Jai Agnish
Agnish, an award-winning multi-media journalist, was active in music during the mid-90s until 2008 when he released Awake When You Dream as a free download on Bandcamp. He recently uploaded his back catalog to all the streaming platforms, including his debut album Automata, released in 2000. He gradually exited the music scene to move deeper into journalism.
His focus shifted to a different kind of creativity: writing, photography, and videography. He found success as a local reporter and editor with the Record/Northjersey.com/USA Today Network. While there, he wrote about everything from nightclub shootings, lottery winners and underground mines. He became the resident aviation expert after getting his commercial pilot license.
Music found its way back into Agnish’s life, and then the passion came roaring back last year. He is currently producing a series of singles using the synthesizer as the primary composition tool. He continues to also write on guitar and incorporates acoustic and electric guitar into his electronic music.
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Take me back there
Die neueste Veröffentlichung von Jai Agnish namens "Take me back there" ist einer jener Songs bei denen man einfach die Augen schließen kann und sich vom Interpreten leiten lässt. Eine nostalgische Reise durch Kindheitserinnerungen im Hinterhof, eine Anerkennung der Vergangenheit die meist zu schnell, zu oft verblasst und die wir in den jüngeren Generationen wiedererkennen. Die gut gewählte Instrumentierung, in diesem Fall Soundselection, machen gemeinsam mit den Lyrics aus "Take me back there" einen äußerst hörenswerten Titel im Genre "Indietronica". So we have to say Achtung: Hello Mr. Agnish, please take us back there.
Produced by: Jai Agnish Mixed by: Daniel Smith Mastered by: Dave Downham
Q&A
Jai Agnish is..?
I was born and raised in a New Jersey suburb and am a dual citizen of America and Canada. I spent my childhood summers on the family farm in Saskatchewan, where I learned how to ride horses and drive trucks and tractors. I won second place in a horse race and later caught a greased pig at the same rodeo.
My aunt had a synthesizer that I often obsessed over in my youth in the '80s. I would play the keys and toggle through the different sound banks. It made really neat sounds like bombs dropping and whistles and sirens. We also had a family keyboard in New Jersey that played drum loops. I would play around with those, switching between the different beats and jamming on the fill button.
Even though I was intrigued by these synth sounds and electronic beats, I fell in love with playing the guitar when I was a teenager. I wasn't big into music theory, so after learning my way around the guitar a bit, I used to bring my favorite classic rock songs to my guitar teacher for him to figure out and teach me how to play.
Back then, I listened to bands like Rush, Guns and Roses, and Aerosmith. In high school, I listened to alternative bands like Nirvana, the Pixies, Dinosaur Jr., and the Red Hot Chili Peppers and learned some of their songs.
It wasn't until I discovered indie-rock that I realized I could create and record my own music. Before long, I was recording on four-track cassette and releasing tapes, records, and CDs of music by me and my friends on my Blue Bunny Records label. I also published a fanzine in high school called Flygirl.
Who inspired you to make music?
Lou Barlow (Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh) was probably the artist who most inspired me to create and record original music. I loved his early solo recordings made on cassette. Lo-fi and that DIY sound and ethic was my thing, so I gave it a try. My earliest recordings were done on a portable stereo. Before I bought a four-track, I used to multi-track between my little stereo and my sister's. My friend John Gellings, who used to record as JS Rockit, was also a significant influence. Also, Dennis Dalelio, who produces the Stolen Hours podcast.
What or who inspired you to create "Take me back there"?
The cover art for "Take Me Back There" features the only known family photograph in the "dugout" behind my childhood home in West Milford. The "dugout" or "sandpit" was a large area in the woods cleared out for a housing development that was ultimately abandoned. It served as a giant playground for my siblings and childhood friends, and me. We rode bikes back there, built forts, dug caves, and rode sleds there in the winter.
"Take Me Back There" is a nostalgic voyage through some of these backyard childhood memories. But it's not about regrets or anything like that. It's more of an acknowledgment that the past fades away, but its magical imprint lives on in our hearts and dreams. Years later, we witness younger generations unfold the mystery of life.
When do you say or decide that a song is ready for a release?
Good question. This decision is mainly based on a feeling. When I'm actively working on a new song, I try to take lots of breaks from it so that it stays as fresh as possible. I might work on something else for a while and come back to it. After working on a song over and over again, it reaches the point where it's hard to listen to it. I begin to lose perspective, and the ability to make objective creative decisions fades. When this happens, it's time to wrap up the song and move it along to the next set of ears.
What is your creative process like?
My new singles, including "Take Me Back There," were created in Logic with a midi workstation. I've been having a lot of fun composing music with a computer. I'll begin with a synth riff or a drum beat and slowly develop the song with additional tracks and instruments. I move between 2-4 projects to keep things fresh. Over time one of the songs wins out, and I move on to vocals and lyrics before I ship it off to be mixed and mastered. I'm also constantly stockpiling songs and song ideas on acoustic guitar.
What is the most useful talent you have?
Having creative talents in many different areas is vital as a musician. It's also important to be open to experimenting and collaboration. Different perspectives are important.
If you could change anything in the past, what would it be?
If I could hop into a time machine, I'd go back to the 1990s and buy some Apple stock. Or go to a Nirvana concert. Ha. But seriously: I try not to dwell on the past. It's not healthy. What is healthy is accepting the past, working out any regrets or resentments, and always moving forward. If I were to give my younger self advice, I'd say be open to the different opportunities and relationships that present themselves.
How do you feel the Internet (especially social media platforms) has impacted the music business?
I want to say social media is good because it levels the playing field for all creators. I'm all about access, and back in the '90s, I was all about DIY and the underground/independent music scene. What's happening now is sort of like that, I think. The downside is there is so much noise and competition. It makes me wonder if the adage, "the cream always rises to the top," is true anymore. Maybe it never was. Unfortunately, corporations and deep-pocketed individuals will always have an unfair advantage in any creative sphere. And now today's gatekeepers (influencers, playlisters, bloggers) hold as much sway as the old guard used to (music critics, MTV, radio). Has much changed? For people who actively seek out new music and art – yes. For those who are more passive consumers – maybe not.
What's next for you?
My next single, "Is This My America?," comes out on Sept. 26, 2021. I'm excited about this song. It brings some acoustic and electric guitar back into the picture. In October, look for "Moment in Time," an even dreamier synth-based tune.
Beyond that, I continue to create electronic music and try new things. I expect to release more singles. I also plan to record a full-length of songs I've been writing on acoustic guitar. That will be a much different approach than what I've been working on lately.
