We're delighted to introduce you to actor, DJ, Music Curator, Photographer Finn Jones. Finn is our Musical Host who has created a lovely piece of music curation and mix for you. We had a moment with Finn and asked him some of the most important questions in life. Enjoy and please follow us on SoundCloud!
What artists and/or genres have been your biggest musical inspirations?
Over the years it's changed - when I was younger I first became obsessed with music through rock, I loved the anarchic expressive energy, going to gigs - crowd surfing, just letting loose. It really set me off. And then that morphed into more electronic and disco, which then lead to discovering funk and house - ultimately though, what i think really draws me to a piece of music is when it can speak to that deeper part of your humanity - when it sparks passion and groove, joy and harmony - When i find music that's able to speak to that thing, that's when i get energized and inspired and i've learnt that that can come from any genre.
If you could spend one night with a person (dead or living), who would it be & what would you want to do together?
Musically, I would love to spend a night on the dance floor of the Paradise Garage with Larry Levan at the helm at its peak - to be surrounded by all of the dancers and the energy of that place..yeah.
How do you feel music has changed in the last decade?
With streaming services and social media it's kind of put things in a weird place - social media can foster a landscape of ego and identity politics and the streaming industry sucks all the money out of the economy so there are very little resources to support and fund the artists. However, I do think that when a situation or group has pressure forced upon it, it creates a counter resistance. And what i'm seeing, mostly in underground music spaces, is the revival of DIY community. Local groups, supporting each other - making music and throwing parties together. It's a wonderful thing and if you know where to find it, you'll see that music is alive and well despite the outward landscape.
What places/spaces are you drawn to for creative inspiration?
I find putting myself in new and unknown situations - traveling solo (especially in nature) - being around well-intentioned community and creative people - that all helps charge my creative inspiration. Creativity for me isn't necessarily a vocation or even an act - but rather a way of seeing and existing in life. So the more I align myself with people and places that resonate as such, the more centered and inspired I feel.
What’s 1 party coming up in NYC are you most excited about?
It's always going to be The Loft for me. I've met so many incredible people through that party - it nourishes me in a way that nothing else does. I'm always blown away by what a diverse and long standing community of loving, well intentioned people it attracts. Not to mention the energy that is created on those very special nights - there's nothing else like it. It's the blueprint.
But also! It’d be a party fail to not mention mine and Lauren’s New Years Eve party coming up at Glen Falls House this year - it’s the fourth year throwing a NYE event up there and honestly I know I’m bias but I think it’s the best way to spend new years in NY. Up in the Catskills away from the city - surrounded by nature all cosy in a wood tavern turned nightclub… it’s a vibe.
