Josh Bailey Interview
Hailing from the south coast, up and coming producer Josh Bailey has been making huge waves within the Trance scene over the past year.
His Progressive track ‘Untitled’ was supported on Above & Beyond’s Group Therapy show and he has gone on to become a firm favourite with Armin van Buuren. Both ‘Neutron’ and Josh’s remix of "Steampunk" by Ruben De Ronde & Rodg were both signed to Armada and supported on ASOT.
On Saturday 6th August, Josh will play on board the Trance Sanctuary & Friendz Boat Party in London, so decided to get to know him a little more.
Hi Josh, first off what got you into producing?
I first got into producing when I realised that music was something I wanted to take a little bit more seriously in life. I asked a few friends who were already producing about some of the best programs, plug ins etc etc that I should get. At the time I was heading out to a lot of events and seeing other DJs playing their own tunes and watching the reactions of the crowd and I knew it was something I needed to do. After saving up for a Macbook and Logic, I then started producing noise (how I describe the first few things that came out of the laptop ). I realised it was going to be a lot harder than what I first thought so I invested a lot of time into watching Youtube videos and also bought a couple of books on logic. That’s pretty much how the story started for me.
Can you tell us about your sound and what you try to create with your tracks?
I have 3 different sounds and 3 aliases. First of is the Josh Bailey sound. I try to create a strong melody with these and some real experimental sounds. I find myself halfway through questioning if I have the right sounds going in and for me that means it’s going on the right path. Pushing the boundaries as much as possible and dividing opinion is important to me with these tracks. I don’t want my music to be “Another trance track “ that will be forgotten in a month’s time. In Josh Bailey Tracks you will always hear elements from other genres that I try and incorporate into my sound.
Secondly I have the Bailey90 alias. This was actually my original DJ & Producer name. In late 2014 I finished a real Deep Melodic Techno track and released it on a Italian label. At that point I was going through a little rough patch in life and was thinking about giving music up all together. Finally finished a track off in Sept 2015 and it was completely different to what this track was. So decided to go with my real name for my Trance / Progressive tracks and keep this Alias for Deep / Melodic / Experimental sounds
The Bailey90 sound will always take you on a small journey and that's important for me. I like to take sounds from real life and often spend many hours searching for the right sounds. I could be sitting in the garden recording my neighbours birds or even down the beach recording the waves. I then try and add as many of these elements into the music.
Finally we have the Killick sound my 3rd and final alias. Teaming up with my good friend Tasso (Dean Badger) with this one bringing back a old school feel with a new school touch. Prominent percussive loops, dreamy vocal chops and catchy melodies await you with our first release.
Which DJs and Producers do you look up to the most?
The DJs & Producers I look up to are the ones who are always able to adapt themselves to an ever changing music scene. Above & Beyond, Genix, Andrew Bayer, Soundprank, Nitrous Oxide, Ilan Bluestone, Ruben De Ronde, Armin Van Buuren, Super8 & Tab, Martin Roth, James Grant, Matt Fax, Sunny Lax. The list does really go on and on but these guys have really impressed me year after year
Other DJs & Producers include some friends who have proved that reaching goals is not impossible. Daun Giventi , Dan Thompson , Daniel Skyver and Tasso. These guys may be friends but I still look up to what they do.
How does it feel to have had the likes of Armin van Buuren and Above & Beyond support your tracks?
To have the world’s biggest DJs in our scene play one of your tracks is just crazy. Social media explodes with Twitter and Facebook going crazy for a good hour / hour and half. The best part about this is that it is on a global scale. People from Mexico, India, Singapore Argentina plan their days around listening to these shows. Receiving messages from people all around the world is truly humbling and something I never thought possible. It has given me fans from all over the globe and really given me a massive push with my career
I have been a massive fan of both of the DJs and their respective radio shows. I have been tuning into TATW /ABGT since I was 14 and I have only missed a handful of the 600+ radio shows. So to finally be apart of something that I have grown up with is pretty crazy and a personal highlight.
Can you give any advice to any aspiring Producers when they feel they have made a track that's worthy enough of a release?
Once you have finished the track it's important to leave the track for 7/10 days and then go back to it. You can then listen on some fresh ears for any imperfections.
Ever since 2015 I have been lucky enough to send my tracks to other producers in the industry for feedback and detailed evaluation. At first I would send it to friends however friends are to nice and sometimes do not want to hurt your feelings so they tend to sugar coat a lot of things! Try and find up and coming producers that are established on good labels and be realistic. Do you honestly think Armin / PVD / Aly & Fila are going to pick your individual message up and reply? It happens yes, but it’s very rare for it to happen.
When approaching labels I will always give a little explanation on who I am, why I am sending music to them and a little about my production. The music should be able to do the rest. Labels get bombarded with demo’s every day and you need to stand out before they have even listened to the demo. Always be polite and courteous and thank them for their time. Even if my production is unsuccessful I tend to get emails back thanking me on a refreshing demo submission. That then sticks in the mind of the A/R of that label and won’t damage your chances going forward when you send another demo in the future.
What other forthcoming releases can we expect from you?
So my next track I have coming out will be my first vocal track and I am very excited for this to be coming to light. I have teamed up with the excellent Jennifer K. I was friends with Jen on Facebook and she posted a cover up on Soundcloud that I instantly fell in love with. I approached her and asked if she would like to do a track. It was the first time I have ever collaborated with a vocalist and I was pretty nervous, however Jen made the process easy and enjoyable , we started bouncing some lyrics back to each other and the rest is history.
I also have my Debut coming out on Lange’s ‘ Create ‘ label and that brings the debut of Killick again really looking forward to releasing this one
I am also working on another remix for a big name as well as finishing off the last bits for the return of Bailey90 for the end of the year. So there’s still plenty of music to come!
You are playing on the Trance Sanctuary & Friendz Boat Party and what can we expect from your set?
My set will be what people will have come to expect from me over the last 12 months, Progressive start onto some bigger sounds, expect the full catalogue of Josh Bailey releases as well the new vocal track. Few hidden gems and a classic or 2 to go with it! I can’t get enough of Estiva at the moment so expect some of his tracks to be played early on! In fact there is too much good music around at the moment! A good problem to have!
Thanks for your time Josh, we look forward to seeing you on board the boat!
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