Kaz James does it on his own

by SUNNY BURNS and TOBY LONGHURST

BodyRockers’ second half Kaz James is taking a break from the duo to focus on his solo career. His first single Breathe spent four weeks at number one on the ARIA dance charts and he is preparing for the release of his first solo album If They Knew.

I think it reached a point where I had just had enough. We were touring so much and it was getting a bit tiring. For me it’s really important to have fun and enjoy what I’m doing and it was all becoming a bit monotonous doing the same thing, he said.

I was just happy with the success. Breathe for me was a set-up record to show people I was still there and to get them ready for the rest of the album.

James is rumoured to have been romantically linked to Keira Knightley in the past and is a popular DJ in hotspots like Ibiza and Miami.

The new album is a diverse collection of songs that explore dance, soul, pop, electronica and hip hop, which all find a common meeting ground. It took over a year and three countries -” Australia, the UK and America -” to finish this album. The next single is We Hold On.

I think just because of the fact that what I do is mixing genres, taking rock and hip hop, electronica and soul and getting them to mix together, it’s quite difficult. It’s a longer process than just four guys sitting in a room doing a one-take recording as a band, James said.

It takes a lot longer to get a section of rock to really fit into the electro hip hop thing. It’s quite difficult to make it really work.

I love experimenting and trying to push limits, taking artists like Macy Gray and DJ Lethal from Limp Biskit and taking them out of their comfort zone and putting them on a record that rocks them in different ways and pushes their limits.

So what was it like working with Macy Gray and Limp Biskit?

It was great, I learnt a lot. I like to work with people that I can learn from. Working with Macy -” she’s just amazing. Her timing when she’s singing is just amazing, he said. Working with DJ Lethal from Limp Biskit -” he’s another legend. You just learn from these people.

info: If They Knew will be out this October. For more details head to www.kazjames.com.