UK visual artist/ DJ/ producer Jon Gooch has propelled his latest alias, Feed Me, into the vibrant lasers of underground dance.
Jon first cut his musical teeth on the flute in school orchestra, later turning his fingers to piano and guitar. His first alias, Spor, was an acquiesce to his graffiti days, leading to his foray in underground music as a noted drum & bass DJ/ producer. The industry clamoured for his talents, with record labels vying for his attention and artists from NERO, Robyn and Gorillaz enlisting his remixing duties, while his production skills were utilised for such indie topping tracks as Example’s ‘Midnight Run’.
And now, with Feed Me already stunning the dance world, Jon’s talents as a musically inclined visual artist – or would that be a visually inclined musician? – is spinning faster than a dancefloor’s rotary lasers.
“The first electronic music I paid attention to,” Gooch notes, “was Aphex Twin and Prodigy. I also grew up listening to Queen — which is theatrical and camp and over the top. I enjoy the way you can set such a dramatic tone. When I’m making tracks, I’m looking for a lot of energy and the biggest drama. It’s not necessarily aggressive or thrashy, it’s more about the energy and emotion. I’m very fortunate where everyone is very openminded with genres, and the music is dynamic, the visuals are bright and the party is happy.
“Feed Me,” Gooch explains, “is a twenty-foot by ten-foot two-tonne LED light rig which I control via custom software on Abelton. He’s being built by the same person who did the special effects for ‘Prometheus’ and will be fully automated and alive.
“The character is an exaggeration of my behaviour — he came from the first time I worked on some tracks. I hadn’t made music like that before and I sat down and drew this cheeky green gremlin while I was writing the music at the same time.”
Future Music Festival audiences can expect quite the show when Feed Me lands next year.
“Parklife 2012 was one of the best festival experiences in my life,” Gooch declares. “I want to one up myself when we come back for Future and I hope everyone will enjoy it.”
Feed Me plays Future Music Festival at Doomben Racecourse March 2.