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

Stanley Clarke

Wow, the bass at its best.

Stanley Clarke is a double bass and electric bass legend. Hes been one of the top guys for a long time and is a member of the star studded bass trio SMV (Stanley, Marcus, Victor) http://www.smvmusic.com/. Luckily enough Stanley agreed to answer some questions for the blog, the interview will be up soon so follow and stay tuned!!

Jean Baudin

You might know Jean Baudin from his 11 string bass version of Super Mario Brothers, Jean is a multi-stringed extraordinaire and I asked him to answer some questions for your reading pleasure.

Me: How did you start and what inspired you to make music?


Jean Baudin: At first, I tried to play guitar but I had broken a finger that had set wrong, so I couldn't do chords. A friend suggested I try bass because I wouldn't have to play chords. I was inspired to play music because I liked the covers of Iron Maiden albums.

Who are your major influences?


When I was younger, Steve Harris, Fishbone, Bad Brains and Bach. Nowadays, I like listening to music that has just solo music... stuff like Art Tatum or Joe Pass.




What advice do you have for people who want to be a bassist?


I think you just need an instrument to be a bassist. If you want to be a GOOD bassist, you need to put some time in and practice.

What can you tell me about your instruments?


I mainly basses with 9 or more strings. I have custom instruments from Ken Lawrence, Conklin Guitars and JP Basses.


When I first started playing a 4-string bass my immediate reaction was "Where are all the notes?" - I've always felt the instrument was comfortable to play, wide string spacing, longer scale length, bigger frets but I never liked the fact that it had such a limited "speaking" range. It's kinda like the bottom notes of a piano.... I always wanted the range of the piano but on a fretted instrument.

How has your music evolved since you first began playing?


When I started adding more strings, I started to incorporate more tapping into my playing. I still like to play fingerstyle (and slap) but I feel I can take advantage of the range more with two-handed tapping.


How can people gain access to your music?

I have lots of recordings available at  www.jeanbaudin.com My album of solo pieces "Solace" is also available from iTunes and Amazon. I also have an instructional book on tapping called, "The Mechanics of Tapping" available from my website as well.




Any last words?


Thanks for the interview and good luck with your blog!




Photos from jeanbaudin.com