[DK15 Interview + MP3] Jeremy Glenn – Able To Fall

JEREMY GLENN is a Toronto-based DJ, producer, songwriter, singer and most importantly, a friend. I’ve known him since I worked at Embrace and he was managed by Embrace’s sister artist management agency, 2+2 Management. Both of us have since moved on from those situations but we remained friends so much so that, not only did Jeremy contribute the beautiful, amazing track, “Able to Fall” to the Quinceañera: Marvelous Ish album, but he also DJ’d the raucous release party for the album (which also doubled as a birthday celebration for moi) back in September alongside DJ MelBoogie, DJ Famous Lee and DJ Seven 30.

Both of us have been mad busy of late but we managed to trade some questions & answers via email a little while back and what follows is the end result.

DK: You’ve been in the music game for a while. Can you talk a little bit about your come-up?
JG: I’ve always been a musical kid. Music’s been my passion and solace forever but I’d never contemplated making it a career decision before discovering DJing and production. I started DJing hip-hop in high-school because I couldn’t get the “underground” tracks I’d hear on college radio shows like CKLN’s PowerMove show or WBLK out of Buffalo. As a kid in the suburbs, this kept me connected to a culture that I felt very separate from.

I got more into club culture and DJing as I went through University, playing and learning from mentors
like DJ AndyCapp. Learning about production was a natural progression. After you DJ for a while, you become interested in the how and want to put your own stamp on things. So I went through an engineering and production course of The Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology, where I subsequently taught for a few years after graduating.

During that time I began to hone my production, arrangement and songwriting skills. Singing on my tracks was something I had to get used to. I felt I had decent ability and had sung forever but I think lots of artists are overly critical about putting themselves out there so it wasn’t until moving back to Toronto in 2009-10 that I moved into performance and releasing tracks officially… and was able to get my first official release on Future Classic.

Not everyone can juggle all these different disciplines, DJing, producing, songwriting and singing, and do them all at an equally high level but somehow you manage it. How?
I really think it’s that Malcolm Gladwell 10,000 hours concept at play. I’d been singing since I was young, was always dedicating time to making mix-tapes from [MuchMusic] Rap City videos and analyzing samples and production even before I knew what the technical terms were. I started DJing in high school and would practice whenever possible. So even before I was playing proper gigs, I’d already been putting the time in. I think that’s key for anybody.

You’ve actually taken a bit of step back from music in the last couple years though. What was the reason for that?
There are a few factors at play but basically I was trying to determine my place in music if that makes any sense. Couple that with having a son, which has been amazing, but takes a lot of time and energy and forces you to look at what’s necessary, even if unpleasant. Those factors put a lot of doubt into whether I wanted to continue making music. As evidenced by “Able to Fall,” I’ve still been working in the background, but much of that time has been spent considering the next direction in music.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of our interview with Jeremy Glenn on the DIFFERENT KITCHEN Facebook page.

Follow Jeremy Glenn online – Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // Web // Soundcloud

LISTEN to the Quinceañera: Marvelous Ish album featuring Jeremy Glenn’s “Able to Fall” HERE. Learn more about Quinceañera: Marvelous Ish HERE.

Other DK15 interviews:
– OSIYM
– Yellow Shoots
– Jordan Kahn

[MP3 + Music Video] MorMor – Outside

We’re big fans of up–and–coming Toronto singer, MorMor. Songs like this new single, “Outisde” are the reason why.

Previously on the Kitchen:

– MorMor – Waiting on the Warmth [MP3 + Music Video]

[Album Stream + MP3 / Music Video] smrtdeath – we’ll be alright

Is smrtdeath the Canadian Post Malone or Lil Peep?

[MP3] Fist Of Facts – First Strike

Nice slice of no-wavey alternative music with a PiL-era Lydon-esque vocal on top which is no surprise given the pedigree of the artist involved:

After no-wave legends Liquid Liquid broke up in 1984, singer Salvatore Principato took some much needed to time to reevaluate his musical direction. Renting a studio on the Lower East Side with Ken “Man” Caldiera, they began their next musical project, Fist of Facts.

In 1985 Ken Man showed up in the studio with this IBM AT computer. It had a 1/2 MB of RAM and some Voyetra software that could sequence music, and effectively became the duo’s backing band. They expanded upon the natural groove that Liquid Liquid established over their brief career, adding a strong political message and abstract dub soundscapes.

Given this, maybe I should be reversing the direction of who influenced whom? “Fist of Facts” from the Fugitive Vesco album out now.

[MP3] Alazar Kidanu – Right Back

Cool (but slightly profane) track I discovered while working on the 2019 edition of CBC Music’s Searchlight.