Jake Atlas AKA Thriftworks is a young producer based in northern California who already has built himself an impressive catalogue of music. He has 3 full lengths and an ep, the majority of which is free on his bandcamp (http://www.jatlas.bandcamp.com). His music is rooted in hip-hop with elements of glitch, idm and dubstep. Terms like “molassas-tempo witch-blip” and “psycho-dadstep” are coming to mind as the producer crafts a new sound all of his own. It is just as beautiful as it is crunked up and sassy, and with the recent release of his masterful album Rainmaker, I would definitely recommend keeping your eyes (and ears) on the lookout for big things from Thriftworks to come!
Thriftworks x BoneS – The Script by Thriftworks
***GO GET THE FREE DOWNLOAD - http://listn.to/GroundedTV
Check out BoneS on Soundcloud! http://soundcloud.com/bones
First of all, there’s a sonic aesthetic (is that even a thing?) to your music that puts it in a world of it’s own. It has roots in hip-hop, idm, glitch, and dubstep/bass music, but certainly transcends any single genre, I’m interested in what your musical background is, how long you’ve been working at it, and what lead you to make the music you do now?
Sonic Aesthetic… certainly… A mood or feeling created by the sounds you hear. As a producer this is what drives the creative process. The groundwork of a track begins with exactly that, mood… When I’m down, it’s slow and creepy, when I’m up, its faster paced and more driving (though “good mood” tracks are becoming more and more slow and sorrowful lately haha).Hip-hop is definitely the root of my creation, after hearing Prefuse 73 and The Hunchback Esquire in 2002ish I was hooked. Although I still listened to plenty of indie bands, jazz, folk and the like, it was beats that truly inspired me. I took piano and guitar lessons through grade school, but i forgot how to read music when I learned that I could make beats on a computer and record my guitar and keys over that.
I started really “trying” to make beats in in 2008, creating primitive hip-hop loops in FL studio. I moved to CA later that year and realized my potential. From that point on it’s been an ever-evolving process of creation, always trying to approach the next tune from a different angle….
When you say you ‘realized your potential’ what exactly do you mean? And what was it about being in California that led to that?
Basically I was periodically giving myself the chills during production. You know those moments when you bring on an emotion so strong it takes you out of work mode and you have to analyze what you just did.I think being in California just exposed me to a whole world of electronic music that I had never seen or heard before… It inspired me immensely and also showed me all the bullshit out there. Soon enough I realized i actually wanted people to hear this…
Speaking of aesthetic, how would you describe the terrain of your music if it was a physical space? do you ever produce music with a visual component in mind?
Hmmmm I’ve never been asked that one….. Think South American desert mountains… Glacier-laden flute music ya know???I think the sounds I’m creating naturally create visuals, usually not a physical space, but certainly a visual component… Every new sound I mess with brings a new image to mind….
Tl?l?c by ThriftworksIf i’m not mistaken you have at least 3 full length releases, can you tell us about these, and especially the most recent one Rainmaker which is out for free download at your bandcamp site?
Yeah, three full lengths and one EP. I feel like there’s not too much to say… except that I have something to say… and I’m attempting to do it through music.Hermetic was made after I first discovered dubstep, at the time i was actually enjoying shit like 16 Bit and The Widdler, and I think you can hear more of that more straightforward aggresive and oscillating bassline business on that album.
ZenZero was somewhat of a follow up, at that point I was experimenting more and more with psycadelic hip-hop stuff. And my latest, Rainmaker, seems like an amalgamation of everything I’ve done over the years with a generally slower twist and mellower vibe, and leaning more and more toward the soundscapy/sound-design stuff I’ve grown to love.
I’m also a big fan of rain and snow, i think that might be self explanatory…
http://www.jatlas.bandcamp.com
Other than Zen Zero which is released on Street Ritual you offer your other releases for free online, what is behind this decision to be so generous with your music, and if not by selling your tunes, how do you make money as a musician?
I think the original idea was that it helps with exposure. I thought albums were more likely to get passed around if they were free. I just want to get in your ear and the best way to do that is to give out music for free.As far as money, I get paid for shows now which is nice (not always as much as I’d like) but paid none-the-less. I also do freelance audio work, I record for films on set, I do post-production editing for films and documentaries, and a whole host of other audio one-offs. Between the music and the freelance business I make it work.
Tell us about your studio, how is it set up, what kind of gear do you use, and where is its general location?
