Image credit: Alex Rawson
Music producer Joe Turner’s upbringing was anything but ordinary, growing up his palette would acquire the taste of Jazz, soul music and 90’s electronica in his formative year’s thanks to his grandfather, a jazz pianist. Joe developed a deep appreciation for melody and flow at a young age, writing and producing his first song at the tender age of eleven. Inspired by all these influences, the result is melodic and laidback house music.
The renowned music producer released his anticipated EP Textures just last month. We chatted with Turner before the release.
Tell us about your earliest musical memory?
I remember buying my first physical single, 19 – 2000 by Gorillaz and being obsessed with it. I’d seen the music video a few days before, I thought it was so cool. I think it’s my obsession with cartoons that had something to do with it!
At what point in your life did you have that moment where you said to yourself “This is it. This is the type of music I want to create?”
I had been producing for around 6 months and I ended up writing an idea that I was obsessed with – the song was my debut single ‘Atmosphere.’ The feeling I had at the time of writing that song clearly spoke to me, and after that, I had a clear identity on the style of songs I wanted to create.
Please list some of the most influential albums on your creative outlook and output:
I take a lot of influence from different genres, so the choices of my inspirational albums vary. But if I had to narrow it down to 4 choices, they would be:
Bonobo – Migration
Tame Impala – Currents
Foals – Holy Fire
George Fitzgerald – All That Must Be
All bangers in my opinion!
What key pieces of gear/software are you using to define your sound?
I make music with Ableton, so that has to be in there. I use a lot of hardware synths in my production. The Korg Minilogue was my first ever synth and I absolutely love it, also my Prophet 08 is a key part of my sound. I recently acquired a Moog Grandmother, so cannot wait to get stuck into that more for upcoming releases!
What inspires you outside of music? What do you turn to when the creative well runs a little low?
The biggest inspiration in my life is my family. I’ve been lucky enough to be surrounded by incredible people throughout my life – without them, there would be no chance of me pursuing music.
A lot of my music is influenced by the world around me and everyday life. So even simple things such as socializing with my friends are the perfect remedy for me to counteract writer’s block. I also love being inspired by live music, however, the last 8 months haven’t allowed me to do that, which is such a shame.
What is your opinion on the ever spreading sub-genre vine? Are there too many? Do you think there’ s perhaps a sub-genre that doesn’t get the attention it deserves?
Haha, this is something I hadn’t thought about much, but now you’ve said it – it does kind of make sense. I don’t think we should limit people to specific “genres”, in that if someone wants to create something that they haven’t done before – they should definitely do it. Everyone has unique taste, so sub-genres can help fine-tune their favourite styles, artists, etc. However, on the other hand, it may limit people’s ability to discover new music if they’re stuck in a cycle of one particular subgenre… It’s a tough one! If you haven’t guessed it yet, I’m sitting on the fence on this one.
Studio work and music creation or performing and interacting with a live audience, what do you prefer?
I think live performance has to take it for me. It feels like the “end goal” of the process for music creation. The vibe of a studio when the writing is flowing is incredible – however, when you play an unforgettable show, it cannot be topped by anything else. The lights, the energy, the crowds’ reaction to the music… It gives me shivers just thinking about it!
As a music artist, it becomes apparent that there is a huge difference between the art and the business. Is there anything about the music scene that you would personally change?
I think there are lots of positives to take from the ‘modern day’ music industry. I feel like everyone would like to change little things to help their own journey. However, if I’m honest, I’d rather work hard and succeed no matter what the industry dictates than feel like it needs to change to help my career move forward.
Any new or upcoming artists on your radar? Who shouldn’t the world sleep on?
If you haven’t heard her yet, check out TSHA – she is absolutely flying at the moment, and making incredible music. Another Artist I’m really into is Logic1000, her productions are really unique and she’s making waves at the moment! The boys from TIBASKO are making great euphoric music too, there are some really big things to come from them soon!
What can we expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming projects or gigs in the pipeline that you would like to tell us about?
My debut EP Textures drops on the 13th of November. It features all my previous singles from this year, alongside a few new tunes too. I’m sure there will be some live stream shows to accompany the release of it too, we just haven’t sorted out the logistics of them yet!
Famous last words?
Don’t leave the oven on.
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