Introducing….Jason Del Campo

After spending a number of years as part of various groups, the new single ‘Colibri’ represents the introduction of Jason Del Campo as a solo artist in his own right. Jason is an accomplished guitarist, composer, record producer and all-round musician. He trained at the École National de Music in Villeurbanne and at the Conservatoire de Lyon, studying jazz and modern music.

Although classically trained, Jason is no traditionalist. Much like his inspirations Olafur Arnaulds and Nils Frahm, Jason includes the sonic picture in his expression, often utilising cassette recorders and other unconventional recording techniques to give the music the atmosphere he wants.

At Swim Music will release ‘Colibri’ on 19th November on all digital platforms.

Jason Del Campo will be releasing his debut album ‘Sage’ in 2022.

Bonjour Jason! How are you?

“I feel great !!”

You’re from France. Which part, and what is it like?

“I was born in St Etienne and now I live in Lyon. A beautiful city crossed by two rivers. It’s a city that allows me to be in a strong cultural heart while remaining quite calm and giving me time to create.”

Are you from a musical family?

“No, I got into music thanks to my friends.”

When did you first pick up a guitar?

“I was 17.”

Who are your guitar heroes?

“The first one was Angus Young and his electric energy !! John Frusciante was the second, with RHCP or solo, I do love his sense of melody. Then I was in admiration of Bumblefoot, his 2 albums “normal” and “abnormal” are amazing !! Later, when I was a lot into jazz, Bill Frisell has been a big inspiration.”

You’ve recorded an EP during the COVID lockdown. How did that come about?

“During this period, I really felt a drop in social pressure and I found myself with a lot of time on my hands and I was reading this book : “L’usage du vide” by Romain Graziani which talks about non-duality in Taoism and the states we reach through non-willingness. Since the beginning of the year I was very inspired by this cassette recorder that I had just bought and I told myself that it was the right time to finish composing these little pieces I had started. Just for the act of doing it, not expecting anything in return, not thinking about the future etc… So I called some friends who lent me their unused concert hall so I could set up my studio and I recorded everything in 5 days.”

Where did you record it?

“In a small concert venue in Lyon called A Thou Bout d’Chant.”

Your first release from the album is ‘Colibri’. What does the title mean, and what is the song about?

“This composition for me is about deconstruction and emptiness. And the title came from the french movement “Colibri” run by Pierre Rabhi and Cyril Dion who, as the Colibri does, encourage every one to do his part to climate change. I remembered that I was really into Max Richter’s music, and his sentence : “A piece of music being a place to think” spoke to me a lot, so I guess there is a bit of that in Colibri too.”

How about the EP? Is there a theme that ties all the songs together?

“There wasn’t really a theme when I recorded it, but looking back, I realized that there is a desire to go back to playing with my tapes in my childhood bedroom, to dream and to find a certain innocence again.”

Are you looking forward to performing live again?

“I was lucky enough to play a lot of show as soon as we were able to do it again as a sideman ! But I can wait to hit the road with my compositions :)”

How will you perform the songs live?

“I’m really inspired by electronic musicians, so it will be a solo performance with live looping, some jamming over my cassettes, some percussion made over a prepared guitar and a lot of improvisations.”

If you could play at any festival, which one would you choose?

“I would love to play in Jazz à Vienne ! I went to see so many inspiring musicians there ! The place is amazing.”

If you could play a duet with any musician, living or dead, who would that be? And what would you play?

“A live performance of 4,33 with John Cage would be great !”

Last question: Messi or Ronaldo?

“Zidane.”

Thanks Jason!

Jason Del Campo Links: Instagram // Facebook // Soundcloud // Youtube // Spotify

© At Swim Ltd. Creative Arts 2021

At Swim Ltd. is a creative arts company.

Visit our website for links to all our other content.