2011 Recap: Eames

Eames really cracked his own shell in 2011. After an exceptional 2010 – in which he was already trailblazing the forthcoming 4/4 revival wave (just watch it rear up in 2012) – 2011 saw Eames relocate to Vancouver & begin to unfurl his production wares. An active SoundCloud page peaked many discerning ears & Bricks, his collaborative album with the mane Prison Garde will be posted up here by the end of today for a FREE DL. KEEP DEM EYES PEELED.

Production-wise, Eames’ affinity for stripped down drum-machine driven tracks paralleled the energy of his surging DJ sets – honing in on the sleekest of what 4/4 music had to offer this year, Eames’ overall aesthetic echoes the grit & style of the Detroit/Chicago axis. Dark techno, anthemic house, pulsing 808-driven rhythms – whatever the angle, Eames’ sets behind the decks in 2011 have galvanized him as one of BC’s most forward thinking 4/4 DJs. His peak-time set at Bass Coast this past summer was a thing to behold – to a packed mainstage crowd he effortlessly maneuvered through Maya Jane Coles, Azari & iii, Boddika & Jacques Greene, inciting a proper rave atmosphere.

Playing alongside Monolithium several times this past year, the pair’s b2b sets at Hush are starting to generate legendary nights of dancing (fused with minor amounts of debauchery). These nights give Eames the opportunity to go in with the deep house, something that Victoria dancefloors (and Hush especially) seem to be subconsciously begging for as the year winds down.

You can catch Eames alongside Monolithium b2b this Friday at the first of our 2 Year Anniversary parties at Hush. Come down & holler at your dudes. $5 all night. You can also catch Eames in Vancouver at The Waldorf on Saturday Dec. 10 playing alongside Kingdom OR at Lucky Bar on Friday Dec. 16 opening for Mathew & Nathan Jonson.

Joy O “Jels”

Eames: 2011, seems like time moves quicker every year. Is this a byproduct of aging, or rather the ever-increasing pace of the world we live in? Regardless, a lot went down for me in ’11. On a personal note, I relocated from Victoria to Vancouver in June, to start a new career path and switch things up in general. I consider myself nothing short of blessed in all facets of my life this year… but on to the music stuff.

First, the move allowed me to start making music with one of my best friends, Rob Squire aka Prison Garde. By the time this writeup hits the web our LP will be out there for download (see above link), the final cuts of the many late night hardware jams in the back of Catalog Gallery. I’ve learned so, so much about production this year, from both Rob and Chris Longshanks. I’m very lucky to have been schooled by these dudes, there’s no way I’d have the same grasp on theory or technical execution without them. I drove myself crazy at various points in 2011 in regards to gear (read: ‘I need a new drum machine right now! I’m gonna go blow all my savings on a new synth!’), but as the year winds down I find myself cooled out a bit, and happy to work with what I have. 2012 I’ll renew my production focus on the solo tip, keep developing my skills, and hopefully cook up some new ideas for the dancefloor. I also want to keep the collaboration train going; when it works, it’s the best.

I also absolutely loved DJing this year, again, so lucky to have had such great bookings with quality promoters. I opened for some amazing artists and friends, my personal highlight probably being playing right before Todd Edwards on Halloween (nicest guy ever). Bass Coast was also really awesome, playing to that type of crowd outdoors is such a rush. I feel like I really established my DJ ‘sound’ this year, rinsing primarily 4/4 with sprinkles of broken beat and trap rap thrown in for good measure. Flexing this style at Hush with Monolithium during our b2b sets was the best I played all year, for sure. Then again, crowd response is always more gratifying than any personal assessment of mixing proficiency, etc. Also, starting the Yours Truly night in Vancouver at W2 with AJK, Zeeaa and Prison Garde has been rad, many thanks owed to Irwin and his team for allowing us to throw raves in their basement.

Finally, a huge thank-you to anyone who paid cover at a gig I played at, you are the fuel that powers the whole apparatus xo.

So much good music came out this year it’s difficult to even begin to try to call favourites. Producers I watched closely include Maya Jane Coles, Scuba (Hotflush in general), FaltyDL, Tony Lionni, Pearson Sound/Maurice Donovan, Jacques Greene, Art Department, Boddika, Deniz Kurtel, Maceo Plex, Kassem Mosse, Extrawelt, the list goes on and on and on.

I am, however, going to go out on a limb and name a choice release: Joy O’s Wade In/Jels. What a badass couple of tunes. The sword-unsheathing sample on “Jels”. The piano on “Wade In”. The sheer overpowering drum machine heaviness in both. Simple, driving riffs that can carry a six minute jam with ease. I am such a fan of a stripped-back aethetic in dance music, and these two tracks take that precept and flip it with maximalist results. Why hasn’t Joy O done a proper NA tour yet? This needs to get rectified in 2012.