With a career spanning three decades as a DJ and producer, James Dean Brown has more than one story to tell. Growing up in Frankfurt in the early 1980s, he formed a small group of aspiring electronic musicians alongside now established names such as Uwe Schmidt (atomTM), Tobias Freund (Tobias) and Martin Schopf (Dandy Jack). At a time when Techno was yet to be created, they produced and released their precursory experiments in pure DIY fashion, armed with nothing but all sorts of drum machines, cassette decks and unrestrained creativity. Through his Hypnobeat alias, founded with Pietro Insipido in 1983, James Dean Brown produced a handful of self-released cassettes that integrated early elements of contemporary club music, following the ethos of reducing electronics to the hypnotic rhythm core.
Some years later in 1996, James Dean Brown formed a new project called Narcotic Syntax, as an evolution from Hypnobeat. Through mutual friends he happened to meet Thomas Franzmann and Markus Nikolai at the same time, who went on to found the highly influential Perlon imprint in 1997. The immediate result of this new friendship was Narcotic Syntax’s debut EP “Ultravolta”, one of Perlon’s first releases, co-produced by James Dean Brown and Zip. This record, among a few others from the label’s early output, would pave the way to the sound Perlon is known for today. Narcotic Syntax evolved further when Yapacc joined the project in 2003, leading to a string of releases on Perlon and other labels, including genre-bending collaborations with singer Robert Conroy and guitarist Achim Treu.
James Dean Brown is also an incredible DJ with a wide musical knowledge, who learned his craft from some of the very best in the field, such as Ricardo Villalobos. Mixing genres with flawless precision, his sets are a unique blend of obscurities from his ever-expanding vinyl collection. His storytelling skills are beautifully showcased in the mix he sent us for the first of our series, recorded live at Club der Visionaere in Berlin. And to dig a bit deeper while listening to his set, we asked James Dean Brown a few questions about his creative vision, his relationship with music and the defining moments of his career…
What was it like growing up in Frankfurt, at a time when such a vibrant electronic music scene was emerging in the city?
Frankfurt is a village (with a skyline): discovering the scene, networking and maintaining contact is easier than in big cities. You knew where things were happening. In this regard, a central hangout named “Café Eckstein” was our word-of-mouth info headquarters.
What influences shaped your music taste as a kid at that time?
When I was eight years old or so, my father took me to his workplace, a foundry. I experienced an industrial pandemonium that totally stunned me. This foundry noise was one extreme, 60s Schlager singles from my father’s music collection the other, I felt well with both and was curiously exploring everything in between. Still do.
Radio and TV have been my wonderlands to lose myself in and learn from. The more exotic the music the better. How can a kid not be stunned by the magic of playgrounds like these:
I recorded a lot on cassette and I’m happy that YT brings back all the lost TV gems.
I must have started buying vinyl when I was 11. My first album: Deep Purple in Rock. Other favourites to name a few: Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa, Gong, Fusion Jazz, Prog Rock… and on a more subconscious level: movie soundtracks (Crime Jazz, Godzilla). The US military was stationed in Frankfurt, consequently, music on local radio was inspired by the US music scene aired by AFN. That’s how I got hooked on Funk music, like Parliament/Funkadelic.
Here’s an exclusive DIY mini-mix for you to try at home:
1) “Mandingo”, one of my most spectacular radio moments at a young age which opened the gates of Exotica to me:
2) In 1978, The Brides of Funkenstein delivered with “Disco to Go” a bass line that influenced me forever (I adapted it for Hypnobeat on “Slash! Buffalo Eats Brass”). In 2000, Dawn Silva (one of the brides) did a mind-blowing remake:
3) “Last Stand Before” by Armageddon from 1975 is Rock music that works like club music because it doesn’t follow the classical verse-refrain-bridge scheme in favour of a repeated play of glorious riffs:
Then, in the early 80s, while browsing radio stations I discovered a show that was fully loaded with New Wave/Avantgarde culture: “La Nuit” on Europe 1, presented by Alain Burosse and Bertrand Merino who remain my radio heroes. The show was aired every Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 5 a.m., the music selection was exquisite, the sound quality lo-fi: long-wave, mono, with interference signals which intensified the exploration of the unknown.
As a teenager, you were part of the DIY tape scene in Frankfurt, alongside other artists such as Tobias, atomTM and Dandy Jack. You ran your own label “Monochrome Tapes”, releasing the arcane “Independent World” cassette compilations with tracks from established acts like Severed Heads and Merzbow…
You are welcome to read (and listen to) the whole story here.
