Novastreamusic

James Varnish is a name you will be hearing a lot of from now on! Based in Melbourne James is at the cutting edge of electro dance music and has released his first single called "Compare." We asked James a few questions about his influences and the current trend of electro dance in pop music.

What inspires you lyrically?

Personal experiences and interactions inspire me as well as everyday life, whatever I am reading, art, movies and the musicians that I work with. I have a very active imagination. Some of my lyrics are factual and some are fantasy. Having said that, I think the subconscious is quite revealing and there have been many times that I have written a song and looked back only to realise that what I thought was fiction, was in fact a message from my own heart or was a story that reflected my state of mind. I love writing lyrics. It is such a pleasure for me, it is my poetry and my voice.

Who inspires you musically?

I am definitely an electropop artist and so that whole genre is totally my bag and inspires me to write edgy pop songs. As far as the past goes, the movements or genres that speak to me the most which have been the greatest influence on my style include the Electroclash, Synthpop, New Wave, New Romantic and Disco movements.


What is your opinion of pop music at the moment with the heavy dance influence as the current trend?

I love it. I think it's great. The whole R & B thing that took over pop music for a while back there is not really my thing. I am definitely an electronic synthesiser man which incorporates that dance vibe. My only thought is that some of the artists who are using this dance influence at the moment are playing safe which ends up filling the charts with songs that are like clones. There are exceptions of course but when someone copies a trend because they really want a hit, that aspect of pop music stifles the artistry. Hearing a reference or influence in a song is totally fine but I wish there was a little more diversity and originality being produced by artists and less of a formulaic approach taken to creating pop music.

Who are your favourite artists/bands?

How much time have we got here? lol. Oh there are way too many! I am such a fan of pop and electronic music in general. Some of the latest artists I like include HolyGhost! Goldfrapp, La Roux, The Presets, Robyn, Cut Copy, Fischerspooner. The classic stuff I like from the past includes Stacey Q, Kraftwerk, Frankie goes to Hollywood, Berlin, New Order, Pet shop boys...plus I like some really obscure experimental stuff. My music is like a love child of all those elements.

Are there any artists you would like to collaborate with dead or alive?

Oooh, I would have loved to work with Giorgio Moroder as a producer around the late 70's or early 80's, that would have been cool. The truth is, I respect artists for being individual and for having their own identity. It's very difficult to say who I would collaborate with. Someone like Gaga for example has such a strong sense of self. If she performed on one of my songs, it would be her singing a James Varnish sounding song which I don't think she would do and vice versa. Whilst I admire her alot, I don't want to do a Gaga song. I am happy to leave that up to her because she's good at doing it herself. I think I'd like to work more with certain producers as well as some underground musicians and bring it all into the mainstream.

"Compare" is available now to download on ITunes. Make sure you purchase your EP copy which includes three remixes of the track. We wish James the best of luck with the launch of his career. Keep it posted here at Novastreamusic we will bring you the latest news and music from this promising artist

http://www.myspace.com/jamesvarnish