having worked on a number of brilliant compilations put together by the likes ofmoodgadget and lyfstyl, it wasn’t until february earlier this year that trenton based dj and producer teeel (aka jim smith) finally finished work on his brilliant first full length album, amulet. since february, smith has gone on to produce a number of hazy, synth heavy remixes for work drugs, com truise and jensen sportag, as well as having released a string of new tracks, most of which are available to download for free from his soundcloud. incorporating a brilliant mix of reverberating synths, washed out vocals and steady, rhythmic drum beats, teeel produces a distinctive form of chill-wave that makes you feel like you’re drift-driving through space in doc brown’s delorean dmc. we caught up with him to find out more about his love for all things electronic, his dream collaborator bob moog and his numerous tattoos.

1) you mention that the colour of your music is real ly important to the overal l feel of your sound, is i t just colour that inf luences the way you write music, or are you inf luenced by other images, places or feel ings?

designing by day usually gets me excited to come home and work on music. sometimes it can go the other way too. when i’m writing music i’m inspired to go design a logo or something. i think they go hand in hand and compliment each other. other than design and colours, i draw inspiration from the weather, a good movie, going out to concerts or clubs, surfing the internet, and even daydreaming in my studio. i keep a little notepad to write down song ideas and names, little notes to myself, synth patch information and sometimes even fun invention ideas.

2) what is i t about electronic music in part icular that you’re interested in? you’ve experimented with a few dif ferent projects, how come you decided to sett le on teeel’s more nostalgic, dreamwave type feel?

teeel is a culmination of my ideas. i’m obsessed with synthesizers and music with synthesizers but can’t stray away from adding the guitar element. i listen to all types of music. mostly electronic, but still have my nights where i will pop on a metal cd or rock out to some dark drum and bass. i’ve always been drawn to music with lots of layers. i go through phases for months at a time where i’ll focus on a select few artists. recently i’ve been into chill electronica, dance-drivin indie rock and french electro.

3) what with al l the designing, dj ing and producing you must be kept pretty busy! are there any other upcoming projects in the pipel ine? any plans to tour europe?

yes, there is never a dull moment. i work full-time at an advertising agency which can be pretty demanding during the week. i recently finished all of my mobile dj gigs for the season, so my nights and weekends have freed up, i’m really looking forward to playing more shows and focusing on new tunes whenever possible. i still need to get a booking agent for europe shows but would absolutely love to come and play.

4) do you have any places you just keep going back to for new music and new sounds? anyone you’re l istening to on repeat at the moment?

with the mobile dj business, I’m subscribed to a couple music distributors so i’m always getting new music. i also use emusic to download new stuff or visit the artists’ bandcamp pages. to be honest, i still find the best stuff surfing on facebook and soundcloud. so many artists are connected now, it’s easy to find great stuff. currently i’m listening to the new tycho, cut copy, washed out, com truise, tesla boy and grum.

5) l iv ing or dead, who would your dream col laborator be?

i’d love to hang with the late bob moog and make synth patches all day and pick his brain about his theories on life.

6) books or movies?

i own about 2000 movies and about 20 books. those books are mostly design and music related. unfortunately, i don’t own too many normal books but i do read quite a bit online.

7) mac or pc?

i’m on mac from 7:30am to 2:30am.

8) coffee or tea?

jack daniel’s whisky.

9) nintendo or sega?

logic pro 9.

10) tattoos or piercings?

all of the above. dragons on both of my upper arms, a clockwork orange dedication half-sleeve on my right arm, m.c. escher’s “hand with reflecting sphere” on my back, a koi fish and japanese pond scene on my right thigh, the amsterdam crest on my left thigh and last but not least, pierced nipples. lol.

11) twitter or facebook?

facebook, but it’s linked to my twitter.

12) the past or the future?

back to the future.