StandardTapes 21: DJ Jeff Button

"At the end of day, I play music that moves me, and hope that others are into it just as much as I am."

This week, we have a mix from the second favourite son of Dundas, Ontario, Jeff Button – the first being Dan Snaith, he of Caribou fame. The mix Jeff sent along to the Standard is a bit of a long one, but true to form, Jeff carefully chose each song to create a compelling mix from start to finish. 

Tell us a bit about yourself.  

I grew up in the small town of Dundas, Ontario, a place where most were either artistic, played sports, smoked weed, or submersed themselves in music. In high school, I was a big hip-hop head, but started shifting towards electronic music shortly before graduating. I became a promoter in 2004 at a club called Boa-Redux, and around that time I picked up a pair of CD-J’s for the hell of it. I started out playing after parties in and around Toronto before playing the Sonic Nightclub closing party, which eventually lead to residencies at The Docks, Mod Club and, most recently, The Modern Love Affair at Footwork. This year, my main focus has been on music production. I’ve just completed my first EP with Sean Roman, entitled “Love Is True,” which is set to release in early 2013 on Seaking.

Where and how was this mix recorded?

The mix was recorded at my home studio. It was performed on a Traktor Kontrol S2 and MacBook Pro, and was recorded with a M-Audio Microtrack 24/96

What was the idea behind the mix?

Anytime I set out to do a studio mix, I try to make it a seamless journey with a good flow and a representation of the different sounds I’m feeling at the moment. I’ve included a few of my personal productions as well. A great artist and big influence for me, Martin Dawson, passed away the day I recorded the mix, so I made sure to close it with one of my personal favourites from his amazing collection of work.

In your own words, can you describe your sound?

Over the years I’ve shifted slightly in style, but I’ve always kept things deep, sleazy, and melodic no matter what. I never leave the music I grew up on too far behind, either. The house music of today wouldn’t be what it is without the synths of the 80s, R&B of the 90s, and the hip-hop before it. At the end of day, I play music that moves me, and hope that others are into it just as much as I am.

Where can Toronto Standard’s readers see you perform next?

You can catch me this Saturday at The Modern Love Affair with Thugfucker, and on November 23rd at Art Department’s Social Experiment at Moskito. I’m also really stoked to be again playing at The BPM Festival in Playa Del Carmen in January. The exact dates haven’t been released yet, but I’ll be announcing details shortly on my website, www.jeffbutton.com, and my DigDeep Podcast.

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