Joeski Interview – BluParty – Saturday, June 18 2016.
Last Saturday we got the chance to check out the second edition of Sydney Blu’s The Blu Party at 1755 Lakeshore Blvd aka Sunnyside Pavilion. The courtyard style venue was partitioned into two stages, one stacked with a slew of local talent, the other featured premium imports such as NYC’s Joeski, and UK’s Weiss. We caught up with Joeski after his set for a quick chat, here’s what he had to say:
Joeski’s idea of a perfect dinner is a juicy New York steak. He started spinning records in 89’ out of New York City. The ‘house’ genre had not yet materialized into what we know and love it as today. Like many of his contemporaries, he arrived to this point from a variety of avenues. NYC being a very diverse city had a part to play in this equation.
He confirmed to us that this diverse environment reflects in his work. A multitude of different styles and sounds converging at a given moment in time and space to produce something unique. He recalls memories of his childhood and of hearing the songs his mother would play around the house, being exposed organically to a history of music.
We asked him about his inspirations, the artists that had impacted him throughout his life. He mentioned names like early house staples Mood II swing and Keri Chandler, but what we found most interesting were the more references names like Hector Lavoe and Willie Colon.
He described to us the progression of the wave as things moved throughout the decades: Early hip-hop, the rise of electronic, the acid movement in the 90’s etc.. he spoke about the 2000s and the peaks and valleys in his involvement and relationship with the genre.
He told us that it’s taken him a long time to accept and understand the nature of it all, and that there have been compromises; which took a lot out of him but were necessary in the end to reinvent himself.
We felt that he was genuine and down to earth with his dedication to his craft, and has had to accommodate the evolution of a whole new generation. He seemed willing and able to accept the challenge and do this for as long as his body would allow him to.
It was a great jam on the weekend and we highly recommend checking out the next instalment of the series in July with detroit legend Carl Craig, alongside Dynamo Azari, Nitin + many more. Keep steppin’.
Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/1297218040307882/
Joeski FB: https://www.facebook.com/djjoeskimusic/
Joeski Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/djjoeski
Photo Credit: Ded Pixel
HOL