San Francisco based Rena is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist and is considered to be one of the leading female sound engineers in the United States. Her musical releases are an electro-acoustic melting pot of violin, cello and woodwind tastefully layered upon down tempo electronica grooves occasionally flirting with idm and drum & bass.
The popularity of her music has led to expansion into film and computer game soundtracks as well as multiple collaborations with other artists, appearances at major festivals such as Glade and The Secret Garden in the UK and Shambhala in Canada.
What was the first instrument you studied and why/how did you take the progression to sound engineering?
The first instrument I studied was piano at about the age of 5 but it wasn't until I picked up the violin in the third grade that I really started to seriously study music. The transition into Sound Engineering was really a very steady slow progression over many years. I first dabbled with a few four tracks when I was about 15 and then a Roland VS880 work station. At around the age of 19 I did an internship at a recording studio in Austin, TX called Music Lane where I first got my hands on a console and started diving into the world of DAWs. I continued to do much work on my own and my computer after moving to San Francisco and then eventually gained a bachelors degree in California for Sound Engineering in 2003. Since, I have worked at several studios and audio companies and still do a lot of freelance work in the field.
After two self releases your third album “driftwood” was released on Evan Marc’s Native State label. While your latest album “Indra’s Web” is released on your own label Cartesian Binary Recordings. Was your own label something that was always in the pipeline?
To be honest the label came together very fast and wasn't really planned. The music business is changing so fast and no one really knows what it is or what it is going to do. I felt I started the label out of necessity but I also hit a point where I realized I knew everyone in the business to make a label happen successfully and that I would be foolish to sign away rights or give away half to a label. I do hope to release other musicians and even do some limited addition prints on vinyl etc. There's a couple of projects in the pipeline but my main focus is quality not quantity so there maybe time between releases in the beginning stages of the label.
You’ve collaborated with various artists and played live with Ladytron & toured with London IDM outfit Plaid who have re-mixed for Bjork at her request. What did you learn from working with them?
I opened for Ladytron on NYE this year and actually the event was so packed and intense that I didn't even get a chance to meet them but their set was epic. As for PLAID, most of my conversations with Ed and Andy have been about the meaning of life, the universe, quantum physics and about books and art we enjoyed. Andy is a father of a beautiful young girl and I am always impressed with musicians who can make that work so I did have a good conversation with balancing real life and life on the road. I did give Ed a few tips on composing for the cello as he was currently working with composing for strings. In general I think watching the way they approach music was very inspiring and just having the chance to be behind the scenes and watch them do there thing gave me many ideas for how I work.
 Which artists have influenced you the most in forming your own sound?
There's really not a few artists that have influenced me but hundreds. I think I have taken tiny bits from many artists and albums over the years. The main few are Murcof, Tipper, Talvin Singh, Telfon Telaviv, Amon Tobin, Shpongle, Govinda, Lamb, Boards of Canada, Efterklang, Autechre, Aphex Twin, Jaga Jazzist, Lusine, Tortoise, DJ Shadow, Richard Devine, Colleen, The Leaf Label, Ninja Tune, Marconi Union, Sigur Ros, Radio Head, Deaf Center, Steve Reich, Brian Eno, Dimitri Shastacovich, Kruder and Dorfmeister, Tosca, Goldfrapp, Pink Floyd, Stevie Wonder, Dead Can Dance, Kronos Quartet, MUM....
You seem to have moved away from the eastern instruments on the “Transmigration” album but kept the eastern theme with the title “Indra’s Web”. Do you think your albums will always progress fusing the acoustics’ of the classical elements with your current moods for the electronic elements?
I do really like working within the medium of electro-acoustic. There is just so much more of a broad sonic palette to work with as opposed to just straight acoustic or straight electronic. As for the Eastern sound, I may revisit it in moments but don't have any plans to focus back on that area of sound and am really moving more in the direction of modern classical and electro-acoustic.
Where can people unfamiliar with your work hear your music?
http://www.renamusic.com
http://renajones.bandcamp.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rena-Jones/101835879358
http://www.myspace.com/renaTwitter
http://twitter.com/renajones
I also started a youtube channel to showcase upcoming videos that are being made, live shows, speak with fans, answer questions on production techniques and do demos on gear
http://www.youtube.com/user/RenaJonesMusic
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