Dallas, Texas experimental bass producer and founder of the Chewed Up by Chow Chow podcast series, Andrew Jones is a daring modern demonstration of artistic innovation. Possessing a perceptible ear for unconventional beat patterns and uncharacteristic tempos, Chow Chow has thoroughly established a niche within the folds of bass music that allows him to create free from restriction. Equally capable of working independently or in style of collaboration, Jones utilizes unusually detailed track titles such as ‘When I Lucid Dream’ or ‘Its Dark In Here And I Cant Feel My Fingertips’ to build a feeling of suspense and uncertainty before each release.
It was an honor to catch up with Chow Chow in anticipation of Friday the 13th to discuss some of the musical influences in his style, his perception on collaboration, and to gain a more in-depth look at his creative process.
Be sure to check out the spooky hour-long guest mix and full interview with Chow Chow below!
At what point in your life did you first begin producing?
I started producing music when I was a freshman in highschool. That was like… dang… 2009/2010ish. I started making shitty house music in a cracked FL studio like a lot of producers do. I was actually in a triplet thing with two of my other homies. We produced under the name KRAKN. I believe the music is still up on iTunes actually haha but it’s hot garbage so def don’t go looking for it!
But anyways, shortly after I started producing, (don’t tell my mom this LOL) my homies and I would go to this Dallas after hours rave place called “Afterlife.” It was essentially a shitty warehouse stage and outdoor stage with just trance going on all night. I really got into house music after that, and hanging out with people there really pushed me further into the EDM scene.
Then… one fateful night, my life changed forever. My girlfriend (now fiance) got me tickets to see the Porter Robinson Spitfire tour. Me and my homie Destin would listen to that album over and over and over again. That album dropped in like 2011. But during that show…he dropped the ‘Original Don’ Flosstradamus remix… and since then it was literally all trap for me! Spent hours looking for the song cause tracklists and shit weren’t really around back then. Finally found a video on YouTube of someone recording the song at a previous show. I remembered what color lights Porter had going during that tune and skimmed the video for the part. Found it and looked up the few lyrics “original don” and found it finally lol. That song is pretty much, single handedly, responsible for getting me into trap music.
Has music always had a fundamental role in your life or was there a certain hinging moment that really initiated your interest in music and EDM, more specifically?
I went into a lot of the background of my taste in production with the first question. But I have always loved music. I used to sit in my room with a radio listening to whatever. My dad was into 80s music like no other and my mom listened to whatever. Top 40 stuff basically. But I had a couple of CDs and once iPods came out had one of those pretty much filled with music all the time. Storage was so small I had to swap out playlists lolol a lot of people say that they love all types but I really can listen to anything except a lot of country music. Can’t really do that.
House music came first. Then my best friend at the time, who’s actually no longer with us, Avery. He introduced me to dubstep and the whole UKF channel and I fell into that for a loooong time. dubstep, DnB, and trap are probably my favorite genres. After that it’s honestly like cinematic shit. Ursine Vulpine is dope. And then rap/hiphop, 70s, 80s, 90s. I also listen to a lot of early 2000s rock lol shit will be with me forever lol Linkin Park, Hoobastank, Lifehouse, Green Day, Blink 182, Sum 41, etc.
once I stopped doing that and started producing FOR ME and what I LIKE, things always came out better.
Your more recent work dives heavily off the experimental deep end, was this transition in styles intentional or are you simply following your inner creative direction?
Every time I make a new tune I want to learn something new. I’ll be honest, production does not come easy to me. I am not one of those guys who can sit at a DAW and pop off 2 songs a day. No way. I will sit for 6 hours in front of Ableton and have absolutely nothing going.
I found myself listening to other people and comparing myself too much to what other people were doing. This is a bad idea and anyone doing it should proceed with caution. It is said a lot, but the best way to produce is to close yourself off social media and SoundCloud/YouTube and just let yourself create. Too many times I would make something crazy and just think “nah this is too weird, no one will like this.” And THAT was my mistake. “No one will like this…” That’s just giving everyone else but me control over my music. So once I stopped doing that and started producing FOR ME and what I LIKE, things always came out better.
So in a nutshell, this new dive into weirder stuff was intentional. But only in a way that was more real to me. I wanted to get away from the copy this, copy that, sound like this, sound like that mentality.
I only really work well with people who I really trust and believe in their music.
How might your creative approach differ when sitting down for a solo expedition versus addressing a collision of styles in a collaboration?
