UK artist James Solace, also known as James Burnham, has made his name through a penchant for moving through many styles of music with ease, always being one step ahead of the trend, and mixing the old with the new.
Whether it be his trade-mark tech-house grooves released under Burnski, or through his Instinct alias and label, where he channels drum and bass, garage, and 2-step, his productions are always of the highest quality. He boasts regular gigs at esteemed venues such as DC10, Fabric, Rex Club, and Watergate.
This year will see a wealth of new material released under the James Solace alias on labels like Hot Creations, Knee Deep in Sound, Four Thirty Two, and Last Night on Earth.
On this mix for Balance Selections you will hear 100% exclusive unreleased material from James, so we expect this new artist project to take him to the next level.
Balance Selections Q+A
Name: James Burnham
Location: Leeds UK
Facebook: James Solace
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/james-solace
Alias/Producer name: James Solace
Labels affiliated with: Knee Deep In Sound, Last Night On Earth, Hot Creations, Four Thirty Two.
My last 3 releases:
James Solace – Keep On [Hot Creations]
James Solace – Setting Sun [Four Thirty Two]
James Solace – Spectral [Last Night On Earth]
What music did you listen to as a child?
My earliest memories of music at home was Michael Jackson, and Marvin Gaye. My Mam had the ‘What’s Going On’ album on CD, so that got played loads.
When was the first time that you realized that you liked electronic music?
The first electronic music I can remember hearing was The Bucketheads – ‘The Bomb’. My big brother would have this on all the time before he went out. It was BBC Radio 1 after that that really got me hooked. I would record the Essential Mix religiously every week, and that would be the soundtrack to my week. I loved it because it would always have a big variation, so I was being exposed to lots of different sounds.
When was the first time you saw a DJ in a club?
The first time I saw a DJ I was at the Empire Middlesbrough, which was my old stomping ground. I think I was 14 at the time, maybe 15 but from then I would go quite regularly and saw a lot of great DJs over the years there. It was a weekly event, which seen everyone play from Sasha and Digweed, Carl Cox etc. etc.
Which producers/artists/acts inspire you?
I always find it hard to answer this question as I listen to pretty much everything and I’m inspired by all sorts, so it’s hard to pin down. I would say the whole thing inspires me more than anything rather than a handful of artists. I am looking at everything and just getting inspired by it everyday. It could be a new producer with one EP out, or someone like Carl Craig who has a 30 year back catalogue of gold.
What was the last album that you downloaded/bought?
The new Four Tet album was the last one I bought. It’s a great album, I have followed his work for years and always been drawn to his unique vibe.
What is your current production and DJ set up like?
I have been in between studios for the last year so have been working in a really simple way. I have loads of kit but haven’t used any of it at all for 12 months. It’s been great as well. I am always changing things up to keep it interesting. I like having a few options of places I work as well as I find that keeps it all fresh.
I think you start losing your head a bit when you’re working in the same room all day everyday for years haha. It’s good to have a space you know inside out sound wise, but I like to jump in different places and get creative.
What releases do you have on the horizon?
My next EP is on Knee Deep In Sound which should be out soon.
Where can we hear you perform?
With everything going on at the moment, I’m not sure when the gigs will resume, it’s hard to say. I should do a set on a live stream that would be fun.
Tell us more about the podcast you made for Balance?
The mix is a bunch of tracks I have made and thought work cool together on a mix. Good for a house party or nice 10 km run.
My Recommendations
The top track in my DJ wallet currently is:
Bicep – Atlas
If I could recommend only one of my tracks for you to listen to it would be:
James Solace – Keep On
If I could recommend only one track for you to listen to it would be:
Bushwacka – Oh So Good
The last movie I watched that I really liked:
Oh I still absolutely love the Matrix, I have watched it so many times. I re-watched it recently.
My favourite TV show:
I don’t watch loads of TV but The Last Dance was the most recent series I watched and really enjoyed.
Balance Selections 135: James Solace
Tracklisting:
1. James Solace – Lime
2. James Solace – Shine
3. James Solace – Street Music
4. James Solace – Style
5. James Solace – Time
6. James Solace – Sputnik
7. James Solace – Bump
8. James Solace – Colour Theme
9. James Solace – Everybody
10. James Solace – Move
11. James Solace – Wasp
12. James Solace – No Signal
13. James Solace – Marina
14. James Solace – Altered State
15. James Solace – Pyramid