Room 303, originally a deep house duo from Toronto and now the moniker of TJ Train, began just three years ago. The project quickly gained success, with a release out on London’s Love Not Money Records in 2011. More tracks came out on Subtrak, On The Prowl, and Casbour, and now, Room 303 is gearing up for a new EP and just played a spot at the BPM Festival.
The EP is Make You Cry, a six-track effort that feels more like a glitchy, minimal mini album. Out on Sleazy Deep Records on January 19th, it features six tracks: four originals and two remixes.
The EP comes off the heels of Room 303’s successful collaboration with Nathan Barato, “Everytime I See You,” and is expected to be followed by the Since You Been Gone EP in March.
Just wrapping up, the BPM Festival had another successful year. There, Room 303 opened at the BPM Hot Creations event at La Santanera, Playa Del Carmen, while Night Vision, a duo with Room 303 and Pavel Gorin, played at Tribeca, Playa Del Carmen and Gitano, Tulum.
Now that the EP is out, we caught up with Room 303 to ask about this release and his recent festival spot.
What’s the concept behind creating the “Make You Cry EP”?
The song was based on a personal experience I was going through at the time with a girl that I dated. We were going through a breakup, and I didn’t want to see her cry anymore, because we were constantly arguing. I really did care for her, and I thought I would put those emotions into a song – which is where “Make You Cry” came from.
What was your approach in creating the four originals on the EP?
“Look at Me” was a song I made over two years ago and really one of the first songs I wrote and sang on. “Just Like That” and “Close The Door” are a few tracks Sean
How did you select the two remixes of “Make You Cry”?
I played “Make You Cry” for both Sean Roman and Terence Kissner (of No19), and they both loved the track and agreed to remix it. Really happy and excited with what they came up with!
For your next release, the “Since You’ve Been Gone EP,” what should listeners expect?
This record is coming out on Rebirth Record’s new label, StereoMono. This is an EP I created with Marco Tegui and is one that I’m extremely excited about. Again, I wrote this about some personal life experiences that I had experienced and Marco totally understand what I was writing and knew exactly how to finish the songs. Marco and I collab on every track, and we continue to work today on some really excited stuff. This EP is due out in March.
How would you describe your overall sound?
As you can tell from the rest of my interview, I really like to write music based on stuff I’m going through. It helps me to feel out the record a little bit more, and I hope people are able to connect more deeply with the record as it may also be something they’re gone through/have gone through.
How do you feel about deep house becoming somewhat mainstream?
I think it’s generally a good thing. Having more people listen to the amazing music that’s being made can’t be bad. Of course with that comes more people trying to be DJs and more people trying to be producers, etc., but I don’t see any of that as such a bad thing at all. The really good DJs/Producers will always shine through.
How would you describe Toronto’s dance music scene?
Toronto’s music scene is a behemoth! There are always world-class artists coming into the city, and as of the last few years, Toronto has seen some massive and incredibly fun festivals, such as “Electric Island,” bring on some of the world’s biggest artists such as Sasha, Dixon, Guy Geber, and more. I’m really excited to see what 2015 has in store for Toronto.
When it comes to your career, where do you see it doing from this point?
I honestly just love making music. I don’t consider this a career, really, as I could do this every day for the rest of my life. I will continue doing what I do and hope people can connect with it!
This month, you’re appearing at the BPM Festival. What are your plans for putting together a set list?
I’m DJ’ing the BPM Festival this year with my other project Night Vision, along with my good friend Pavel Gorin. We typically like to sit together before each set, figure out what time we’re playing and the type of venue/crowd we’re experiencing, and craft a set based on that. We’re looking to do something high energy for this one.
As a deep house producer, where do you prefer to DJ – festivals or clubs?
I haven’t played many festivals aside from Electric Island in Toronto and BPM in Mexico, but they both have their pros and cons. Festivals are amazing in the sense that there’re so many people and the vibe and buzz in the air makes it fun to play. On the other side, clubs that are more intimate allow you to connect with the crowd and better feel out the vibe and play your music accordingly, which tends to lead to something a little more magical.
