Hello Treasure Fingers!

Hello!

First-timer here?

Yeah I arrived last night so I've had some sleep already and all set for tonight.

Asia Tour?

I'm actually on my European tour, just doing 3 days in Asia: Singapore, Jakarta and tomorrow Bali. I just came from Europe. Funny cos I was in Australia last month and it'd actually have made more sense if I had had come here last month but anyway...

Well that's life as a DJ, that's gigs, you never know what happens next! Where were you just before Jakarta?

I was in Berlin.

Not jet-lagging?

Well I don't know, I think my life has always been about it - a perpetual jet-lag. I have no sleeping pattern at all, I just get some sleep whenever I can between gigs and flights, a few hours here and there.

So you're originally from New York City?

No actually not. I'm from Oklahoma, a small town in the state. I moved to New York a few years earlier.

By the way your girlfriend, family, friends, they don't protest about the perpetual-jet-lag-world-tour life you lead?

Yeah, they kinda like, understand, though. I have to travel and that's a part of it.

Everyone, like my girlfriend, of course she minds me being away but she's cool with it, she understands this is what I wanna do forever since I was a kid, so we keep in touch by internet, BlackBerry IM, and so on.

So you said you wanted to do it since you were a kid. How did that happen? Who taught you to love music and who was your childhood idol?

Absolutely my father.

My dad played in a band, he was never in a big band or something but he played gigs in several places sometimes in the weekend and he plays a lot of instruments, so he taught me everything.

They had me when they were pretty young like, my mom was 18 and dad was around the same age, so now they're not even 50 - it's cool, I go out with my parents to clubs sometimes, they'd go and see me spin.

So my dad taught me how to play all the instruments - guitar, bass, drums, and I was born in 1980, the year MTV first debuted, my parents were really into it so I kinda grew up with the music getting more important and being on TV everyday. That's what got me into it, I've always been within a music culture at home.

I also had a band when I was in highschool.

So if you got a child you'd transmit this musical culture to the kid?

Yeah prolly, no plans on having one though but if I had a child one day I'd teach my kid everything my dad taught me.

So how did the band guy end up being a DJ?

I didn't start spinning till I was 17 or 18. A little bit before that I started doing some electronic productions but with drums so it was more, trip-hop and experimental. Kinda weird stuff but then it made me like going to clubs and raves and one day I just ordered the equipments and started DJing.

Techno/electro has always been your genre?

No when I started I started with funky house, you know Chicago house and everything. But then I kinda evolve with time.

Where did you get the name Treasure Fingers? What's your real name anyway? Nobody knows!

It's Ashley Jones...And there's actually no real answer to Treasure Fingers - but maybe...it came from a gifted hand - the Midas touch, whatever, something mystical - but typically in some interviews I'd make up some answers like...I found the name in my dreams or something...haha...

Again, about your youth idols - any MTV ones apart from your dad?

I'd say Roger Troutman and George Clinton...Number 1 would definitely be these two!

And productions have always come along?

Actually I've started producing like, 12 years ago. One day I told myself I can produce and just ordered online everything, read a lot of tutorials online and it just kick-started! I'm pretty much self-taught with experience, friends, looking at other people play, and mostly reading online tutorials.

What about remixes?

Well for remixes it's mutual, sometimes I ask people to remix or people ask me to remix. But it must be a song that clicks - sometimes I get remix requests from big name DJs and I like the song but I just can't picture a remix.

But it's anyway a job - like now I've got a remix to do, due in 3 days so I could've gone out today in Jakarta but I can't - I gotta do the remix!

I also put free remixes or sometimes free songs on blogs, and you know that people'd download and listen and you get nothing from that, but the moment you've established something you'd make money in any way - I don't complain, it's a good life I have and it's something I just love doing.

Alright I think time's almost up...anyway...tell us what you're going to play tonight?

Well, I don't know yet, it depends on the crowd - of course I have some songs in mind but the best way to spin is to adapt to the crowd's reaction!

Thanks Ashley and see you on the deck!

Cheers!