DJ and Producer CONVERSE BASIN to Release His Debut Album

CONVERSE BASIN is the moniker of California-based DJ and producer James Converse. CONVERSE BASIN sings, plays guitar, and has been a house DJ for 20 years, drawing from a wide variety of influences to fuse his passions for dance, techno, electronic, and indie music. The debut CONVERSE BASIN album OCEANS WILL NEVER KEEP US APART drops June 14, 2023, following the release of an assortment of incredible singles and his Duality EP last September.

OCEANS WILL NEVER KEEP US APART is a story about having to be away from family for whatever reason, but also largely about work and pursuing your dreams. A person realizes there’s something missing, something out there in the world that must be discovered, but while they’re away discovering it, they realize that what’s at home is more important, which is family and friends. This album wraps up just chapter one, but chapter two is already in progress with a heavy focus on live performance rather than DJ sets.

CONVERSE BASIN’s music utilizes an array of organic noises, but he also uses human sounds which he then converts to synthesizers, resulting in a very human-like and familiar synth sound. A pandemic hobby that turned into a way of life, CONVERSE BASIN began releasing his own original music as a series of singles in 2022, including his latest chilled-out house track “Let You Go” that came following his recently released “Siren” single.

As a slight departure from the more chill vibes found on those songs, CONVERSE BASIN compiled a set of darker, more danceable tracks for the DJs with his Duality EP that dropped in September 2022. The Duality EP is a heartfelt and personal release for CONVERSE BASIN. Musically it tells the story of a person who has trauma, goes out to fix it, takes it too far and ends up trying to sleep it off, but can’t…a relatable description of post-pandemic life.

Mastered by Lucas Michalski from LUMIC Studio in Pruszkow, Poland, the Duality EP is more influenced by indie and techno than chill electronic. Mostly instrumentals, the EP features guest vocals from Kat Sweitz on the track “Rude Awakening,” with her deep and edgy voice giving a unique Fiona Apple-esque flavor to the music. CONVERSE BASIN then released another collaboration with Kat Sweitz on the dubstep track “Siren,” which featured an official music video release.

CONVERSE BASIN loves the way dance music makes him feel. He makes tracks for fun, to express himself, and just hopes that it helps him meet interesting people who share the same passions as he begins to travel his musical journey. Now a full-time husband and father of three, CONVERSE BASIN has been amassing his vinyl collection since working at a record store in Rohnert Park in the early 2000s.

He DJ’d in Boulder and San Francisco in his early twenties, burgeoning his love for music and traditional media. By 2020 he converted his vinyl collection to digital, went to an online school for music production, and began to learn guitar, taking on influences as varied as The Head and The Heart, Jose Gonzalez, Passion Pit, MGMT, and Miike Snow, to Paul Oakenfold, Sasha & John Digweed, Lane8, Jerro, Yotto, Sultan & Shepard, Shallou, and Attom.

His namesake Converse Basin used to be the largest grove of redwoods in the world, but the lumber companies cut them all down, leaving just one. The story of Converse Basin is a story of how nature and civilization collide, usually leaving nature to lose, but mother nature sometimes fights back. CONVERSE BASIN utilizes a similar juxtaposition in his art to express the clash of nature and civilization.

“Thank you for checking out my debut album. It’s been a journey, yet the journey is just beginning. During this project, I rediscovered myself and what's most important to me, which is family and friends. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy these tunes as much as I enjoyed creating them.” -Converse Basin