Wednesday 23 March 2011

Justin Meldal-Johnson

An almighty collection.

You might know JMJ as the bassist for Beck or Nine Inch Nails or one of the many other acts he's played with. The guy is a legend of the bass and has some amazing basses in his arsenal. Justin agreed to an interview so i hope you enjoy it!

Tell me a bit about yourself, what kind of music do you play, who do you play with?

I play bass, guitar and keyboards. Most recently in the live format with NIN, previously Beck, Air, Ima Robot, and others. I'm also a producer, and I'm currently working on the new M83 album. 


Who are your major inspirations?


Brian Eno, Joe Strummer, John Lydon, Jah Wobble, Bill Laswell, Michael Gira, Mark Burgess, Graham Lewis, Peter Hook, Simon Raymonde, Robin Guthrie, Paul McCartney, James Jamerson, "Family Man" Barrett, Sly & Robbie, Lee Perry, Jeff Lynne, Robert Wyatt, Enoch Light, Joe Osborne, Chuck Rainey, Matthew Seligman, Tina Weymouth, many more. 



JMJ with an awesome custom  Jaguar

What artist do you enjoy playing with the most?


It's a tie between Beck and Nails. 


Why do you own so many basses?


Because it's fun to collect them and they all get used
for different sounds and approaches. 


What is your favourite bass guitar to play?


Just a few of Justin's effects.

1966 Fender Precision. 


Whats with all the pedals? How many do you have?


What's with them is that they help me achieve noise that I hear in my mind. I have upwards of 60. 


How does it sound with all the pedals going at once?


Like ****. 


Where can people find your music?


Every Beck album since Mutations, Air 10,000Hz Legend, Ima Robot albums 1 & 2, Ladytron, Goldfrapp, Marianne Faithful, Dido, NIN live recordings, lots of other things. 


Best,

Justin






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