Most of the artists I had invited to participate in “Independent World” were not as established as they are today, communication was on a par. A flourishing cassette scene all over the world spawned many creative minds who are featured on countless vinyl and cassette releases and in fanzines with their addresses printed. Pietro Insipido launched “I.W.” Vol. 1 and I decided to do follow-ups, received contributions for at least three more volumes but never released them officially due to unfortunate events. It was very exciting to find continuously cassettes in the mailbox and I still treasure all of them as much as my folders full of letter correspondence.
How did you handle the distribution of your releases?
The DIY music scene cooperated with independent distributors in various countries. I gave copies of our cassettes away, sent them to people I knew and exchanged them with other labels (like Tago Mago from Paris). 235 from Cologne, the biggest German distributor of cassette releases back then, made our Hypnobeat release “Huggables” “cassette of the month” which meant they ordered 80+ copies at once for their subscribers.
Pietro Insipido seemed to be your main partner in crime at that time, as you both worked on the compilations and your proto-Techno outfit Hypnobeat. How did you two meet?
We’ve been classmates and when music making became an affordable thing, we started goofing around by using household objects and a Boss DR-55 rhythm machine.
Being teenagers at the time, were school gigs an important platform to showcase your music? What was the reception of your schoolmates?
They didn’t notice. Hypnobeat played only a few live gigs at festivals, our sole appearance at a school event was an unorganized, improvised, trashy, silly disaster.
Were you already mixing records?
I started playing records at 5th grade for my classmates. The funny thing is, nobody remembers how we did it, must have been only one turntable involved, probably a cassette deck, and I vaguely remember at least once a proper mixer (with a microphone) in a more professional situation.
Such technical limitations and lack of established templates at the time have certainly fostered creativity… Do you think there is as much room for innovation in music today as there was then?
Not sure how to define “innovation” in music today. Owning even the hottest up-to-date gear doesn’t guarantee a groundbreaking output, and too many options in a studio can be quite overwhelming. In the 80s, the democratisation of production facilities (meaning: first cheap electronic consumer equipment) offered a completely new playground for everyone. “Innovation” was widely understood as breaking all rules of musicianship, as a truly individual DIY expression. This is the spirit of Punk. A lack of sophisticated technology and funds would be compensated by creativity, smartness, and showing-off. Back then, each artist invented their own music language and their own groove when rhythm wasn’t a dogma.
I read a lot of comments these days claiming that a track or artist was “ahead of their time” but isn’t it more likely that some of today’s formatted music which counts as measure of all things is “behind”? The 4-to-the-floor movement exists for 35 years now, longer than any music trend before.
With Hypnobeat, your creative vision was to reduce electronics to the hypnotic rhythm core. You even wrote a manifesto called “Futuristic Minimalism” in the mid 1980s, describing this concept…
In the early to mid 80s, while following the current electronic music which had a tendency to become more and more reduced, I derived that this development would result in a single note being rhythmicised. Which I called, for lack of fancy terms, in an overblown way “Futuristic Minimalism”. Six years later I was shocked by confirmation when a DJ played Armando’s “151” at a party:
The music you play and the music you make can be described with a few common attributes: psychedelic, tribal, percussive, minimalistic, polyrhythmic… What draws you to this particular type of sound?
The unpredictable; the notes which one might expect to hear here and there but appear on another position, in another aggregate state, or not at all; moments of amazement which leave space for imagination; the condition when you feel you are transported, when you get locked in the zone. The otherworldly effect, imaginary worlds, parallel universes, fairytales, monster movies. And the “emotional maximum” replacing the “minimalistic”.
That same vision is the driving force behind Narcotic Syntax, your follow-up project which you started some years later, in 1996. What happened during this 10-years hiatus? In another interview, you mentioned that you were disappointed by the Acid House movement and started listening to Death Metal at that time.
Music had changed, Hypnobeat seemed to be outdated and faded into inertia. Then there was a chance to resume producing under digital circumstances while the name stayed almost the same: hypnotic became narcotic, and a beat forms a musical syntax.
All song structures I programmed on the 303 over several minutes length appeared to be “basic tracks” to me – planned to be finished on the next occasion (which never occurred). One of these “basic tracks” from 1984:
Consequently, what emerged as Acid patterns later on didn’t make it for me. Neither made it the quirky sweep effect, given the fact that the 303 is actually a decent bass sequencer for a serious punch in the gut. A punch that I also appreciated from the frequency range of Doom and Death Metal. It was great fun to explore this scene which appeared to be very welcoming despite the apparent gloominess.
When you founded Narcotic Syntax in 1996, did you see it as the continuity of your work as Hypnobeat?
Yes. Produced by Yapacc and me, initially planned for release on Perlon, Narcotic Syntax’ double 12″ EP “Provocative Percussion” (from 2006) transforms the original Hypnobeat idea to digital production technique. It turned out to become the essence of what I always wanted to achieve, so I didn’t feel the need to produce anything else afterwards.
