When his debut album, ‘Days Are What We Live In’ was released in 2004, it seemed surprising that this was Jimmy Behan’s first long player. What came as no surprise was the quality of the album, nor the warmth of the critical reaction it received. Jimmy has long been regarded as one of the Ireland’s most talented producers, and ‘Days Are What We Live In’ confirmed the promise evident on 2001’s E.P., and the Road Relish split single with The Connect 4 Orchestra. “I started making music in 1996 while I was completing a sound engineering course in Pulse Recording College in Dublin. I had been listening to dance music for the previous couple of years and had been excited by the way it could be put together using computers and samplers in a simple studio setup. Like many electronic artists, I came to using computers as a way of realizing ideas that I just couldn’t have, had I just learned to play guitar or something… I just wanted to make records rather than play an instrument as such. I came to a point in my early twenties when I realized I’d never really be happy unless I was making music, so the decision was made, for better or for worse, to do just that. Once I’d made that decision, I felt a weight was lifted from my shoulders and that I finally had a real purpose in life. It’s not always been easy, and there have been sacrifices, but it’s been hugely satisfying at the same time.”
Although his work thus far has been primarily sample based and despite working in crowded musical terrain, Jimmy has managed to maintain a distinct and identifiable sound. So who are your influences?
“Much of the music I’ve liked over the years would not necessarily be of the kind I’d make myself. In my teens I listened to a lot of guitar music and sixties soul and pop which wouldn’t really translate to a computer setup. I’ve always been really interested in the sound of records, however, and that’s stayed with me.”
“I’ve always admired Stereolab for the way they’ve carved out a career for themselves on their own terms. Other contemporary people would include Broadcast, Fennesz, The Notwist… I’ve been introduced to a lot of 20th century composers in the last year too, Boulez, Xenakis, Cage etc. which has given me a more rounded perspective on things. I’d been aware of them in the past but had never really taken time out to study them closer. Hearing Messaien’s ‘Turangalila Symphonie’ for the first time was one of the most humbling experiences I’ve ever had, I couldn’t bring myself to write anything for days after! It’s nearly sixty years old and still sounds so new.”

You’re doing the Masters in Music Technology in Trinity College Dublin at the moment - what made you choose to do the course?
“I just felt I needed to explore new techniques. I’d been doing the same thing for years. I knew there was so much more to learn and I felt time was just passing me by. Doing the Masters has given me some kind of framework in which I could study these things - it would have taken much longer had I tried to do it in my own time. I think it’s given me the confidence to engage in a wider range of music and approach the whole thing from different perspectives. It’s certainly made me think things through more than I might have done before though its thrown up as many new questions as it has answers, which is quite unnerving at times. I believe you never stop learning and there’s always new ground to explore.”
Were you happy with the response to ‘Days..’? Do you think producing a follow up is ‘easier’ because you have the first album out of the way?
“Yeah I was, to be honest. You can’t always expect to please everyone but the reviews were generally good and we made enough sales to make it worthwhile, which is all you can really do on such a small budget. Obviously I’ve no real label pressure to get another out quickly though I hope it will be some point next summer.”
“In the meantime I’m putting together a compilation of remixes I’m doing for various Irish acts which will be out in December. That’s been going quite well and its been enjoyable work. I can approach tracks in different ways to how I might my own, trying different styles and techniques. I did feel a certain amount of pressure with the first album, if only because you only get one chance at your first record and I wanted something I could stand by in years to come while still putting something out that represented what I was doing at the time.” “I’ve never had any great master plan beyond the next record really. I’d love to be able to carve out some kind of living just doing what I love doing most, which is recording, that’s the holy grail really. My musical ambitions can change with every piece I write. I still get a thrill from doing something I feel I couldn’t have done say, six months before. I like that sensation of progress even when the final goal is often quite blurry. I don’t think I’ll ever sit down and go ‘right, that’s it, here’s my grand statement’. Every new piece of music, no matter how much you may like it, will always throw up new possible directions. It’s an on-going process that never ends really. Each release is just a marker along the way, it’s the process that’s important.”

Taken from Candy magazine, 3 - The TechnoLogic Issue, September/October 2005.
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