I finally release an album... I’ve been looking at this idea for so long but I feel that now is finally the right time. I’ve had a very productive time in the studio the past few months and now have about 6 tracks that I feel are strong, so I’m gonna keep going and aim for a summer release, we’ll see.

Do you have any hobbies outside of music?

I enjoy cooking a lot. French food of course but also Italian, I just love good pasta. I also enjoy a good binge-watching session of TV shows, Westworld being the latest. But apart from that, all I do really is make and listen to music. It’s my passion.

Podcast Tracklisting

1. Paul2Paul - A Day After
2. Tale Cooper - Hawks
3. Thomas Gandey - Lovemachine
4. Tale Cooper - Blue Moon (Giom Words Dub)
5. Le Babar & Pat Lezizmo Feat. Anano - Last Call (Giom Remix)
6. Robag Wruhme - X-Mop 198
7. Giom - Some Love
8. Jansons - Trust In You
9. James Dexter & Chris Stussy - Music On
10. Pysh - Da Rosla (Feat. Poludnice)
11. Jimi Jules - Paul
12. Maceo Plex - Shoulder Of Orion
13. Agoria - Up All Night

Follow Giom: http://www.facebook.com/giomsoundzhttp://www.twitter.com/giomsoundzhttp://instagram.com/giomsoundzhttps://soundcloud.com/giomhttps://open.spotify.com/user/giom