Your debut EP “Ultravolta” was released on Perlon in 1998 and was one of the first releases on the label. I believe you first met Thomas Franzmann (Zip) and Markus Nikolai through Zip’s brother Jörg?
Jörg was the boyfriend of a fellow student of mine. We studied in the academy of arts and design in Offenbach and were part of a group who used to hang out together, run a gallery, do exhibitions, host a party series and would be involved in the making of Jörg’s films and other projects. This was more or less the “Club Europa” concept that incorporated friends and a wider family to which belonged Thomas and Markus.
We share the same (music) interests, playfulness, humour. I wrote a few press releases and slogans for their Bigod 20 project. Then Perlon happened out of necessity, I gave pun inspiration for the “Dimbiman” alias and delivered the name “Superlongevity”. Zip and I started both DJing at the same time, initially with CDs, and decided to produce a few Narcotic Syntax tracks. Our first result was “Agents With Fatty Acids” in 1996 which only got released in 2017 on “Superlongevity 6”.
Perlon is unavoidably associated with the “Minimal House” genre. What was the creative approach that led you to this sound?
I guess we were more or less trying to push the boundaries of amusement, not to appear too serious in favour of a humorous storytelling while the “minimal” label had been attached from outside. For example, the base for every Narcotic Syntax track are samples from favourite songs of my record collection which we had fun assembling in Cubase in the smoothest possible way – just because they were of totally different origins. During the “Ultravolta” sessions occasional smoking breaks supported the creative flow.
Were you still living in Frankfurt during this period? What was it like to experience this New Wave of electronic dance music, represented by labels such as Playhouse, Klang or Perlon?
Right, this happened in Frankfurt before I went to Cologne, then Berlin. Frankfurt is a cosy social platform with a lot of good sound and other creature comforts to offer, however, searching for more exotic in- and outputs, I preferred checking the rest of the world.
Speaking of the rest of the world, there was a close tie between your scene in Germany and Chile at that time, known as the “Chile connection”…
In the 70s and 80s, many Chilean citizens emigrated to escape the Pinochet regime. The destination of Martin’s (Dandy Jack), his sister’s (Chica) Paula and Ricardo’s families had been the Frankfurt area. By telling stories about their home country, they intrigued us to go on a visit on the next occasion. Which happened to me for the first time in 1994 when a Frankfurt/Berlin crew went to stage an “Eclipse Rave” in Northern Chile to celebrate a total solar eclipse and introduce the new club sound to an international crowd. Some impressions from my video documentary:
From 1997, I returned to Chile four years in succession, always joined by music friends: Tobias, Max Loderbauer, Markus Nikolai among them, Dandy Jack of course – and atom™ had already moved to Santiago. We would travel and party with the local scene. Luciano lived in Santiago, too, at that time, and when he was playing back to back with Ricardo I thought this will make people freak out when they bring their skills to Europe. That was the beginning of the story… By joining them playing I attended the best DJ school imaginable.
I can only agree with that, as your mixes are some of the most epic I’ve listened to… Can you elaborate on your personal story with DJing, and name a few of your favorite DJs?
Thanks for calling them “epic”, at least I hope they have a storytelling effect. Over time in the 80s and 90s, an impresario in Frankfurt, Hans Romanov, would manage to find one cool venue after the other (for example ex-strip bars) to make them hangout places for the nightlife scene where DJs played freestyle. At one of these events I filled the breaks between some friends’ live sets by playing vinyl tracks one by one. In the end, a friend showed up at the decks to suggest to me the possibility of beatmatching – which must have been my initiation to get into “real” DJing.
When I started writing press releases for Neuton distribution (without even having a clue what’s the characteristics of Detroit or Chicago), I got supplied with white labels. This was the moment when I realised that there is something called “Deep House”. Instantly I got connected with this sound since it was based on samples of Soul and Funk tunes I used to love when I was listening to the radio as a kid. So I got deeply into it, and a radio show I was running on local ‘Radio X’ helped me practicing (I never owned two turntables and a mixer at home).
Once getting hooked and feeling safe with the DJ process, I began trying the weirdest possible mixes at private parties, like combining the Voodoo Funk from “Agharta” by Miles Davis with some Underground Resistance track.
My insight: starting with a training in complexity, the mixing of club tracks becomes a smooth affair afterwards.
My favourite DJs are those who bring me into the zone, thrill me with a personal flavour, an uncommon sound, some healthful shocks, a soulful attitude, serious deepness, the unexpected. Two mindblowing DJ experiences lately: Chola & Gloria, two ladies from Colombia, creating a psychedelic Cumbia explosion shock wave that I wish would become future club standard. And Ani Kcam from Brighton throwing me on a schwifty rollercoaster ride through all grooves possible and impossible.
