As musical director for Beck, one of alternative rock's most progressive acts, Justin Meldal-Johnsen was driven to master his voice as a low-end interlocutor, free to cast his wildly inventive basslines in fresh, funky tones.
Through his work with Air, Ima Robot, Macy Gray, Gnarls Barkley, Nelly Furtado, Garbage, Pink, Ladytron, They Might Be Giants, and Goldfrapp, Meldal-Johnsen has shown that his range as a bassist is rivalled only by his versatility as a player – in the broader sense – on the business side of music.
He has produced too many hip alternative acts to mention, and worked as A&R rep for Dangerbird Records, an independent label with releases from Eric Avery, Sea Wolf, and Silversun Pickups.
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Back in May 2007, a serendipitous twist in Meldal-Johnsen's career took place when his fan letter to industrial music icon Trent Reznor (following Reznor's free online release of The Slip) resulted in an invite to join Nine Inch Nails. That it happened the very week he and Beck decided to suspend their longtime working relationship is fitting for a bass man who's among the busiest in the business.
“I downloaded The Slip the day it came out,” Meldal-Johnsen told Bass Player. “I got so excited about it I decided to write to Trent. I wrote something along the lines of, ‘Hey Trent – I'm Justin, bass player for Beck, and I just wanted to let you know as a peer that I'm really digging how lean and focused the album is. I like it. Thanks for the free record.’
“A few days later, Beck told me he needed to restructure his band to make it more lo-fi than what we'd been doing. Then I got a call from Trent's manager, who asked, ‘Are you at all interested in being in a big rock band?’ Then Trent called and said, ‘I've been hearing about you for years, and you come really highly recommended. I think we should meet.’
“After meeting, he emailed me a list of songs to learn, and I came in to audition. I rocked out, and they were stoked. Trent asked, ‘Who wants Justin in the band?’ and they all raised their hands. We talked some logistics and we were done. A few days later, I was digging into the setlist for a world tour!”
The following Bass Player interview took place in October 2008.
From a playing perspective, what's it like being part of a Nine Inch Nails production?
“I can't even tell you, It turns up the volume on your whole emotional landscape. I'm like a wide-eyed kid. When everybody on board is contributing to the same goal, it creates an almost military mentality. That's what I like most about touring. I like exciting large groups of people, and I like working in an army.”
What makes you the right person for this gig?
“Trent is looking to achieve a new level of musical flexibility in his band. We're going to be rendering material he's never done, and the savvy he needs spans from sensitive arco upright bass to synth programs and larger sound design. Trent needs musicianship, but he doesn't just need a great rock bass player; he needs something broader, and that's what I bring.”
“Another thing is more basic – a clear, drug-free persona, because that's the way he rolls. We're all grown men, and we want to do this really well. We're pros, you know? Punctuality, preparedness, a direct understanding of the human-to-gear interface – he needs all that.”
How did you approach designing your bass sounds in this new setting?
“Trent would give me a daily assignment of three or four songs to learn. I would go home, chart them, and play them until I didn't need the chart anymore. I would think of the tone and make notes on the chart of what I might want to drum up with pedals and amps. Then I'd come in and dial up sounds.
“Trent would occasionally make comments like, ‘That should sound zingier’, or ‘brighter’, or ‘dirtier’, and in minutes I'd have a whole different sound for him. I'd take digital photos of the settings to keep track.”
What basses do you have in your touring rig?
“I have a custom Fender Jaguar with two P-Bass pickups. I bought three Gibson Thunderbirds and modified them with new old-stock '70s pickups, Badass bridges, bone nuts, and Grover tuners. They have a twangy-ness that I love – a Rickenbacker-like sprang – and they’re woofy on the very bottom.
“The American Standard P-Bass I have has a lively sound and a lot of sustain, and the Jaguar is like a thicker Jazz Bass. For me, the sound of Nine Inch Nails comes from the Jaguar and Geddy Lee basses.”
You're playing challenging material from the instrumental Nine Inch Nails release, Ghosts I-IV.
“There are some songs we think are transcendent and interesting, and others that might not go over that great because they are dramatic in a way that might be too subtle for the audience. It's a grand experiment, and it's what gives us a lot of drive for this tour.
“When we started busting it out in rehearsal, we realized we could essentially do modern chamber music in a way that could blow some minds. I'm playing upright bass, electric bass, mandolin, electric guitar, a Guild acoustic bass guitar, and keyboards. It's kind of a new frontier, and – sink or swim – we're excited.”
How much freedom is there for you in Nine Inch Nails?
“Not a lot. In Nine Inch Nails, the bass parts are bass parts. But as the days go on, I'm adding my own personal inflection, and Trent welcomes that. It just needs to be done with taste and discretion.”
You're also singing on a lot of songs.
“Back when I first started with Beck, he asked me, ‘Do you sing?’ I said no, and he said, ‘Good. Here are the parts.’ With nearly everything I've done since then, there's always been vocals. I'm not a great singer, but I enjoy trying.
“In Nine Inch Nails there are a lot of odd times or oblique phrases in the bass, and singing over them has been a real pat-your-head, rub-your-tummy thing. It's a beast, but it's nothing people haven't done before.”
How do you view the state of the music industry and your place in it?
“Record sales are abysmal, labels are contracting if not closing, and no-one's signing any big advances anymore, things are in a poor state. But I've been doing better each year, probably by the virtue of my love for playing.”
