ADSR Mix 022: Mélodie des Eros
April. 12. 2017
This week on the ADSR Blog, we hand over DJ duties to a young westcoast up and comer: Elliot Jackson aka Melodie des Eros. Growing up in a small town in northern BC, Elliot absorbed musical influences and experiences wherever he could. Early video games, rap blasting in friends beat up old cars, and an older brother with a passion for electronic music all played their part in forming Elliot's musical tastes and sensibilities. Now, having happily found his niche in deep progressive house and melodic techno, Elliot aims to move listeners through his energetic sets and effortless mixing. Tune in as Elliot takes us through an hour of melodic, vocal and playful progressive selections to jump start your day.
Hey Elliot what’s on at the moment?
T-shirt, Jeans, Old Spice deodorant.
Talk to us about your upbringing up in northern BC. How do you think that small town life has shaped your sound?
I grew up in a village of about 1,500 people near Smithers, BC with my siblings. It's a nice little community with lots of neat places to explore and build tree forts with friends. Fishing and hunting was also great up there. I think that nature and the people there really opened me up and taught me to love more than I normally would to begin with. I'm really grateful for those experiences. For my sound and just music in general it all started with video game soundtracks. Earthbound, Super Metroid, and Chrono Trigger all have amazing OSTs. There's also Secret Of Evermore which I think has a phenomenal soundtrack by Jeremy Soule. In 1997, Daft Punk released their first album and that really changed how I perceived electronic music. Then came Timo Maas with his "Loud" album. I remember going to visit my grandparents and I had it on repeat almost the whole trip lol. The mid 90's/early 2000's Hip-hip/Rap craze came and went and I loved it. My friends had Cypress Hill, Beastie Boys, and Wu-Tang blasting in their shitty beaters all the time haha. Love Nine Inch Nails as well.
Your brother is also into DJing and electronic music, is there ever any friendly rivalry between you two?
Haha no, not at all. I really love playing music with him when I can. He taught me how to mix music in the first place. If it wasn't for him, I definitely wouldn't be into electronic music as much as I am now.
How do you find DJing to be different when playing alone vs a b2b set?
Playing alone is nice because it's all your own style of music and mixing and you know what to expect but I love mixing with other people too because of the exact opposite reason. You don't know how they will mix a track in and you don't know which track they will choose. It's a constant learning process and I love it. Even if you've been djing with someone for years and have similar styles you still don't know what's coming. I also really love having someone to vibe off of. Definitely makes mixing more enjoyable sometimes.
What is it that attracts you to tech house and deep house?
Well I'm attracted to all electronic music and to be honest my favourite genres are melodic techno and progressive house. It really gives me a euphoric feeling and creates a new world for me. A journey through sound while also having a nice dance rhythm/groove. I search for and buy the tracks that give me goosebumps and make the hair stand up on the back of my neck. When I find them and listen to them I'm able to forget about everything else for a moment and focus on the beauty of music.
Top 3 tracks at the moment?
Toughest question yet. So many good tracks out there but for right now:
Olaf Stuut feat. Marlon Penn - Maze (Original Mix)
Erase Me - Sumus (Original Mix)
Piemont - Spin Off (Nicolas Masseyeff Remix)
Talk to us a bit about the mix you have for us, how did you approach it?
For every mix I make I choose a beginning track and an ending track on purpose. I try to choose a track at the beginning that either eases people into the mix nicely or has a good message that I think is worth being in the mix. Same for the ending track usually. I want people to leave the mix with something different than the rest of the tracks. Whether it's downtempo/ambient or makes people think. It doesn't always work out that way though. For this mix in particular, I chose the first 3 tracks and made sure they mix well to make a set-up for good listening. For everything else I just picked tracks that I love. The intro track I thought of last second before I began mixing and just thought "Wow, that would make for an amazing intro if I looped it and put on a delay effect".
What’s coming up for you over the summer?
The beautiful Sunwave parties in Vancouver are happening this year starting in June. I'll be playing a couple of shows there. I would love to play more but I need to get myself out there more I guess and just throw more parties with friends this summer.
Last words?
I'd like to thank all the people working at ADSR Collective. I love what you guys/gals are doing and i wish you all the best in the future! Cheers
https://soundcloud.com/melodie-des-eros