Admired as one of the most emotive electronic music producers in the industry, Guy J’s acutely elemental connection to his work has bestowed him with international recognition from the likes of John Digweed, who discovered a him back in 2007, and led him to a number of releases on his iconic label, Bedrock Records.
Now with a slu of successes in lieu of production and recently released tracks, Lost & Found curator Guy J continues to set precedents when it comes to creating music that connects and transcends genre boundaries.
EG: Hola Guy! It’s good to chat with you again. Let’s start off by talking about your intense touring schedule. After an impressive stint in South America you’re now embarking on a number of tour dates throughout the U.S. How do you take care of your mental and physical well-being with such a demanding travel schedule?
Guy J: Hola! I think first of all the most important thing that pushes me the most, is being grateful to do what I love. I feel chosen but also on a mission to keep it going. Everything that is hard or tough in being a DJ is much smaller compared to making a living from something that I love and I’m passionate about. That’s on the mental side, on the other hand, the physical side I’m trying to eat well and drink a lot of water.
EG: How would you say that your life experiences and creativity feedback into one another? Are there certain moments in your life that entice you to hit the studio immediately?
Guy J: I don’t think you can travel like I do, go home and be square minded about what’s going on around you. I learned a lot from all these years of traveling and it makes me thirsty to express it through music. Some of the titles of my tracks are very powerful meaning for me and are related to experiences I had in personal life or travel experiences.
EG: Djing and producing, they really seem to embody yin and yang qualities. If you had to choose between the two, which one would be your preferred outlet to share your music?
Guy J: The thing is like you said, when I DJ and I see the music effect on the party I want to go home and make more, but when I’m home and making music, I’m just waiting for the weekend to try out the new tracks. I think djing is what fulfills the satisfaction part and producing fills the heart and soul.
EG: Tell us about your latest release ‘Aurora/Airborne’, what fueled the inspiration to create it, and how did you come up with the title for both?
Guy J: ‘Aurora’ and ‘Airborne’ are tracks that pay tribute to trance music that is part of my background. I wanted to do a very special musical release. I have a lot of unreleased tracks and choose every release on what I want to deliver. The message behind ‘Aurora’ is related to a magical thing we have on this planet, the northern lights. I’ve never seen it but it is my dream, it looks so beautiful and breathtaking.
“I think djing is what fulfills the satisfaction part and producing fills the heart and soul”
EG: Yes, you need to see them! They are breathtaking! Now, tell us, what would you say is your imprint’s vision? With so much music out there these days, how do you decide who gets to be part of the Lost & Found family?
Guy J: I’m lucky to have artists on the label that first of all are great people. They are very talented friends that have their head on the ground. I think the most important is to try and chose carefully who you work with to make your life easier, there is no point on complicating things when you are chosen to do what you love.
EG: Where in the world do you believe you have had the most influence and exposure as an artist?
Guy J: I have a special connection with Argentina. The first time I played in a big event was there. People in this country are thirsty for music, the same way I’m always are. They are always looking for the tracks names, release info and other similar topics. They are pretty amazing.
EG: May 12th marks the launch of your festival in Amsterdam. Can you tell us what was the motivation behind it, and what will set it apart from other festivals?
Guy J: The idea behind ‘We Are Lost’ is to start a brand that makes a small festival with artists from the label and some “outsiders”. Lost & Found is known for melodic electronic music regards of the genre of house music, but with this new venture I’m looking forward to bring artists out of our “known area”. Every genre has talents and people that do great work, so it’s going to be very fun to combine. The perfect thing is that the festival is going to take place in Amsterdam, in one of my favorite locations, Thuishaven. It’s a magical location, in a magical city 🙂
EG: How do you prepare for your marathon sets?
Guy J: To be honest it’s getting easier every time. Regularly I collect all music genres when I listen to promos or buy music online, so when you have a marathon set you just play tracks that I don’t get to play that often. In a club 3-hour set, there is music that I really want to play but time is not enough. In a marathon set there’s no special rush!
“The idea behind ‘We Are Lost’ is to start a brand that makes a small festival with artists from the label and some “outsiders” ”
EG: What are some up and coming artists that everyone should keep their ears open to?
Guy J: I think Budakid is making beautiful music, also Roy Rosenfeld is one to look out for.
EG: Could you please finish these sentences for us?
Guy J:
If I could not be a DJ/producer/artist, I would pursue a career in… photography.
My favorite food is… pizza!
The best part of what I love to do is… watching and discovering the world.
My greatest fear is… a plane crash.
My greatest love is… my family.
My favorite cuisine is… Indian.
My favorite track of all time is…. every time is different but the one just jumped to my head now is ‘Veracocha – Carte Blanche’.
My purpose or calling in this lifetime is…. to live a long life.
I am most proud of... my daughter
You can catch Guy J at the following dates:
February 23 – Spin Nightclub, San Diego, CA
February 24 – Audio, San Francisco, CA
February 25 – Focus OC, The Circle, Huntington Beach, CA
March 01 – Rumor, Philadelphia, PA
March 02 – Trade, Miami Beach, FL
March 03 – Lot 45, New York City, NY
Follow Guy J:
https://www.facebook.com/guyjofficial
https://soundcloud.com/guy-j
https://twitter.com/djguyj
