Interview: Jai Wolf discusses his new album and tour

If you want to hear the EDM version of Lana-Turner-discovered-while-sitting-at-the-counter-at-Schwab's-Drugstore, look no further than Jai Wolf (née Sajeeb Saha) who was plucked from bedroom DJ obscurity by Skrillex after a bootleg remix of "Ease My Mind" caught the producer's ear.

Several years, festival appearances and an "Indian summer" hit later, Wolf has released his debut album The Cure to Loneliness, touring behind the album whose first leg will wrap at the Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles on June 1.

Taking the time to speak with me regarding the new album, Wolf also discussed expectations for the tour, how he loves synth-wielding indie bands and how his family in Bangladesh is unimpressed with his success.

CS: For those who haven't seen you live what can they expect from your show?

JW: It's kind of like this experience where you shut off the entire world around you and you sort of live in this world that we created. I don't want to give too much away but it's a very detailed and curated show.

CS: Are we going to see a return of the Saturn stage at all?

JW: Ooh, good question. I think you'll have to wait and see what we have in store. I don't want to give too much away. I will say that it will be definitely be an upgrade from the 2016 tour.

CS: Congrats on The Cure to Loneliness. For the EP, Kindred Spirits, you spoke in past interviews about that EP calling it 'the idea of people coming together over a shared idea.' Now on the flip side The Cure to Loneliness contains a lot of lyrics about relationships dissolving and splitting up. Are you drawing from current personal experiences in your life? Is everything okay with you? It just seems like a very strong pendulum swing in the other direction.

JW: I'd like to say that everything is fine. I mean, obviously I am drawing from personal life experiences. I still think that in some ways that if you were to look at the new album in a different lens it still relates to Kindred Spirits in the sense that the cure to loneliness is different for everyone. But I think at the end of the day it's something that will always be done through music and I think that's something that everyone can relate to so although we're looking at the theme of loneliness and thinking 'Ok, this is the opposite of Kindred Spirits,' it's actually not in the sense that everyone can really relate to this feeling and everyone can also have music be the cure to their loneliness and it's still the one thing that can connect us all together.

CS: I was looking at some of your merchandise you're selling on this tour and you have a necklace and t-shirt with the word 'Lonely' on it and I thought whoever purchases that, if someone doesn't understand the reference to you or where they're coming from it really puts them in a vulnerable spot. Who would be brave enough to walk around with the word 'Lonely' around their neck and to wear their heart on their sleeve in that way? Obviously if it's a shared fan of yours, they get the reference right away but otherwise there's a lot of explanation needed. Was that your intention when you were coming up with the merch ideas?

JW: I like to romanticize what it was like to be in high school and you had your AIM screen name and your AIM away messages and stuff like that and there was so many emo undertones to what it was like 10 years ago. So those merchandise items, it's almost a tribute to what it was like being in high school and sort of wallowing in those feelings. It's simultaneously a little cheeky. I'm not expecting a 25-year old to walk around with these items but I just thought that it would be a fun tribute to what a band from 2007 would have as merch.

CS: You had this juggernaut start to your career. It must have been unreal/surreal not only for you but also for your family and friends. How did you, and in turn, they wrap their heads around it? Were most of them supportive of you because on the flip side there can be people who want you to stay in your professional place?

JW: It was really shocking at the time. I had just finished college and had moved back in with my parents and it was like 'Let's see where this goes' and Jai Wolf was only a few months old at that point. My parents have always been very supportive in what I do. They've always fostered creativity for me. They've been extremely supportive.

In terms of fans, you're going to have the classic "Oh, we miss the old Kanye' type fans. But [for me] it's not as bad as what other artists go through where they evolve across albums and projects and you have the old-time fans who are like 'Make something like you did from album one.' This is my album one so even though there's been an evolution from the remixes to the EP to the album, this is still my first step forward.

CS: Given your Bengali heritage, after the release of "Indian Summer," which has such strong Bengali influences in it, did you have these musical stereotypes going against you? For example, when you listen to "Your Way," that's a straight up pop-rock song. Did you get any feedback from people saying 'Hang on, you're not supposed to be doing that'?

JW: I personally didn't want to be boxed in by that song specifically. At the end of the day, I've always trusted my own gut. I didn't want to make an album that was like 'Here you go. Here's twelve "Indian Summers" and have it only be influenced by Bengali or international music. That's not what I wanted to do with my first album. And it would also have been so easy to be 'The guy who makes electronic music with the Indian flare' which I thought was a weird thing to be placed into. I love Indian music. I love indie bands. That's still part of my core upbringing as a teenager. At the same time, I'm so glad so many people are on board with the new stuff because for any new artist it's easy to have detractors but thankfully my fans aren't like that.

CS: After listening to the album it's a bit unfair to label you as an electronic artist. There are far too many influences going on. Was that purposeful on your part in order to stand out from the stereotype of the EDM 'hang on while I drop the bass' type of performer?

JW: It's definitely slightly reactionary. I wouldn't say explicitly or intentionally reactionary like "I'm over EDM!" I have a huge love of indie music and indie rock music as well as bands with electronic influences in their songs. I think Chvrches is a really good example. Purity Ring, Cobra Starship from ten years ago. Blink-182 in their later records use a lot of synthesizers. Anything with an electronic flare I've always loved. Like I said before the debut album is a big statement. You're stepping out into the world. There's so many people who might not have heard you before and so I thought it was important to be extremely true to myself.

Also, I think with music, it's so quickly consumed these days. You listen to it and then it's over and I think where EDM is heading right now is so trend oriented. I made a conscious effort of avoiding anything that 1) dated the music and 2) would quickly be seen as 'Oh, this is just another EDM record.'

CS: Have you performed in Bangladesh yet?

JW: No!

CS: Do you have any plans to?

JW: I would love to. The scene in Bangladesh is still developing. I think India is way more ahead. We toured in India two years ago, actually, and it was very fascinating because India loves the cream of the crop - Chainsmokers, Marshmello - and I'll tell you why is because they actually don't have Spotify there until recently. They launched Spotify about a month ago. The main way they consumed music was through YouTube and YouTube's algorithm really pushes the cream of the crop of EDM. Even my cousins in Bangladesh, like when I visited a couple of years ago they're like "You know the Chainsmokers, Marshmello and all this stuff?" and I was really shocked being in a car and my 11-year old cousin knows every single word to a Chainsmokers' song. But there's not really an EDM scene there. I believe Diplo played one of the first shows in Bangladesh for EDM in the capital. I thought it was a big deal. I'd love to play there. I'm not sure when that would be or how we would do it but I hope it works out one day. It would be really cool.

CS: I'm assuming you played your music for your family over there. How did they react? Were they like "This is great' or was it 'Oh, this isn't like The Chainsmokers'?

JW: Man, it's so funny because my cousin loves The Chainsmokers and you know how Billboard now has the Top 100 DJ list? They started it last year and I think we were at the tail end, like in the 90s or something, which is still an honor and glad they recognized me. My cousin posted on his Facebook like "Congrats to The Chainsmokers for getting Top 10." My cousin was posting about The Chainsmokers and I'm like "Why won't you post about me? I'm family!" (laughs) Obviously they're supportive. They just love the big stuff. Because they have this big maximalist view of EDM like 'Billion plays!' 'Millions of followers!' they think I'm absolutely nobody, which is humbling (laughs). For them, there's no levels. There's no sub genres or anything. It's just the cream of the crop.