Meandering jazz from Melbourne.
Theory Therapy 25 comes from someone Dan and I have wanted to have on the series for a long-time: producer, label-owner and audio engineer Joseph Buchan aka Other Joe.
Joe has been responsible for some of the most interesting electronic music to come out of Australia in the last year. He’s released two incredible albums on two fantastic labels—DJ Earl Grey’s Best Effort and Third Space’s Nice Setting—helped put out a number of releases on his .jpeg Artefacts label ranging from kosmische-influenced ambient to Lynchian-style pop, and mastered just about every noteworthy Australian release of the last 12 months.
If you’re familiar with Joe though, you’ll also know that he has a penchant for jazz (something his Sanpo Disco mix with fellow ECM-enthusiast Nico Niquo can attest to) and it’s this sound which he’s gravitated towards for his Theory Therapy mix. His recording evokes a kind of warm, amber nostalgia, moving patiently through a number of beautiful and understated tracks from the likes of Terje Rypdal, Joseph Shabason and Lee Byung-Woo.
How are you today?
Bit of a headache…to be totally honest. Think I might’ve had one scoop too much in my coffee.
Can you tell us a little about your mix? What were you feeling when you made it?
I tried making this mix so many times – I saw in my emails that you asked me if I wanted to do one six months ago. I think I went through four or five different versions before hitting on this one, which took about three weeks to put together. I’m not usually so particular with mixes – for my radio show I usually just throw down whatever I feel in the moment and ride it out. With this one I really wanted to stick to one idea for the whole hour… something I have a lot of difficulty doing it seems. I tried one that was all drone, one that was more singer-songwriter focussed, an IDM one too.
I’ve been rehearsing with Nico (Niquo) for an upcoming show of his recently, and him and I both really enjoy jazz fusion. We used to live together, and playing ECM records from time to time really fostered a mutual love I think. A few weeks ago he was showing me some reference points for this show of his at the Meat Market, and he showed me the track “Morning Song” by Jakob Bro, Arve Henriksen, Jorge Rossy. I hadn’t heard it before and it sent me on a spiral – both finding new tracks and rediscovering old favourites. It just sort of clicked that I should do a mix of this stuff again.
Where did you record the mix?
In my studio above Bar Romantica in Brunswick East.
Where would you recommend listening to it?
I’ve been a bartender on and off for a few years now. There’s a very specific style of jazz that to me is just perfect for when everybody has left the venue, the lights are dim, and you’re having a post-work beer and a cigarette with your coworkers. That Pat Metheny Group track has scored countless moments like that in my life.
Are there any tracks you’ve used in the mix that are special or significant to you?
Quite a few, actually. That Pat Metheny one I just mentioned, absolutely. Nearly all of them actually. I love the one I end with – it comes from the OST to Mother, the Bong Joon-Ho film. It plays in the very final moments of the film. That final scene is so incredible, I remember my jaw dropped when I first saw it.
Theory Therapy mixes are about sharing the music that you personally find therapeutic and restorative. What does that mean for you?
I think it means so many different things to me – perhaps that owes to why I laboured over what direction to take this one. I notice that in times of emotional distress I listen to rap and hip hop a lot. Particularly a rapper like Lil Ugly Mane I take a lot of solace in. It’s a powerful thing to hear someone speak so confidently, to big up themselves, particularly when you’re fraught with your own insecurities. Often too it’s less about the genre and more about the familiarity. There are records I love that aren’t necessarily calming in their content but I know them inside and out. It’s kind of like watching a TV show you’ve seen a hundred times before, there’s a comfort to that.
These tracks in this mix are therapeutic in a different way I think. Each of them feels sort of meandering. I like zoning in and out of tracks like these. They’re never a slog, or too chin-strokey. Just very beautiful, understated tracks that choose their moments well.
What do you have planned for 2021?
My third release for the year and second album is going to come out in the next few months. More on that soon. I’m not sure on the timeframe of my next release after that album but the music for it is more or less done. There’s some soft chatter about a vinyl pressing of some highlights from my first releases. There’s a couple releases on my record label .jpeg Artefacts in the works too. I’m also excited for some of the releases I have mixed and mastered this year to come out. I wish I could be more specific but I suppose the details will come in time.
It seems like a lot is on when it’s all laid out like that. Really I just watch YouTube all day. Thank you for having me.
Tracklist:
Eivind Aarset & Jan Bang - Surrender [ECM]
Terje Rypdal - Mystery Man [ECM]
Jakob Bro - Youth [ECM]
Tord Gustavsen Trio - Where Breathing Starts [ECM]
Sam Wilkes - Run [Leaving Records]
Daniel Aged - Maria [self-released]
Jusell, Prymek, Sage, Shiroishi - Lavender [Cached Media]
Joseph Shabason - Donna Lee [Western Vinyl]
Pat Metheny Group - Au Lait [ECM]
Lee Byung-Woo - 춤 (Dance) [CJ Entertainment]