Tom & Jame Discuss Spotify, Patreon, and "No Hard Feelings" [Exclusive Interview with Revealed Family]

Tom & Jame Discuss Spotify, Patreon, and "No Hard Feelings"

4/30/2019

We've once again partnered with Revealed Family to bring you an interview with the incredible Dutch duo, Tom & Jame. With incredible releases under their belt on labels such as Revealed Recordings, Spinnin' Records, Heldeep, Fonk Recordings, Wall Recordings, and Maxximize Records, they've certainly left a strong imprint on the EDM scene with their ever-evolving sound and creative tracks. Continue reading to learn more about their upcoming track, working with vocalists, and their thoughts on how Spotify has changed the industry.

Congratulations on the release of your latest track with AEMES called "No Hard Feelings!" Tell us about what went on behind the scenes and what motivated you to return to progressive house for this track!
Thanks so much! We're really happy with how the track turned out and that it's finally released. The idea for this track was to create some real summer vibes. So that means happy vibes in the melody and the vocal but also an energetic and uplifting drop! We've made this track around the same time we did the remix for Nervo's "What Would You Do For Love." It was a small idea which we laid down in the same project. A while later, we found this idea and build a whole track around it. We've had multiple vocals for this track, but they were all a bit too dark for the vibe we were looking for. The "No Hard Feelings" vocal really fit the vibe we wanted to go for and complimented the track in a really nice way!

Speaking of styles, you've been rotating between big room, groove, progressive house, and future house for as long as I can remember, making your own signature take on each of these genres. How do you go about creating your signature sounds and evolving them over time?

Yeah that's true, we don't want to be bound to one specific genre and make the same music over and over again. We are happy producers when we can challenge ourselves to give our own take on different genres. And in our opinion, the best music is made when you feel free in your head to make the music that you want at that specific moment. We feel like our signature sound comes mostly from just us working together. If you hear music that Tom made by himself it's way different than what Jame makes by himself, but together, it always has those Tom & Jame vibes. Of course we try and use sounds from different projects in new projects, but always in a slightly different context or we process the sounds in different ways. Also saving our own samples was really useful for us back in the day. Using the same claps, kicks, risers, stabs and percussion helped us to maintain that signature sound.

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A post shared by Tom & Jame (@tomandjame) on Apr 16, 2019 at 8:49am PDT

Over the years, you've released tracks with truly iconic vocals with your last four tracks all featuring original vocals including some from our past interviewee, Kris Kiss! What is your songwriting process like to make the most out of your collaborations?

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Tres cervezas por favor â–¡â–¡ #amigo @ytonmusic

A post shared by Tom & Jame (@tomandjame) on Mar 15, 2019 at 7:22am PDT

When we are looking for a vocal, we always try to make it a real collab between us and the singer-songwriter. So trying to get to know the other person is really important to us. We also like the process of writing vocals a lot, it's way different than making just the production. You have to think in totally different ways and it's a nice challenge and learning process for us. Vocals are really important to our productions, because they can make them stand out. Using vocals from sample packs is a nice way to start working with vocals, but you always have limited room to play with and a lot of other people can use it as well. When we work with vocals from sample packs, we try to give it our own twist in the processing by doing something with the vocal that makes it less recognizable and more unique. Our preference of course goes to recording our own vocals or working with vocalists. But looking for a vocal, writing it, recording it, processing it until it's perfect can take a lot of time, sometimes even up to six months or more. In the end, it's always worth it. If you have the right vocal, it creates such a vibe and something recognizable!

Taking a break to look back over your incredible discography, what are three songs that you feel had the most impact on your careers and development as artists?
Good question! The most of our tracks are really important to us, otherwise we won't release it! But some of the tracks are extra special to us.

Clap with Dannic - This was the collab that really made things happen for us. After this, we signed our first single on Revealed and the support on the track was massive. We still love playing it because the energy is always 100%
Rise (Like A Thousand Suns) - This track was made really quick because we were just so inspired. We remember jumping in the studio because we were so hyped to finish it. Also the support and love from everybody for this track is still really special too us! Hardwell premiering it on Ultra and the hype after that was crazy.
Amigo - Club banger combined with catchy funky vocals. Love it!

How do you guys feel that Spotify has changed the way artists operate in this current day. What effects have you seen and felt from this shift?
Streaming changed the music scene a lot in our opinion. Suddenly making songs more listener friendly was really important, and it still is to this today. It changed the perspective from what do DJ's play on festivals or clubs to what is popular in Spotify playlists. Also vocals became even more important on songs, because if you have a really great vocal, more people will probably hear your track on Spotify. Of course as an artist, you have to deal with that in your own way.

Trying to gain as much plays as possible on your tracks on Spotify is a difficult task that everybody tries to do in the best way they can, but the BIG playlists only have a few spots open so you always have to hope they pick yours. We think we adapted by focusing even more on working with songwriters and vocalists to create something unique. We think "Amigo" is a great example of that: a club track but with a very catchy vocal that makes it stand out from the rest.

Outside of the studio and the booth, how do you two enjoy spending your time?
We both been going to the gym a lot since in the last year and a half. It's a great way to clear your mind before or after a long studio day. We also like to play FIFA once in a while against each other, but we chose not to have a PlayStation in the studio because it would be too much of a distraction! Next to that, going out with friends here in Amsterdam is always a lot of fun! We are Dutch so drinking beer is very important!

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A post shared by Tom & Jame (@tomandjame) on Feb 14, 2019 at 6:07am PST

Looking towards the future, where can we expect the Tom & Jame sound to go next?
We're busy with so much new music coming up! We feel like it's the typical Tom & Jame Sound but upgraded with a new flavour We are now making more of the typical, good club vibe. When we both started making music and clubbing, we really fell in love with that club sound. Trying to combine that with vocals and good beats in a 2019 way is what you can expect from us. Still groovy and energetic as always!

â€‹Next to that, we spend a lot of time on our own platform on Patreon. There, we help new talent getting to the next level by giving them our own sample packs every month, giving very detailed feedback as much as they want, and a lot of pro tips about building their own career/brand. It's a really fun community and we see a lot of results with our Patrons! Some really good talent have joined us there that have releases on some of the bigger labels like Revealed. We've made a track with 15 people there which we'll release soon, so keep an eye out on our socials because we will drop it soon! Music wise, we've first the release of "No Hard Feelings," which we are really excited about. We hope everybody loves it as much as we do!

Thank you so much to Tom & Jame for taking the time to answer our questions! Be sure to keep an eye out for their upcoming track on Revealed Recordings May 3rd and follow them on their social pages below!