I think I have a somewhat typical bedroom studio setup. My free craiglist bed takes up about half the room, and the rest is my command center. That’s where I summon musical spirits and render them digitally. My setup is pretty basic, keys, pads Logic Pro, a borrowed synth or two and a couple trusty microphones… It’s the same shit that everybody else has…. Gear aside, its all about maximizing the space and making it feel comfortable and inpsiring. I also need high doses of earth tones and native patterns on the walls to keep my head right.Obviously your environment is important to your creative process, is there anything else you do to practise or exercise your creative flow?
(in order of importance) Coffee. Whiskey. Herb.What does a “studio day” consist of for Thriftworks, from when you get up in the morning, to when you shut it down for the night?
Studio day… aka putting off all the real work I have to do to make tracks, intermittently looking back to the paid projects on deck, only to close them down again and resume a track…
Typically I can only give my best work for 8 hours or so, so it’s usually a morning through early evening session, or an evening through early morning session… The best/worst feeling is waking up the next day to review a track and realizing it’s beautiful or something whack….
Pillow in the Woods by Thriftworks
Describe the difference in your experience between clubs in the city and the west coast outdoor festival setting, does anything about your performance alter between the two?
Hrrrrmmm… Clubs are cool I guess, I like clubs because they’re dark and I can be invisible. It also feels like everybody is ready to get down.As far as festivals are concerned, I’ve only played one, (cough,cough, hint, hint) and it was a great experience because of the people and the sense of community. I hope to get involved in the festival circuit more this year, I hear people are more receptive to the more experimental side of things…. We’ll see…
From my experience attending Festivals around the West Coast (mostly in Canada but also a little in Oregon and California) it seems to me that the musical environment you create would fit the atmosphere wonderfully, I can only hope to see you perform at these in the future! And on that note, what is your schedule like for this upcoming year so far? any tour dates/shows planned (anything in Canada?)
Yeah I’m def looking to get around a little more this year. Currently my schedule is pretty light (cough, cough, tell your promoter friends, cough). Tentatively this is what i have lined up..,
1.20 in Missoula, MT with Freddy Todd
1.27 in Eugene, OR
1.28 in Portland, OR
2.11 in Oakland, CA with Govinda
2.14 in San Francisco, CA with Beats Antique
2.17 in San Francisco, CA with Shigeto and Mux Mool
2.18 in Denver, CO with Random Rab, Heyoka, R/D
Where did the name Thriftworks originate from? You definitely seem to work in thrifty ways, but is there anything more behind it than the obvious?
Yeah this really just originated from my studio desk being built out of cardboard and scrap wood in ’08. Then i found a home stereo set in the trash and that was my first set of monitors, and half of my cables come from the thrift stores to ensure high quality signal passage.And I still eat ramen noodles (actually the dope korean version (Mi Goreng)) about 6 times a week…
What do you have in your music collection that is the farthest sounding from Thriftworks, but you still love dearly?
BrightBlack Morning Light has been on repeat for the last year and a half. I absolutely love their sound. Dark, melodic, ambient, freak-folk goodness with vocal harmonies for days…If you looked in your itunes library what would the most played track be?
I just checked: Insightful – Llama With A Scarf OnI don’t know why people haven’t recognized this fool, I think they’re starting too. He’s a dear friend and quite possibly my favorite producer. Boatloads of music on his bandcamp… www.insightful.bandcamp.com
Out Tongue by ThriftworksThis is only the very beginning of 2012, which for many reasons is a year that has been talked about and projected on for quite some time, what are some dreams or goals you have set to accomplish, either in a very practical sense or as imaginative as you can be?
I’m just trying to ride out the storm and enjoy it while i do. More, and more music to come.Goals? Uhh … More shows definitely… Maybe go to Europe? Maybe go on tour with someone cool? Play some big festivals? Experience gigantic crowds and rain down upon them? Less Mi Goreng? Finish a new album with my brother Diamond the Mythicalifornian? I thinks thats good for now…
And to wrap this up, if there is anything else you would like to add, any shout outs you may have, or any links we should know about, get ‘em in here so we don’t miss out!!
Yea I’d like to just say thank you to anyone who’s ever supported me and my sound, foh really doh…Shout out to Insightful, JGVL, B.Lewis, Diamontus Lord of the Underworld, Ill-Esha, J. Bada, Manuel Salas, Tl?l?c, Quetzal and of course all my family, friends and supporters in the bay area and elsewhere.
*Go show some love on the fanpage*
https://www.facebook.com/Thriftworks
*And have a listen!*
http://www.jatlas.bandcamp.com
http://www.soundcloud.com/thriftworks
- Interview by RyanOrioN
