Jesse & Jesse You

J：每個人都有自己的音樂啟蒙，你的 DJ、創作故事是從何開始？

Jesse You：成為 DJ 對我來說是很自然的過程。我原本就在收集唱片，也以編輯身份撰寫音樂相關文章，身邊也有不少很棒的 DJ，而我自己是首爾幾間夜店的常客。有一天，我在房間裡看著我的唱片，心想：「我想把這些唱片帶到外面去放。」所以最初比較像是一種選曲者（selector）的角色，因為我收藏的大多是 LP，不是那種適合夜店播放的 12 吋 EP，也不是專門放舞曲的 DJ。在DJ演出七、八年之後，我開始有了創作音樂的想法。那時剛好有機會到洛杉磯旅行，在那購入Roland boutique JU-06合成器跟TR-8鼓機。我想那就是一切的開始。

J：你身兼音樂人與編輯，這兩種角色對於 DJ set 的演出或音樂製作，彼此如何交互影響或相輔相成？

Jesse You：我覺得編輯與DJ其實有很多相似的地方，例如要選擇什麼保留、什麼捨棄、哪些東西要串聯起來、哪些要分開。DJ不是從無到有創造，而是將已經存在的素材，重新組合出新的美感。編輯工作也很類似這個邏輯。但音樂創作對我來說就是完全不同的世界。當編輯的時候我會寫文章，但寫文章跟做音樂的方法差異非常大，至少對我而言是這樣。可能寫小說或詩，會比較像在創作音樂？我不太確定。我只知道我不是什麼藝術家或夢想家，我只是拼命把事情做完而已。

J：可以和臺北分享你在首爾創立 Walls And Pals 的初衷？「廠牌」是否更像一個聲音策展平台，而非單純的音樂發行。

Jesse You：我跟Mogwaa原本就是好朋友，常常聊音樂、器材這些東西。當時我們也都認識Acidwork。我和Mogwaa都很喜歡他的音樂，也覺得這種以硬體為核心、聲音質感非常「原始」（raw），應該被「實體方式」出版紀錄。於是我們決定幫他出一張卡帶 EP，就這樣，Walls And Pals誕生了。我和Mogwaa其實沒有太多關於廠牌發展的討論，但有一件事是肯定的：我們想發掘與我們品味相近的新銳創作人，特別是韓國的年輕音樂人。我們很期待他們的下一步。

J：你認為未來的亞洲電子音樂場景需要什麼樣的「編輯」？是更多關於亞洲場景的整理、更多新的聲音創作與論述？

Jesse You：兩者都需要，不過我覺得你的問題已經切中了核心。我認為我們需要更多「有脈絡的編輯」，是那種能留下來的，不是只有一晚的記憶。它可以是唱片、書籍，也可以是媒體。亞洲的電子音樂圈每週末都有很棒的夜晚，也有非常多優秀的DJ。但若是想讓這一切更有脈絡、形成更強大的社群，就需要有人把這些東西記錄下來、保存下來。

J：作為一個黑膠藏家，黑膠對你而言的意義是什麼？它在你的 DJ／創作美學與記憶中扮演什麼角色？

Jesse You：對我來說，這是一種不會讓我感到壓力的東西。我只會問自己：「這首音樂，我會想反覆聽嗎？」不像買衣服時還要考慮尺寸、品牌，或穿起來好不好看，我不在乎封面設計、不在乎發行年代，也不在乎是誰做的。當下唯一的思考是：「如果好聽，那它就是我的了，歡迎加入我的唱片架。」這是我最享受也最平靜的時刻，因為我可以把這些音樂帶到舞池上和大家分享，而且它對我有強烈的吸引力。我還記得，在 2001 年，我因為愛上 CD 而第一次走進黑膠唱片行的情景。當時根本沒想到自己會開始收藏黑膠，但那感覺就像命中注定一樣。

J: Everyone has their own musical awakening. How did your journey as a DJ and music creator begin?

Jesse You: Being a DJ was quite natural. I was already collecting records, writing about music as an editor, and there were some great DJs around me and I was a regular in some clubs in Seoul. One day I was looking at records in my room and like, okay, I’d like to use them outside of my place. So it was more of a selector approach rather than being a dance music DJ cause most of the records I had were LPs not many 12’’s for club. And around 7-8 years after I started DJing, I wanted to make my own music, so I bought 2 gears while I was on a Los Angeles trip, Roland boutique JU-06 synth and TR-8 drum machine. That was the beginning.

J: You’ve worked as both a musician and an editor. How do these two roles interact or complement each other in your DJ sets and music production?

Jesse You: I guess editing and DJing have lots of similarities, such as what to select and what to throw away, what to tie up and what to split. DJing is not a total creation of new things, it’s more of a beauty of assembling things that already exist, and editing is pretty much the same I think. Music production was a totally different story for me, of course I wrote articles when I did the editor job, but the method behind writing articles and making music was totally different at least for me. Maybe if it is writing a novel or poem, those would be similar to making music? Not sure, all I know is I’m not an artistic person or dreamer, just trying to work my ass off to finish something.

J: Could you share with Taipei the story behind starting Walls And Pals in Seoul? Do you see the label more as a curatorial sound platform than just a traditional imprint?

Jesse You: I and Mogwaa have already been good friends, talking about music and gears or stuff, and there’s Acidwork, we both knew at the moment. I and Mogwaa both liked his music and thought it would be nice to release his music in physical format, which makes sense cause the way Acidwork makes music is very hardware-driven and raw sounding. So we decided to make Cassette tape of his debut EP, and there it is, Walls And Pals was born. I and Mogwaa didn’t really talk much about the blueprint of the label, but one thing is clear, we’d like to showcase new talent who are close to us sharing the similar taste, especially Korean talent, who we’re waiting for the next step.

J: What kind of "editing" do you think Asia's electronic music scene needs in the future? Is it more about archiving and contextualizing the scene, or about developing new sonic narratives and sounds?

Jesse You: Both, but I think your question already got the point. I feel like we need more archiving, and something edited with context which lasts longer, not for the one night. It could be the record, it could be the book, it could be the media. There's an amazing night every weekend in Asia’s electronic music, and I think we have enough DJs who’s really good. But for making it as a context and stronger community, I guess it would be great to have something recorded or documented.

J: As a vinyl collector, what does vinyl mean to you? What kind of role does it play in your DJ/creative aesthetics and musical memory?

Jesse You: Something makes me not stressful. All I need to think of is, is music good enough to be listened to many times? It’s not like when I buy clothes, thinking of size, brand, am I looking okay in it… I don’t care about the cover of the records, I don’t care about the era of the records, I don’t care who made it. I listen, if it’s good, okay you’re mine, welcome to my shelves. Peaceful and the most enjoyable, because even I could share them with people on the dance floor. Also it’s something that attracts me very strongly. I still remember when I went to the vinyl record store for the first time after I fell in love with music with CDs, it was 2001, of course I had no intention or no idea if I’ll have some vinyls, but it just attracted me a lot, such as we are supposed to meet.