Zach James Douglas is an indie/alternative producer and songwriter, hailing from the South Dublin suburb of Tallaght, but brought up by a pint of Guinness and a packet of crisps in any number of city centre dive bars. Having previously had the pleasure of playing festivals such as Glastonbury and Electric Picnic with former band “Little One”, Douglas now steps out alone and is releasing his second single ‘Even As The Knife Went Through’ June 10th on ZJD Records via Faction Records.
FACTS
1. I can drink a pint of Guinness in three seconds
2. I’m the booker for a Dublin music venue called The Button Factory
3. My dad and I own over 30 guitars combined.
QUESTIONS
1. What is the biggest inspiration for your music?
A constant stream of new music and innovators – I get inspired by listening to artists who are willing to experiment and try new things. If a song follows a standard blueprint or is looking to hop on the bandwagon of a popular trend of that time, it won’t interest me.
2. How and when did you get into making music?
My interest in making music came at the age of 12, when I learned how to play “Holiday” by Green Day on bass, in order to perform with my friends in our school talent show!
3. What are 5 of your favourite albums of all time?
Radiohead – “Kid A”
The Beatles – “The Beatles” (The White Album)
Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Californication”
The Beach Boys – “Pet Sounds”
Michael Jackson – “Off The Wall”
4. What do you associate with Berlin?
Nightclubs!
5. What’s your favourite place in your town?
My parent’s home is less than a 10 minute drive from an area within the Dublin mountains, called “Cruagh Wood”, which is a small national park, filled with numerous nature walks and hiking trails. As I live and work in the heart of Dublin City Centre, I like to escape to Cruagh Wood to clear my head and reset.
6. If there was no music in the world, what would you do instead?
I like to think that I could have forged a very mediocre career as a footballer! But more realistically, I probably would have stayed in my old job as a bartender.
7. What was the last record/music you bought?
Just today, I bought the debut album from the Irish producer “SENU” and it is absolutely mind-blowing. Everyone should check it out!
8. Who would you most like to collaborate with?
Some of my bucket list collaborations would be Thom Yorke, Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Phoebe Bridgers, Grimes, Sylvan Esso & Lianne La Havas.
9. What was your best gig (as performer or spectator)?
The answer as both a performer and as a spectator, is Glastonbury 2017. I performed a set with my old band “Little One”, on a small stage at about 19:00 and then dropped our gear back to the lockup, grabbed a quick bite to eat and then sprinted to The Pyramid Stage to watch “Radiohead”, which is still the best show I have ever seen.
10. How important is technology to your creative process?
It is absolutely vital. A constant theme throughout my music is the stark contrast and combinations of natural, conventional instrumentation and synthetic, glitchy soundscapes. Without technology, I don’t think I would be interested in writing music.
11. Do you have siblings and how do they feel about your career/art?
I have one younger sister (23) and she is incredibly supportive and proud, even though she pretty much exclusively listens to K-Pop and wouldn’t necessarily relate to my genre of music!
facebook.com/zachjamesdouglasmusic
Photo © Jack Farrell
