MC Asia Chat: Jerome Isma-Ae

By Alif Omar Mahfix  •  in Interview
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Munich’s Jerome Isma-ae has been redefining the sonic patterns of prog house for 15 years now, ever since EDM’s day of yore. Now one of the highest-selling and most successful DJ-cum-producers of his genre of the last 3 years, Jerome’s sound remains as sharp and consistent as ever yet still evolving to meet the current demands of the dancefloor. Very in demand and critically-acclaimed, Jerome’s got the best weapon one could ever hope to have as a DJ — the ability to stand out. A weapon he won’t hesitate to use. This Saturday 28 April will see the man on stage at the biggest rave party to hit our shores this year, Music Conference ASIA at Sepang International Circuit. JUICE had a quick chat with the German DJ and was relieved to have not begun the interview with the obligatory “how are you?” Why? Read on…

You’ve been in the music industry for 15 years now, what’s your take on how its progressed from when you started?

EDM was growing to a level which nobody ever expected. Some DJs are more popular than some rockstars. Big star artists and singers want to collab with DJs now. When I started to DJ, techno and house music were not very popular. The parties were mostly in very small underground clubs.

How did you go from being in a band to becoming a DJ?
Synthesisers, samplers and drum machines were fascinating me. Those things influenced my style of music.

Any big projects you have for this year?
I will be daddy soon. This is probably the biggest project!

How’s the record label doing?
It’s doing well. I just signed a few new artists with great releases.

Have you achieved goals you’ve set for yourself?
I always wanted to travel a lot and show my music to many people around the world. So yes, I did achieve a goal

What’s your typical day like? Is it all parties, hangovers and girls?
On a tour the day looks like this; going to the airport, driving to the hotel having a nap, then straight to the club. After the club; back to the hotel, and then off to the next airport. You don´t really want to do this with a hangover. Sometimes you wake up and have no idea where you are. At home I spend the most of the time in the studio and in the kitchen. I love to cook!

When’s the last time you were satisfied? Musically we mean… not sexually.
That was at my last gig here in Sydney at the Chinese Laundry Club. People went nuts for 4 hours listening to my music!

What did it take for you to keep yourself in the industry? Did you ever feel like giving up?
Giving up was never an option. Music is my life.

The DJ scene is expanding by the minute, everywhere you go there’s an upcoming DJ trying to get his/her work out there, what advice would you give them?
Find your own sound, tell your own story. Be an original, and not a copy of somebody.

What’s the last CD you purchased?
That was Thomas Newsman, the soundtrack of Road to Perdition. Movie soundtracks and classic music is very inspiring for me.

Best experience you’ve had being a DJ?
The whole DJ life is a great experience. But the greatest experience is a positive feedback from the crowd. The energy you get of the crowd and you give it back to them. This is something you can do for hours and hours.

If you didn’t become a DJ, what would you be doing?
Racedriver

What’s the most annoying or repeated question you get?
“How are you?” You hear this question many times a day, and 99.9% of the people who ask you, don´t really care about the answer, haha.

Whew, luckily we didn’t ask you that. What do you have in store for your Malaysian fans?
A lot of new productions, mash-ups and remixes!

We look forward to them!

Jerome Isma-Ae will be spinning at the biggest EDM party to hit our shores Music Conference ASIA @ Sepang International Circuit this Saturday 28 April 2012. Click here for event details and here for more on Jerome.