Introducing: James Crooks

James Crooks has, under various monikers, produced, recorded and toured with some of the music industries most accomplished outfits, like RÜFÜS, HEALTH, SAFIA and Thelma Plum, but 2017 finds him going solo with a telling first tune - Not Going Away feat. Kate Martin. We were so enamoured with the single (released at his new home Liberation), we decided to get to know the man a little better, listen/read on below:

Tell us about about yourself?

Originally I’m from a regional town,Newcastle, NSW. I used to DJ in my local town and wanted to pursue music further so I moved to Sydney a few years ago and started to teach myself music production. I now live in Melbourne with my best friend. I make music every day, drink coffee and wear jackets.

What kinda tunes we talkin’?

That is honestly a hard question because my music can be a reflection of what inspires me at the time I am making a beat. I listen to a lot of different artists and one day I could be inspired by sounds from Fever Ray then the next day I could be listening to New Order. It really depends on what I’m listen to at the time.

Production/writing process:

So at the moment, I have a home set up which I record all my drafts, demo and ideas in. I also have a studio in Northcote that I work out of. I usually write the majority of my songs, ideas, riffs and melodies on guitar then flush them out in further production.

What do you do outside of music?

I’m a big sucker for AFL – my favourite team is Collingwood. I love coffee and travelling overseas to places I’ve never been to before.

Can you tell us about your latest single, Not Going Away?

Originally Not Going Away was just an instrumental in the works and my good friend Kate Martin came over to do a top line session on a different song. Once we finished that song, I showed her the instrumental and we dove in and started writing to it. The process of the song was all very organic.

Any shows coming up?

At the moment I’m more focused on writing than touring. I toured a fair bit last year and didn’t get to write as much as I would have liked to. This year so far has been all about writing.

What’s the rest of the year have in store?

Releasing a few more singles and probably touring a bit mid-late 2017. But again, more writing. I’m going to Japan in August to write with other producers and for some inspiration. I’m really focused on working with different artists and producers this year.

Where can we hear more of your music?

SPOTIFY, ITUNES, SOUNDCLOUD, all social media platforms and also Kmart (haha).

Follow James Crooks: FACEBOOK