We recently caught up with Jimi Needles to have a chat about his current crowdfunding for the release of his first-ever 7″ vinyl release with his band The Cosmic Orchestra, the arrival of a new addition to the family and much more. While you’re having a read, why not listen to the music that’s potentially gonna end up on one of those lovely little slices of vinyl. The link to get involved with the crowd funder can be found at the end of the Q & A. Enjoy.
LSM
Hi Jimi. First things first and on behalf of the LSM team, congratulations to Mrs Needles and yourself on the recent arrival of your new baby! How is parenting going in the early stages and just how tired are you?
Jimi
Ahhhhh word spreads fast! Thank you mate. Becoming a father is the greatest thing ever. Baby Oscar is just wonderful, and you know what, everyone warned me about sleep deprivation but he’s always been sleeping really well. Mrs Needles is on maternity leave, and I’m working from home on music and finishing off my new studio, so I can sneak an extra sleep now and again. He’s a good first baby! Anyway, I’ve been on tour, I know what real sleep deprivation is haha!
LSM
Onto more familiar territory for yourself, music. You’re currently in the midst of a crowd funder for the release of you and your bands first ever 7” vinyl release. Could you tell us about the tracks featured on it and why they are the chosen ones?
Jimi
Yeah man! I’ve not done anything on vinyl for a long while and having watched loads of DJs tear up 7″ single and vinyl-only sets via Twitch, it’s given me the idea to test the waters with my brand new Funk/D&B release. ‘Missing Sombrero’ has a big brass section and Latin flavour, and the b-side is a cheeky Latin Funk/R&B bootleg – both records feature my backing band, the Cosmic Orchestra. All parts lovingly recorded during the last UK lockdown! We need 200 pledges to go to press, if you pledge and we don’t make it, it doesn’t go to press and no one is charged. Maybe if it doesn’t work, I’ll try some limited runs of 30 or 40 singles for the die-hard vinyl collectors! Let’s see.
LSM
You’ve teamed up with The Cosmic Orchestra for your forthcoming release. How did you all meet and other than their obvious thirst for Funk, what else do they bring to the table?
Jimi
The Cosmic Orchestra is my highly versatile backing band. We’ve been known to rock house and disco cover sets, and blaze through my own original material. We even recreate some of the bootlegs I make which is always fun to do live, with me on the decks/samples, plus keytar, bass synth, live drums and a brass section, it gets pretty mental on stage. It’s cool being surrounded by jazz and funk musicians, and the music really does get a sheen from having such tight players in my band. Having worked with soul and jazz musicians during my Ephemerals days, I’m very used to directing musicians and getting the best out of his strengths. Bringing them on to my own music was only a natural progression, from stage to recordings!
LSM
Are there any plans for further vinyl releases with The Cosmic Orchestra?
Jimi
Let’s see how this crowdfunded vinyl does, if we reach the target then hell yeah!
LSM
We’ve mentioned a few times when blogging your music that you’re on Patreon. How are things going on there and if someone might be interested in subscribing to you, just how much bang are they likely to receive for their buck?
Jimi
Patreon is awesome. The community is amazing. For those who don’t know, it’s a subscription service for creatives to help connect with their fans. In my case, I release a monthly care package of Jimi Needles bangers, remixes, and DJ friendly edits. This music gets released months, sometimes years before it does publicly, loads of it never even gets released at all. It’s a nice way of connecting with fans and fellow DJs who are fans of my music, especially the DJs who spin my music regularly. I’m told regularly by my patrons that my own platform is very good value for money. I often do free music production webinars included in the monthly subscription. I even offer one-2-one DJ and production tuition too!
LSM
You’ve also jumped on the always entertaining Twitch train. How have you found it on there?
Jimi
I’ve loved Twitch, but to be honest, I don’t think I’ve given it 100% of my energy this last year. I’ve been building my recording studio and preparing my home for the arrival of my son, plus I’ve been producing so much music that these things have often take precedence over streaming. A lot of DJs and artists have put a lot of work into their visuals which is very impressive, but now the world is slowly going back to normal, at least in the UK as it seems, do I invest in this next level of visuals, or crack on with music for next year’s festival season? Maybe I’ll find some time when I’m not so busy being Papa Needles!
LSM
When and what time can viewers expect to see you on there and what can they expect when they do tune in?
Jimi
Every Tuesday is the weekly ”Vaccination Program”, from 7pm – 10pm. I’ll also be restarting soon my famous Monday Scratch Club on Monday’s at 6pm UK Time – which is more of a turntablist educational experience than a live stream. Expect a few special appearances on Friday Raid Trains too!
LSM
Quality family time has obviously jumped to the top of your list of priorities in life now, so do you have any gigs lined up for 2021, or will you be riding the joy of parenthood for a wee while?
Jimi
I’ve got a handful of festivals confirmed, but I can’t confirm them because the truth is they don’t even know if they are going ahead this year! I’m very excited about my DJ residencies in London, Bristol and Brighton returning. Long term, I’ll be planning a Canada tour – I’ve already got a ‘yes’ from 6 cities now, we just have to wait until everything goes back to normal whenever that is.
LSM
Finally, what can we expect music wise from Jimi Needles in the future? Any album plans and any news on a ‘Needlewurk Vol. 5’ yet? I know I’m not the only one who is looking forward to the day that arrives!
Jimi
Indeed, I’m currently finishing off bits and pieces for my next Needlewurk Volume 5 mixtape. It’s gonna be the funkiest, filthiest and scratchiest yet!! Stay tuned for more crazy Patreon bangers, and watch out for a monthly Bandcamp Friday giveaway. Big ups!
Huge thanks to Jimi for taking the time to chat with us. If you’d like to join the crowdfunding for the release of the 7″ vinyl, you can do so by Clicking Here.
Links for Jimi Needles :
Soundcloud / Facebook / Bandcamp / Mixcloud / Twitter / Instagram / Patreon / Twitch
