SHA Interview // Guy J
With a new release out on Bedrock featuring remixes of his 2011 album 1000 Words, SHA are delighted to grab 907 words with Guy J.
GUY J
Shalom, Guy J and welcome to SHA. How are you today?
Shalom! Very good, busy, busy, busy days!
You come from Tel Aviv in Israel. Not the typical setting for a trailblazing young producer, or so one might think. What was it like growing up in Israel and what influences did you have from a young age?
I think Tel Aviv was and still is a very inspiring place for young producers, the scene there has always been alive, DJs used to and still come every weekend and not only to one club, you can find all sorts of electronic music events in Tel Aviv, from deep to tech to trance. My first influence was Love Parade, that used to take place in Tel Aviv and the vibe was amazing! As you know, at Love Parade everyone can come and hear great music.
You, along with fellow countrymen Guy Gerber, Shlomi Aber and Gel Abril have set the tone for the high standard of Israeli DJs and producers. How would you describe the house music scene in your homeland?
There are a lot of great producers coming out of Israel and there are more to come. I live outside Israel at the moment, and on one of my few visits back there, on a Thursday night, you could catch Nick Warren, Michel De Hey & Oxia on one night in different clubs, and that’s a Thursday! Tel Aviv has always been a 24hr city. I miss it.
You were championed by the likes of Sasha and Hernan Cattaneo from the very start, how does it feel to receive such support from some of the industry’s true legends?
It’s a dream, from first time I heard my music being played by big DJs until now, it feels the same – satisfaction, to know that some one who has been doing it for a long time and you admire and follow his work, chooses a tune by you to play out is the biggest reward and still feels like that.
You are a regular on John Digweed’s Bedrock Records and your track “Meridian” with Henry Saiz was remixed by Pryda and released as the label’s milestone 100th release, an honour by anyone’s standards. How does this rate amongst your other achievements?
Wow, the second I heard it was going to be the 100th release, I was so happy! To be on Bedrock’s 100th release is like a fantasy. Since I got into electronic music, I knew Bedrock and to have a release there was something I would dream of… and now to get to be on 100th release…. its beyond my expectations!
Your 2008 album “Esperanza” received widespread acclaim from industry peers and fans alike. You followed it up with “1000 Words” last year, a triumphant 3 disc album of 2 mixed discs and an unmixed third. How has the reception to the latest album been?
I got great reactions for “1000 Words”! I was trying to deliver something fresh and more mature, I would say, compared to “Esperanza” and I think I managed to deliver that. People were very supportive and I’m happy that there are remixes coming out now from Hybrid, Sian and Kassey Voorn, who all did great productions on this package coming out now on Bedrock.
It would be rather naive of me to simply describe you as a progressive DJ and producer when you clearly take influence from all manner of house, techno and ambient music. What is your take on the Guy J sound?
I think my sound is a mixture of different genres of house music, from Tech, Deep to Progressive & Techno. Today there is no need to focus or belong to one genre. I DJ with Ableton and that gives me the opportunity to play all types of house music in my sets, so I also love to explore and produce different stuff.
You have travelled the world over and played factories and festivals alike. What is your favourite place to play and is there anywhere still to tick off your to-do list?
One of my favourites is Argentina, I love to go there and its always a good night out. There is something special with Argentina and house music. When I go there I always see a mixed crowd and very passionate people for music. One of the places I would love to go back to is Tokyo. I was there only one time and cant wait to go back. Its like landing on a different planet and when I played there I saw one of most amazing clubs I’ve seen.
What other producers do you look up to and enjoy, is there anyone you would really like to work with in the future?
Marc Marzenit, Sian, Robert Babicz… are just a few.. and it would be a dream to make a track with John Digweed & Nick Muir 
Finally, what is coming up in the pipeline this year, gig and production-wise?
I’m looking forward to playing again at WMC Miami this year after missing last year and going back to Montreal, Scotland in March and of course, summertime when the festivals will start to kick off. Production-wise there are a few remixes coming out for great labels such as Subtract and Anjuna, and new tracks for Bedrock & Sudbeat. I will also launch my sub-label for Bedrock, so a very exciting year is coming! Thanks, Guy.
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