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An Interview with Denis Jasarevic
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Gramatik, Denis Jasarevic, musician and producer, continues to pave roads across the globe. This summer he is touring with Lowtemp Music to the hottest festivals in the states, as well as in Europe. He goes over his summer plans, new music, and his performance at the Bonnaroo Music Festival below in a brief interview.
After soaking in his studio and live material, I find that Gramatik is an inspiring human being. He has launched his own record label, redefined the recording music industry, and sold out shows in multiple countries. It is refreshing to see artistry with a sense of passion.
He is set to close down The Other Tent at Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival on Thursday, June 11.
Gramatik – 06/11/15 The Other Tent 12:15-1:15
CV: Your summer tour is lined with large-scale domestic events, as well as an international tour across Europe. In June, you will perform at the Bonnaroo Music Festival on Thursday evening. You will be closing down The Other Tent for your first time performing at the festival. What are your thoughts going into your set?
“Bonnaroo is one of the biggest festivals in US and playing last slot on Thursday night is definitely a big opportunity for me to showcase my music and our live performance. We’ll definitely do our best and bring to Bonnaroo fam the best Gramatik Live experience. I’m bringing Russ Liquid on trumpet, saxophone, keys and Gibbz on guitar and vocals so it’s going to be a blast.” – Gramatik
CV: I have noticed a pattern of top tier breakthrough artists making a name at Bonnaroo on Thursday night. Do you see performing on Thursday night as an opportunity?
“I’ve heard that, I’ll be stoked if that’s true. It’s every artist’s dream to be recognized by wider audience and be able to tour around the world. Personally I’ve been doing this for 6 years now so I don’t really believe in miracles and ‘success over night’ but it would be nice if this is true.” – Gramatik
CV: How was the process working with Raekwon and Orlando Napier on the ‘Native Son’ track?
“I worked with Orlando on my previous record The Age Of Reason on a track called Faraway and I think he’s an amazing songwriter and singer. He stopped by my place last year and one soulful song he brought with him instantly caught my attention. We decided to make another track together for my next release and we felt it could use a rap part on it. I grew up with Wu-Tang Clan and my first pick was Raekwon, he was always my favorite. My manager sent out the song and to my surprise Raekwon liked it and he was instantly on board. Collaborating with Raekwon is now crossed of my bucket list.” – Gramatik
CV: What is your overall goal when you set up for a live concert? What drives you to continue?
“I use a lot of live instrumentation in my music and I always had live instrumentalists with me on stage. My sets are never just DJ sets. It’s always more of a concert. Through years my sound has evolved and now I perform with two talented artists and producers who both have their own careers. You should really check them out. Russ Liquid is a multi instrumentalist from West Coast, he plays flute, saxophone, trumpet and keys. And Gibbz is an awesome audio engineer turned artist, he plays guitar with me and he sings. Maybe in the future we’ll add more but for now I think this is the best live setup for my music. The goal is to make creative music, but simultaneously, make sure everyone has a great time.” – Gramatik
CV: What mode of transportation will you primarily use when touring Europe? What is your ideal mode of transportation?
“In Europe they have double deckers, something you don’t have in US. I have my own room there so that’s definitely my favorite way of touring. When you’re on the road for 2 months and there are 10 people living and traveling with you, having some sort of privacy is crucial. But for the summer run I’ll just stay at home in Portoroz, Slovenia and take a van or fly to different festivals.” – Gramatik
CV: Is there any new music you would like to discuss?
“I’m always on a lookout for new music and there’s kids these days doing pretty amazing stuff. They are way younger than I was when I learned to create my own sound. We just signed a kid from Slovenia, Emiljo A.C. He makes dope beats and he’s only 16. And there‘re others sick young producers out there like Haywyre, Ramzoid, Electric Mantis and so on. I definitely want to hear more from these kids and what kind of sounds they’ll come up with. We’re trying to expose a lot of up and coming producers through our label Lowtemp Music, so hopefully we can help these artists grow and make a name for themselves.” – Gramatik
Bonnaroo News
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