Cajmere Interview
by Laurie Canning | Published October 2005 | Features Archives
RESPECTED, LEGITIMATE AND SUCCESSFUL makers, producers, and innovators of House music and sound are not always the easiest to find. With the evolution of House music, only few have been there from the beginning, lit the way for its progression, and are still deep in its blood today.
Curtis A. Jones (aka Cajmere) was able to do all of those things, by being dedicated, originally with the help of no one but himself, and fulfilled his dream of making music in all aspects. He wears the hats of precedent-setter, music maker, and record label owner (to name a few) and comes to us with insight to the House Music culture while laying it all down for House heads today.
Cajmere, along with his hard-hitting, techno-playing, alter-ego Green Velvet, was initially too young to hit the clubs in the '80s, listening instead to the mixes on the radio. When he was finally of age and attending the University of Illinois, where he ultimately received his BS in Chemical Engineering, Cajmere "was going up to the clubs in Chicago," he tells, and decided that making it in the music business was "something I wanted to try to do for the rest of my life."
In 1992, Cajmere's first track, "It's Time for the Perculator," escalated his career into an impressive stance as it rang throughout all the clubs, parties, and radio stations. "I really got to see that from me believing in something and sticking with it, I was able do something that I had always dreamed of doing. When I did 'Perculator' - that was really great because I believed I could do it, but nobody believed in me. I didn't have anybody on my side, encouraging me or anything. It was just a matter of me believing in myself, and I prayed about it and that's all I had."
The success of "Perculator" paved the way for the more innovative sounds on "U Got Me Up," "Midnight," "I Need You," and "Day By Day" among many others. However, it was "Brighter Days," featuring legendary vocalist Dajae, that hit #2 on the dance charts and made Cajmere known around the world. It was also the first single released on Cajmere's own record label, Cajual Records. He remembers, "It was the same situation where everyone thought I was crazy for doing it on my own record label."
KEEP THE FAITH
"You've got to have faith sometimes and keep on achieving even when you don't really have the support of someone," Cajmere says. "You just have to pray and hope to God."
He also speaks of the positive effects his music has on others. "It's really great to see people and have them tell me of a good time they recall or remember (with the music) and the way it affected them." He loves making music that really brings joy to people lives. It doesn't matter to Cajmere if his music is played on the mainstream waves, or not. He says, "I just want people that hear my music to want to dance and put them in a good mood. That's what's important to me. I don't care if it's mainstream or whatever."
CAJUAL RECORDS
One of the biggest contributions Cajmere's had on House music culture is his record label,
Cajual Records. Cajmere explains, "I was able to help a lot of people from Chicago get international recognition. Not only in Chicago, but around the globe." He's helped artists and DJs alike, including DJ Sneak, Derrick Carter, Dajae,
Mark Grant, DJ Rush, Glenn Underground, Paul Johnson, and others. For the future of Cajual, Cajmere says, "We're going to be doing a lot of projects. What I want to do is help as many people as I possibly can - have heart and that's basically it - just keep it simple."
Cajmere has successfully collaborated numerous times with Dajae on Cajual Records. He gladly expresses, "I think it's definitely a great thing. She's just a beautiful person and was blessed with an incredible voice. I think I was just fortunate to be in a position to work with her."
Cajmere has also been recording and spinning under the name "Green Velvet" for years. When asked how he came up with his names and aliases, he simply stated, "Cajmere builds on my real name which are just the initials CAJ... and I used that initially for all the music I was doing."
"I noticed that the people were sort of confused when I was doing calm stuff and then I went and did 'Brighter Days' and a lot of stuff with Dajae, vocal tracks and things like that, the harder tracks they didn't know how to take. So, I came up with Green Velvet to try and stop the confusion."
Check out Green Velvet's latest release, "Walk In Love," for more House sounds and collaborations.
HOUSEHEADS UNITE
As for the change in the House music scene over the years, Cajmere reminisces, "I remember back in the day in the '80s when I first started, there were straight househeads that would just love to meet up... have energy... It was more of a community sort of thing... It's not as much as a community thing (anymore). It's more individual."
But the fact that a House culture still exists, he adds, "I think it's really great that it's still existing. Initially, people thought it was going to be a fly-by-night type of thing, but it's been enduring all these years."
Cajmere wants people to understand that "What's important is for people to unite. The House scene has always been a scene with a lot of love in it. Even today, the message is one of love. Be consistent. Remember to have fun. And, be true to yourself."
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