After spending a number of years on various musical projects (inuette, Catholic Guilt), Jess Porter returns to his solo project for the first release of new music since 2014. ‘Patterns’ is an exploration of the difficulty of altering our emotional pathways. The track blends synth and vocoder led melodies with a massive rhythm section and JP's signature complex guitar work, and is produced by longtime collaborator Nick Russell. JP's last single ‘Rearview Mirror’ saw widespread attention on Soundcloud and his dynamic solo shows continue to draw attention in Melbourne and beyond.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
What first got you into music?
I've been into music as long as I've had memories. I used to sit in front of the TV playing keyboard along with live VHS tapes of Sting and Joe Jackson when I was 5.
What is your creative process like?
My solo music usually comes from a chord progression I write on an acoustic guitar or piano, then the arrangement just comes naturally depending on what's needed for the lyric and mood. In other projects (like my band inuette), I really feed off collaboration so the solo stuff can be a real unique challenge - but also super rewarding when you get it right because you can take full credit.
Your latest song is 'Patterns'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
Patterns went through a lot of changes to get to where it is. I've actually had it kicking around for a few years, and wrote it on charango (a South American lute) of all things. It was a simple little folk thing, with quite different chords and lyrics. I played around with it again when I was in hotel quarantine after coming back to Australia from the UK at the end of 2020 and it took on a bit of a new life. Once I decided to record it I asked my old friend Nick Russell to help out - we used to play in bands together (Delusions of Grandma, The Venice Whalers) and he was able to give me some guidance on what the song needed, came up with some great drum ideas and produced the song. We still make a bloody good team, after working together for almost 15 years.
What was the most difficult challenge you faced?
I often find when writing solo songs you lose the ability to be objective - after a while I just can't tell if something's brilliant or terrible. Sometimes you just have to trust the process - or have some trusted ears to help guide you.
What is the biggest mistake you have made within your career to this point?
Taking things too seriously and not enjoying the moment.
How do you know when a work is finished?
You run out of time or money. Haha. Honestly, I think deciding to finish something at the 'right' time is important. Working on music for too long can cause it to lose its magic.
What are your long term goals?
Continue to make music I'm proud of and connect with people. I'm also working on getting a full band to play with again. I haven't played my solo material with a band in a few years so I'm excited about that.
Do you have a mentor or coach?
Not exactly, but I've had a number of people who've been hugely influential on me as an artist. Some of my favourite musicians are people I've had the honour of working with - people like Flik Freeman, Joel McMillan, Fox Faehrmann, iOTA and Alex Lahey.
If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?
Tax the rich to pay artists? Just a thought
How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?
I love that it's helped more people get their work out there - to find their own niche and connect with people. It's also eliminated the formation of geographical-based subgenres (like punk in Brixton or hip-hop in the Bronx) because anything can be co-opted by anyone in the world immediately. Also it means everyone has an opinion on everything that they think needs to be heard - I think that's my least favourite part of the internet. But I guess by expressing my opinion about that I'm joining in, so sue me.