Known for his eclectic and coquettish tendencies with various genres and sounds, Eekkoo (pronounced echo) has become quite the mainstay in the underground. A native of Montreal, Canada, Jonathan Doyon’s repertoire of work is ladened with a sound that stands the test of time. With his roots in sound engineering and teaching, he prides himself on his relentless ability to be at the top of his game when it comes to sound design, mixing and mastering. He has an undying devotion towards perfection in analogue sound that is reflective in his work that stretches across the scope of electronic music.
Enveloping sound that embodies both the dark and light textures of a particular set, Eekkoo manages to captivate his listeners with this duality in sound identity. It’s no surprise that a collaboration with Henry Saiz’s Natura Sonoris label to create the haunting Radio Head inspired single ‘4th Bell’, would be a natural union, the track has found itself in the sets of such heavyweight contemporaries as Hernan Cattaneo, Guy Mantzur, Jody Wisternoff, Nick Warren, Alex Niggereman, Edu Imbernon and the list goes on.
We had the opportunity to chat with Jonathan about the light and the dark side of his music and what fans can expect when they experience an Eekkoo set.
EG: Thanks so much for joining us today! You have garnered the attention of some incredible artists in the industry. Could you tell us which artists you have found to be most influential in terms of evolution as a producer and DJ?
Eekkoo: My pleasure. Thanks for having me. Long-time friends, like DJ Soundshaper or Pat Boogie, both based in Montreal are unparalleled in terms of djing. And producers like Maceo Plex and Pig and Dan are so productive and yet not confined into only one sound, it pushes me to do more and better all the time.
EG: Your sound embodies a yin yang quality about it. Is that something that you set out to purposely do when you create a track or put a set together?
Eekkoo: I would like to know what’s my yin and what’s my yang? Haha! But yeah, I’m always keeping it well-balanced with some darkness and some light.
EG: What compels you to reach out to a particular artist like Henry Saiz for example, does their sound need align or be reflective of your own?
Eekkoo: Oh for sure, I’m much more willing to tap onto someone’s shoulder that I respect musically than to reach out to the big stars who have the dough.
“To me, it all comes up to storytelling and music selection. Everything else is just there for the DJ to have fun during his set.”
EG: Being a technical wizard, what’s your perspective on the relationship and balance between technological advances, music and the art of DJing?
Eekkoo: To me, it all comes up to storytelling and music selection. Everything else is just there for the DJ to have fun during his set.
EG: What does the rest of 2017 look like for you in terms of music production and artist collaboration?
Eekkoo: I’ll only be working with vocalists this year. I’m in this place where I need a theme to work with and great lyrics really inspires me.
EG: You’ve played in some pretty iconic nightclubs like Stereo in Montreal, Output in Brooklyn and LA’s Sound. Could you tell us which has been your favorite to play in and which venues are in your “to play-at” list?
Eekkoo: Stereo is pretty hard to beat. It’s a love story for me, being from Montreal. But having a gig in New York from time to time, especially at Output, really makes me proud. I would love to play at Berghain in Berlin one day.
EG: With the plethora of festivals to choose from, which ones do you believe will stand the test of time so to speak in terms of attendance and talent?
Eekkoo: I believe Time Warp and Movement Detroit are here to stay, as well as Astropolis who’s been rocking it for 20 years.
EG: Where do you find you have the greatest most dedicated fan base?
Eekkoo: I would say Montreal, Toronto, and Los Angeles.
“But an artist doesn’t necessarily have the time to manage a label, and do we really need more? “
EG: It seems that to make an impact in the industry the natural progression is from the decks, to the studio, to a label. Should this be the standard when it comes to sustaining yourself in the industry?
Eekkoo: The standard, I don’t know. But it is a natural progression. But an artist doesn’t necessarily have the time to manage a label, and do we really need more? There’s plenty of great labels. Maybe some artists should have just released their music independently without any labels at all. The industry has changed a lot and the way people are listening to music too.
EG: Can you share with us your top 5 tracks you never tire of and artists who we should be taking note of?
Eekkoo: ‘Moan’ by Trentemoller, ‘The Sky Was Pink (James Holden Remix)’ by Nathan Fake, ‘Who’s Afraid Of Detroit?’ by Claude VonStroke, ‘Looped’ by Kiasmos, ‘The Loneliness’ by Stimming, And if you haven’t yet, look out for Architectural and Few Nolder.
Follow Eekko:
