Want to take a step into the world of Jordan Reece? Now you can. We were lucky to land the opportunity to ask the young artist a few questions and see what’s up from his interesting fashion choices to what performing exemplifies to him and many more.
You have a very discernibly eclectic mode of style. A little bit grungy-punk, a touch avant garde.. in your words, what epitomizes your style choices?
My style is a very natural and ongoing development. For me, music and the visual arts are intertwined; pattern, form and colour are an intrinsic part of both my fashion choices and heavily influence my sound. The visual side of what I am trying to project is almost as important as the music in creating an overall ‘experience’.
You seem to be branching out and testing the waters in the music industry. Ultimately, what route do you think you’ll take with future musical endeavors?
I went to stage school as a kid. I’ve always been a performer but I wanted to branch away from the formulaic, heavily choreographed nature of stage shows. I have always wanted to work as an artist rather than just a performer, performance nonetheless is extremely important in what I am hoping to create. I am currently at the beginning of what I hope to be an ongoing, developing journey through which I will explore many avenues musically and visually with various collaborators. I also hope to release solo material at some point in the near future.
You did a really sick collaboration with the incredibly talented electronic producer, Mernau, for the “Lighthouse” video. Can you tell us a bit about the collective creation process between the two of you?
Mernau is a close friend of mine and we sort of fell into working together on this project. When we are in the studio we tend to bounce ideas around and see where they take us. It’s all very open and we spend a lot of time experimenting. Field recordings are used as samples which are manipulated heavily to create a vast number of sounds used in producing the tracks we have been recording. Most of what you hear is all recorded by us using found objects.
In the “Lighthouse” video, fashion and music are bridged together seamlessly. Did you partake in the styling?
As far as the video is concerned, we were very drawn to the location. It was shot on a beach/marshland where once prehistoric creatures such as Mammoths roamed. We have a strong interest in mixing electronic music, technology and more organic sounds and visuals so we felt it was very much deep rooted in what we wanted this project to be. The video was shot over two days and as far as the clothing is concerned I very much just wore what I felt was right. It wasn’t meticulously planned and the whole thing came about very naturally, the dancing and the scenes we shot were just using the location as it was.
Who or what are your biggest inspirations when it comes to your unequivocal sense of style (dead or alive)?
I’m more inspired by eras rather than individuals when it comes to fashion. I am a big fan of 80’s and 90’s fashion and love to really mix garments from different cultures whether geographically or socially. In relation to music, I am very inspired by artists who use their fashion choices as part of creating an overall visual experience to enhance their music to make it something more than just audible.
Any advice you could offer to anyone working towards a successful career in fashion or music?
Be yourself, don’t compromise your vision in the face of criticism. If you truly believe in your art then that’s the most important thing, and if people like what you’re doing then what could be more rewarding?
We’re dying to know, what’s in store for Jordan Reece Bethell?
Mernau and I are putting the finishing touches to our collaborative EP, which we’ll be releasing later this year. We are really excited to be working with some influential creatives in the field of fashion film for our next video, which will accompany the next single due in September.