You have a unique way of describing your approach to DJing, which is the concept of the “Potpourri Flow”…
The meaning of “Potpourri Flow” is: throwing everything in the mix. Vinyl only because I like the feel of performing a craft, I need to do something with my hands. A good preparation keeps the stress away: I try to imagine the vibe according to the city/venue I am going to play. Then it takes me around seven hours to prepare a set at home which means: listening, listening – and putting the records in order. In the end, I can ideally play the records just like they are in my bag, one after the other. They are also arranged by style sections which allows me to switch moods spontaneously. I am quite dyslexic “reading a crowd”, so I play what I feel at the very moment (or what’s up next in my bag).
Mixing different styles is also something you’ve explored with your musical output as Narcotic Syntax, by incorporating guitars by Achim Treu, or using vocals by Robert Conroy. Do you think you will push this exploration even further in the future?
After “Provocative Percussion”, which I mentioned was some kind of essential work to me, we decided following another direction: song format with vocals. There are six unreleased songs that would make an album entitled “The Emotional Maximum” (which I must have announced for the first time in 2008). It seems finding the right platform is a rocket science to me. I sent the music to three prominent labels, didn’t receive any feedback, and then I had no idea.
However, I still have a few production ideas like making a cover version of “Rock On” by David Essex together with Yapacc and Robert. But Yapacc is busy with his synthesizer companies in Berlin, Robert lives in Mexico, and I am between Frankfurt and Paris, so it is unlikely that we soon get together again. Well, never say never.
In the meantime, do you make music on your own as well, or exclusively in collaboration with other people?
The truth is, I own some analog equipment but not the proper recording infrastructure. Which makes me dependent on someone with a studio, a similar music approach, and last but not least the patience to get involved with my ideas and discussions about how to process them. And of course it is inspiring to play ideas ping pong with a music partner – and find out in the end which elements of a finished production could be attributed to my way of creative thinking. But sometimes I think it would be nice to produce solo on cassette with my Tascam 244 Portastudio…
Do you have any releases as Hypnobeat or Narcotic Syntax planned in the future?
No activities at the moment. There are a still a few edits though from Hypnobeat live performances I played with Helena Hauff, ready to be released. However, again I have not really an idea which labels could perfectly match.
On a side note: A few years ago, the trio ‘Narcopit Spectax’ played two smashing, improvised live sets at La Machine du Moulin Rouge and Alter Paname in Paris, but unfortunately we were unlucky with the recording situation, there is no documentary except in the minds of the crowd who attended the events. The live sets were a follow-up to Pit Spector inviting me and Yapacc for a session in his studio in order to record material for the Narcotic Syntax release on his Prospector label:
Finally, I would like to touch on your legendary vinyl collection. How many records do you have, and how do you go about managing and classifying them?
Maybe 6000, not counting 7”es, CDs and cassettes. My crate digger’s obligation doesn’t allow me to leave a record store without buying something. And then there is Discogs, a blessing and a curse.
My accountant mentality suggested to improve my vinyl filing system over the years, roughly it looks like this: 70s, 80s (guitar/synth), Dub, Surf, Germany, France, Godzilla, Japan, Australia, Ambient/Voodoo, Soul/Funk, Jazz, Exotica, Lounge, Latin, Africa, World, Classical, 90s, 00s-20s, Metal, Club/Electronics.
Can you name a few favorites from your collection?
YMO – BGM (1981) is my all-time favourite album: groundbreaking electronics, compositions, programming, production, and the first appearance of an 808 on record – pioneering, unrivalled!
Monitor – Monitor (1981) is my all-time favourite album from a parallel universe.
A few outstanding highlights in chronological order:
Pilita – Tells the Story of Love (1962)
George Russell – The Essence (1971)
Kevin Ayers – Bananamour (1973)
Severed Heads – The Big Bigot (1986)
Haruomi Hosono – Omni Sight Seeing (1989)
Low Res – Approximate Love Boat (Mistaken Alien Interpretations of Earth Music) (1998)
Massive Attack – 100th Window (2003)
Chelsea Wolfe – Hiss Spun (2017)
For the first mix in our new series, you kindly sent us a recording of your set at Club der Visionaere during Chris Korda’s “Apologize To The Future” album release party back in 2020, that you titled “Voodoo Visionnaere”…
What I carelessly call “voodoo” is a tribal approach with a psychedelic soul – basically the same spirit that has driven Hypnobeat. After all, you are welcome to visit my hypno- and narcospheres.