Tel Aviv, Israel's Guy J grew up listening to the Northern Exposure and Transitions mixes from Bedrock boss John Digweed, and his influence shines through in Guy J's mix for the Balance series, which was released August 6. Balance presents Guy J transcends your typical DJ mix, re-editing and re-constructing each track so that everything flows beautifully together in a mix as well-suited for relaxing ambiance as it is for the dance floor. With a strong sense for emotion and melody, Guy J mixes progressive house, techno, and trance styles to craft a narrative. You can purchase the mix via Amazon.
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1. DJ Yellow & Flowers and Sea Creatures – No One Get Left Behind (Guy J Remix)
2. Roger Martinez & Secret Cinema – Menthol Raga (Guy J remix)
3. Henry Saiz feat. Fab Morvan – Santa Fe (Guy J Remix)
4. APM 001 – Migrants (Radio Slave Accapella) (Guy J Edit)
5. Juan Deminicis – Once upon a time (Guy J remix)
6. Navar – Phases Of Grief (Guy J remix)
7. Pavel Petrov – Fever (Pezzner mix)/DJ T feat. Cari Golden – City Life (Accapella) (Guy J Edit)
8. Lanoiraude – Waitin’ (Charles Webster mix) (Guy J Edit)
9. Dactilar – Day one (Guy J remix)
10. Echomen – Perpetual (Guy J remix)
11. Guy Mantzur – I’m your country (Guy J remix)
12. WOW – Killa (Guy J Remix)
13. Robert Babicz – Duba (Guy J Remix)
Below is our interview with Guy J, covering the thoughts behind his Balance mix, how he got started with production, and some thoughts on the state of the music scene.
EARMILK: Can you tell us a bit about what you were thinking with the Balance mix? What was the process for putting it together?
Guy J: With the making of Balance, I wanted to deliver something unique. It's the first time I'm taking part in putting out a compilation CD, and I know the Balance series allows one to step into the artistic freedom side, so I decided to make it a CD made out of remixes and edits by myself.
EM: How did you first become interested in dance music?
Guy J: I became interested in a very young age hearing it on Love Parade in Tel-Aviv on the radio. It was everywhere and I loved that you could hear melodies, real music and dance to it.
EM: When did you start making music of your own?
Guy J: I started trying to make music at the age of 13, but the decided to learn how to do it properly at the age of 18.
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EM: How did you end up releasing on Bedrock Records?
Guy J: My manager at the time sent my music to Bedrock and we got positive feedback and we kept on working together. It's an amazing label that supports the artist and music. I'm very happy I got this opportunity!
EM: When you're producing music, is the dance floor your top priority?
Guy J: Not always, I think some of my tracks sound good at home as well. The Balance mix is a great example, I tried to make something that will work great at home or listening to it while driving all in one go, but the tracks as singles can work on the dance floor too.
EM: What is the Israeli music scene like? What differentiates the music scene there from other cities?
Guy J: Today, I think I can easily say that the music scene there is open to everything. There is a crowd for any type of music you want, maybe not all same amount of people but any kind of music can find its place. I'm not sure if its like that everywhere.
EM: What kind of influence did that scene have on you as a producer?
Guy J: It allowed me to get to know different genres. A lot of DJs are coming to Israel who make different stuff, I was able to hear John Digweed, King Britt, and Ivan Smagghe which opened my mind to different music.
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EM: Who are some of your favorite artists making music right now?
Guy J: Navar is doing great music, Guy Gerber is top producer, Juan Deminicis too. There is very good music out there, the search may be harder, but it's possible to find.
EM: You recently started your own record label, Lost & Found, with some help from John Digweed. What are you aiming for with the label?
Guy J: The aim for the label is to use Lost & Found as a tool to present great artists and great music. It doesn't focus on one genre of house music, you can find Kevin Yost there along with Secret Cinema, Guy Mantzur, Sahar Z, and more.
EM: What's your take on the internet's role in music production and distribution? I thought it was cool how you released stems with your Loopmasters project.
Guy J: I think the internet is giving a lot but also takes a lot away. Many producers are being discovered thanks to the internet, but the market is loaded with music that is waste of time. I think before Internet became such a big player, people worked harder before releasing something.
EM: What will you be working on the rest of this year?
Guy J: I have some remixes coming out on my label Lost & Found. Also, I have a project with John Digweed and Nick Muir that will see the light soon on Bedrock.
