Lost My Dog Records

Giom Interview with 5 Magazine (Chicago)

Our latest signing Giom was recently interviewed by Chicago’s 5 Magazine and provided an exclusive mix for them to boot. Read the full interview below and head on over to the 5 Magazine website to check out the mix and for more great house music related stuff.

Born and raised in Niort, France, GIOM (website, facebook, ilike, traxsource, discogs, myspace, soundcloud, twitter) now lives in London, producing and remixing some of the most exquisite House releases of the last five years. He’s released music on Motion, OM, Aroma, Blackcherry and Kolour.

1. So I read on your blog that you’ve entered into a partnership with the guys from Lost My Dog. Is this a series of gigs, releases, remixes…?
GIOM: Exactly! We’ve been doing the prep-work since we first met at their label party in Sonar last summer, and for this year I have a string of original EPs being released on both vinyl and digital, as well as a handful of remixes… You’ll also get to see some cheeky bootlegs as part of their DOGLEG series which they giveaway via their mailing list. My first 3-tracker EP will be coming out in time for Miami, we’re just in the middle of sorting out the remixes. Parties are being organised too. I will also be playing for them at their Sonar and ADE parties, later on this year. So things are looking good!

2. I was looking through your releases on discogs.com and had no idea you were a session drummer. Have you done any work that I might be familiar with?
GIOM: Ha! Not sure… I play for a lot of random artists. I mainly do live gigs and tours, but also jingles for adverts or radio. It seems nowadays a singer will get signed to a Major label, then needs a band, then does a lot of showcases and festivals, then eventually loses interest, can’t cope with it all or gets dropped… So I play for a lot of these guys, and then move onto the next one…. I have recorded tracks which ended up as B-sides for Kasabian, toured with the Nextmen, Odyssey (the disco band…), been on a few music videos where you can hardly see me, and recorded lots of crappy music you might hear while walking down the supermarket or the hardware store. A few years ago I also did a couple of porn soundtracks, but that’s another story…

3. Tell me a little about the UK House scene as it stands now. With guys like LMD and Kahua that seem to be really giving the right marketing push to this music for the first time, well, ever, do you see some kind of a comeback poppin’?
GIOM: I’m not sure… UK labels are great of course, but like everywhere else in the world not enough of them have got the energy nor time to be more professional about their work, release schedule etc… When you do not make any money out of all the hard work you put onto a business, it’s hard to keep at it after a few months… To me this is a very important area, and one where Kahua and LMD are making a real difference because they are focused, organised, very professional, and have been for years. Of course they have the genuine passion and love for House Music, but remain switched on and focused.

4. It’s uncanny to see how many of your songs get licensed for comps – House of OM (DJ Heather), Farina’s Fabric 40, Live in Tokyo and Nectar Volume 2. Do you think that’s helped getting your name out there? is it more important than the DJs spinning your records?
GIOM: I think both the compilations and the support from DJs are really important. But yes, having music licensed to mix CDs has helped me get noticed, no doubt! When you have no music out whatsoever, but suddenly you feature on mix CDs, in my case sometimes the opening track, and on labels such as Om, Hed Kandi or Fabric, you do get noticed… People think who is this? and want to know more about you… I always made sure I had my myspace address or email written on the album credits, and that’s how labels started approaching me and asking me for music.

5. Will you be at WMC this year? And what releases are you working on in the kitchen that we should keep an eye out for?
GIOM: You should definitely keep an eye out for the next Bobby & Klein releases (my more jacking, quirky collaboration with Vinz, my old school friend) We have an EP coming out on Spatula City in the next few weeks, as well as one on Kolour Recordings which I think is going to surprise a few people…

One of my tracks from last year’s Blue Matter EP (Ornate Music) has just been licensed to the upcoming DJ Kicks compilation from the Juan Mclean (DFA), which is really cool!

Otherwise, by myself, I’m working on 2 EPs for Lost My Dog, 1 for Bump Music (which will include the remix I did for Miles Maeda), and 2 potential other ones, which aren’t confirmed yet… Remix-wise, I’ve just finished 2 for the Lawnchair Generals coming out on their LCG Music imprint, one for Bang Bang, and am presently doing one for Sonny Fodera’s label, one for Bleep District, one for Vula (Basement Jaxx singer)… There are more though.

So I’ve got plenty of work to do, which is why i won’t attend the conference this year, but instead stay in the studio while everyone is partying, and head for the US the following week for my forthcoming US tour.