Honestly, it doesn’t change at all. If I am really honest with myself, I do not consider myself to be a good collaborator. I have been told that I change too many things or have taken over tracks before and that was many years ago so I have tried to change that, but I am very particular. VERY. I only really work well with people who I really trust and believe in their music. I would love to collab with anyone, I really have no problems collabing with anyone who sends me something cool, but I think after a while they would realize they don’t like collabing with me LOL. I don’t know, I’m working on it. But when I find a good fit like the tunes with Allen Mock. We just click when it comes to music. Herbalistek as well.
Do you ever begin a track as a solo effort and later down the road decide it might be more suitable with the aid of a colleague or is the line between the two pretty definitive?
I have done that many times. Though usually, it happens when I take a song as far as I can take it. Then I kinda ask around if anyone is interested and if they like it then I throw it their way to add a new ear to it.
Your ‘Chewed Up’ podcast has continued to promote an exceptional roster of talent just on the brink of hitting their stride. What have been some of the more rewarding aspects of putting together and maintaining this series?
Running a podcast, as any podcaster will tell you, is a blessing and a curse. Organizing and putting it together can be tiresome, but I love each episode and I love every single guest I have put on. I basically just pick some tunes I have been listening to over the past few days, weeks and play them for everyone. Then the guest mix is me giving a venue for a producer to show off their stuff. It’s rewarding and fun!
I hardly ever prepare for shows. I have always just tried to feel the crowd and go with the flow on stage.
Following up on that last question, how might your approach differ when putting together your section of the Podcast versus designing a live set or for instance, putting together your guest mix for us today?
I do not really pride myself on being a crazy good DJ. I mix like anyone else and a lot of my live shows are honestly just me going up there with a USB and winging it lol. I hardly ever prepare for shows. I have always just tried to feel the crowd and go with the flow on stage. I am also not a talker on stage, I like to just jam out in my own head and let the music do the talking.
For actually planned mixes, it’s mostly just getting an idea of what works where and trying to fit in any edits I may have. Just basically practicing for a while with a set of tunes and I just play around till I have an hour or so of good mix put together!
What do fans have to look forward to from you for the remainder of 2019?
I have taken a break from social media. It has been honestly the best thing I have done in a while. But I realize that Instagram and Twitter are kinda the windows into my music. I will find a way to be happy with doing both. But I have a lot of cool stuff in the works. Collabs with some peeps (some in the mix and some still WIPs) as well as finally dropping my merch line. I have been trying to perfect things as far as that goes, but it will be coming really soon. New episodes of the podcast of course. And lastly, lots of new original music!
Tracklist:
Chow Chow x southgate. – ID
Chow Chow x Guilt Chip – ID
Aweminus – Self Destruct
Cancel x Detrix – ID
Oski – Fuccapop
Kayzo x Tynan – Monster (ft. Matty Mullins)
Chow Chow x Dessigner Toys – ID
Allen Mock x Chow Chow – Phantom
w/ Eater – Punch
TRVCY – Give You Everything
Chow Chow – ID (Only Use This Live Edit lol)
Chow Chow – Theres Someone Drowning In My Neighbors Pool
MOODY GOOD – Bite Your Lip (Chow Chow Live Edit)
bd hbt x LAF – Drought
Chow Chow – Strangle
STUCA – Shift
Chow Chow – Lucid Dream
Cancel – ID
PROSECUTE – PSYCHOSIS
Josh Cassidy Suffer
MARAUDA – Haze
Ursine Vulpine x Annaca – Without You
smolspider – fuck yojas
Gladez – Favela
Eater – Presence w/
IC3PEAK – Sad Bitch
GURF x ZCR – FIGHT
Chow Chow x Runnit – Rob/Repeat
Chow Chow – Mikasa(I wish I was as strong as you)
INZO x Blookah – Let It Slide(ft. Leo Napier)
Chow Chow – Your Dumb Rat Ate Through My Keurig Plug
RL Grime x What So Not – Tell Me (Reaper Remix)
Annix x EJ Kitto – Only Forever
SuperAve. – Astros
STEEZ x M.E. SWANK – ID
Abelation – Who Do You Think You Are?
Chow Chow x Golden Child – Ritual
Chow Chow – My dearest Jack, oh I hope my premonition is wrong
RZRKT – STRVP
Hairitage – Beef With Me
SUAHN – Body
Chow Chow x Herbalistek – ID
