‘Every time I listen to music, I’m listening for that little section that I can take and make my own’

Performing under the moniker of ToeJam, Toby has been creating hypnotic synth beats and sampling things from CD’s bought on holiday to domestic appliances. I caught up with him to chat about his process, inspirations and how he sees his tunes translate into a live setting.

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What you do is incredibly unique, for those of us who are unaware of how the technology works, can you give us a crash course into your processes?

The equipment I use at the centre of my set up is called Maschine, it’s essentially Native Instruments version of an MPC (Music Production Centre). I assign different samples to each pad so that when I hit that pad it triggers the sound. It could be anything from individual drum sounds, snippets of songs, a cappela’s or MIDI instruments.

I usually choose a song I love, a recent chart entry or just a sexy melody and then start finding songs and samples that will fit the key and tempo. From there it’s just about having fun creating a mix and making something new.
Since creating videos with animations and motion graphics, I’ve learnt more and more about editing software and now when I make the songs I have just as much fun creating the visuals as I do the music.

How did the entire project come about?

I’ve been drumming since I was 13 alongside playing keys and have always had an interest in music. I fell in love with music production when I studied music at University and started producing music on my own and with other artists. Maschine was one of the first pieces of equipment I bought as you can effectively play it like a drum kit.

The first thing I ever sampled was a CD which I bought in the South of France from a busking band playing in a local square. When I got home it was nothing like I had remembered when listening to the band live, so it sat in my cupboard for years collecting dust. When I found it again years later, it struck a new chord with me particularly the instrumental sections were amazing and I instantly wanted to sample it. Now every time I listen to music I’m listening for that little section that I can take and make my own.

What are your main inspirations?

I take inspiration from everywhere. Musically I love hip hop, reggae, funk, jazz and electronic. My heroes are Fat Freddy’s Drop, a 7-piece band from Wellington in New Zealand who combine these genres in an incredible way. Also, people like Bonobo, Tribe Called Quest, Gramatik and Us3 are always high up on my playlist. I love to go to sound systems such as Channel One and Aba Shanti-I as well as seeing up and coming bands live.

You’re fairly new to Bristol, how does the music scene here compare to your time living in London?

There’s always a million different things going on in London, but the crowds never seem to be bothered or engaged at gigs. In Bristol, I find that everyone’s more appreciative of live music and the atmosphere is much better. I also love that there’s a lot of venues and gigs going on, but the bands are never playing to an empty room, which can quite often be the case in London. Mainly I just love the way of life in Bristol, it’s so much more relaxed and everyone seems to be in less of a rush.

How do you see this translate to a live setting?

I’ve been working on bringing my ideas to a live setting and I’m hoping to play live soon. Having guest musicians would be great and I’d really like to incorporate an element of live visuals as well to support the performance. At home in my studio I can get very carried away with using every piece of gear I have using synths and effect units. I want to minimise this when I do play in a live setting, and ideally keep it to Maschine, keyboard and an effects unit to use with a sax or guitar player.

You infamously made a beat from the sound of your own washing machine, how did
this idea begin?

I didn’t release that a washing machine could be so musical, the first time I turned it on, I thought to myself  “I have to sample the start-up tone”. A year later, it can get a tad annoying, when a cycle is complete the jingle goes on for what feels like days!

A friend of mine plays in an amazing band called Hazardous Funk, and they perform a song where they sample the original Nokia ringtone and creates a song from it. I’ve always wanted to sample something similar myself from an appliance or household object so gave it a go!

At first it started as a bit of a joke, but then after sampling the beginning I actually really liked the sound and ended up creating a whole track using the sample.

Do you see yourself working with any other domestic appliances in the future? They do make good collaborators and don’t talk back!

They are easy to work with! I’m always listening out for new sounds to sample and new songs to mix. Inspiration can come from anywhere, it could be another domestic appliance or the building works across the road! Anything that makes a noise can be sampled which is why I find it so interesting as you never know what will come next.
My website goes into much more detail about how I compose each track and the visuals I
create along with the equipment and programs I use.

Images supplied by ToeJamTunes

Keep up to date with ToeJam antics here: https://www.instagram.com/toejamtunes/