 Boom Jinx (Øistein Johan Eide) began writing music in 1989 when he accidently got his hands on Soundtracker – a pattern based audio sequencer for the Commodore Amiga computer. In terms of audio specifications, the Amiga was basically an 8 bit 4 voice sampler. With a burning passion to create, 15-year-old Øistein spent more time making music then he did attending Norwegian elementary school. When he got his first assignment from a major US game developer in 1991, he set a goal on making a career out of music.
After building a successful career in the commercial film/TV industry, he turned his attention to dance music in 2005. Since then, Boom Jinx has developed a well-deserved reputation amongst his peers for productions that show- case a stunning level of intricate detail and subtle nuances. His music has gotten support from industry heavyweights such as Tiesto, Paul Van Dyk, Armin Van Buuren, Above & Beyond, ATB and Markus Shulz as well as rave reviews from DJ Magazine and URB.
Considering that his tracks have achieved top placement in European dance charts and gotten consistent play on worldwide radio shows, it is clear that his music resonates with the masses as well. This rapport has led him to become a DJ with performances in Europe, hitting America for the first time at the 2008 Winter Music Conference where he shared event billing with Above & Beyond, Super8 & Tab and Andy Moor. With his album nearing completion, Boom Jinx is set to explode on the global DJ scene.
FX –How did you first get involved in the music industry and what events led you to where you are today?
BJX - When I got my first freelance assignment from a major US game developer in 1991, I set a goal on making a career out of making music. I was a naïve teenager at the time and didn't always play my cards right, so it took many years before it became a full-time occupation but fortunately, I never gave up. The breakthrough came in 2000-2001 when I was given the opportunity to make music for several commercials. By 2005, I had done so much music for others that I wanted to try to do something for myself and today, Boom Jinx is my labor of love.
FX –What projects are you currently working?
BJX - I'm doing a couple of industrial tracks for EA's Need For Speed SHIFT, a product demo for Nine Volt Audio, a single for Latvian pop phenomenon DJ Ella and scoring a talent show for LNT TV. Other than that, my artist career takes up most of my time. I'm close to finishing my debut album and am working on several collaborations with other artists, bands and singer/songwriters.
FX –You have created a lot of music for TV, Film and Radio, tell us about the best brief you have been given and why?
BJX - I'm not sure but one thing that comes to mind is when I was asked to remix the American Idol Theme Song and they told me to make it sound more like... me. Needless to say, that was an exceptionally cool brief.
FX –How do you approach a new trance track and where do you get your inspiration?
BJX - When I write trance, I try to get the chords and main melody in place first. It's much easier to produce trance if the musical backbone inspires me. To be honest, the biggest inspiration to write trance comes from reading about or watching people enjoy what I do. DJing to a crowd and see people respond well to all that hard work is a truly amazing feeling.
FX –Tell us about the demo track "Me So Analogue" that you have created for FXpansion using DCAM: Synth Squad?
BJX - I really wanted to come up with something that didn't sound like a typical synth demo but rather a part of a proper track, so I had a think about which styles I could do using only instruments from DCAM: Synth Squad. For me, the natural choice was something clubby. I wanted to show off the synths' amazing tone and analog character, and Strobe is probably my favorite synth for basses right now. Other than a touch of vinyl noise and kicks from GURU, all synths and percussion are from DCAM: Synth Squad.
FX –What other FXpansion products are you using and what are your favorite features?
BJX - Can't beat BFD 2 for programming hi-hat loops.
FX –What was your first experience with music software?
BJX - Soundtracker on the Commodore Amiga is where it all began for me. The first so-called “trackers” were vertically scrolling, pattern based audio sequencers for the Amiga, which was basically an 8 bit sampler with 4 voices. By today's standards, this sounds like a bad horror movie but it was a lot of fun. Looking back, I sometimes miss having to push myself to make the most of what I had in contrast to today's software, which puts so many tools at your disposal that you forget they're even there. The transition to MIDI was excruciating. My first MIDI sequencer was Music-X and we never got along.
 FX –What’s the piece of music that changed your life?
BJX - That's a difficult question to answer because I'm pretty sure there are more than one, but what I can say with certainty is that it was BT's “Tripping The Light Fantastic” that ignited my interest in dance music which, at least as a recording artist, is what I'm most known for.
July 10th 2009
|
