DJ Gregory

He has a sense of humor, he approaches production in a unique way and he creates seriously good music but he does not take himself too seriously, all of this making him a super-cool character. Tirelessly looking for new sounds and beats he travels the world in search of inspiration and it is this urge that has been particularly evident of late, returning as he did from a trip to Brazil and Angola and literally bursting with new ideas. Listen to his tracks and you can hear how much he was deeply influenced by the sound of the South American and African continents.  

His travels do not stop there. Here he tells us about Bali - the Indonesian ‘Island of the Gods’ - where he will be performing again at the annual beach festival ‘Junction’. Now, Defected Records has invited him to put together a new mix that perfectly reflects what you would hear if you were actually there, dancing in the sun with the sand between your toes…and funnily enough he has managed to nail it.  

Check out what he has to say about it all here… 

It’s been almost Ten Years since the Africanism project and founding your own label Faya Combo. What’s changed in your life since then? Tell me about it. 

Nothing has really changed that is that obvious, I still do what I’ve been doing for the last ten years, releasing one record out of 20 that I would hold in my computer for months, listening to more & more music (all kinds), gigging here and there.

Tell me about how you feel about these original Gregory Releases. Give me a couple of good lines on each explaining your memories you have of the time you made them, how well they did on the dancefloor, and your feelings about the records now. 

All those releases are great memories, they were most of them heavily supported by most of the dj s back then, I’m so glad I did it because it reflects a certain time and era.

Block Party / Tourment D Amour 

When I got back from New York, it took a while to build the studio that I was about to spend the next ten years in, so Bob Sinclar suggested I spend time in his studio. I was making’ beats, that s how I came up with Block Party and Tourment D amour, we then felt like putting a project together called "Africanism". That’s how it started back then, the reaction was amazing, people played "Tourment D Amour" the all summer and block party the all winter.

Tropical Soundclash. 

When the studio was ready, I started the label Faya Combo; we were in this Afrohousey era.

The first release of the label was Tropical Sound Clash on side A and Damelo on side B. Again the reaction was crazy and allowed me to put Faya Combo on the map.

Elle  

I had Elle in mind for a long time; actually I did start the track in Bob’s studio and finished it almost 3 years later. I’ve worked a lot on this one as I wanted something simple and emotionally strong at the same time. Back then doing a 12 min journey was quite a challenge, and I still remember when I brought the promo in Miami, insane! I can really say it was one of the highlight of that WMC session, I didn’t t expect anything with this one as I had done it for me. When the summer came and the buzz was at its peak I was very happy to see ELLE charted along with big club tracks as it was a bit an outsider. With this track you either Love it or you just don’t. 

Joburg Theme 

When I was in South Africa, we did a studio session for fun with the guys there, I went back home and finished it, the name had to be "The Joburg Theme".

How has your sound developed since these records? Do you think you are a better producer now? Or do you think that they were perfect for the time? 

Like most people I think my sound is getting a bit more electronic, also with these new tools it is easier to experiment with ideas, however I don’t think new technology will allow you to be better because it’s about ideas to me. Now those tracks from the past are not perfect for sure but they have their thing going on.

What pisses you off the most about being a DJ? 

Nothing pisses me off about being DJ, I feel so lucky I can express myself in front of an audience.

Ok there are so many questions I want to ask you about Brazil and Angola. You have spent a lot of time there recently. What is the attraction for you? Please explain as clearly as you can. 

It is very simple I had the opportunity to go  there with my friend Frederic Galliano whose s been there a lot, as I wanted to see what was going on with Baile Funk ( Rio Favela music) and Kuduro ( new electronic  music from the slums in Angola), I couldn’t t miss that. It s been above all the expectations that I had and meeting and recording with all those great people was a bomb.

You obliviously spend a lot of time programming your drums - what’s your secret? Go into detail, don't be scared. 

Yeah I do spend a lot of time, maybe too much. Because actually I put as many layers as I can into the production then I keep what I think works. As an old schooler mpc drum programmer I know work inbox (on the computer) which is quite cool because the amount of tools you can use today is just insane. Now the secret is when I start to dance I know the beat is ready.

What does Amsterdam have that Paris does not? 

Holland is the country in Europe that has the biggest amount of parties a year.

You are working with the mighty Sidney Samson and Gregory Salto now. How are these producers influencing your sound and what are your feelings about working with them? 

I ‘m more the kind of guy who takes his time, what I really like with Gregor or Sidney it s that it has to be done now. It is a fast and furious process, so I really enjoy working and spending some time with them.

Outline some of the new records that you have made recently, tell me what they mean, what they say, what is the idea behind them? See the list below.

Dama s Salon,  

The vocal was recorded in Luanda (Angola), on a Kuduro tip with house beat, vamped with Sidney Samson in Amsterdam.

Messe Messe:  This one s from Gregor Salto not me, dope cut.

Canoa: Brazil Brazil, Brazil, simple and warm, summer’s here.

Vem Rebolar: This was also recorded in Luanda and finished with Gregor in Amsterdam.

Is this a good reflection of your sound when you are playing out? 

Pretty much,  I tried to give different flavors from Afro ish (French Fries ‘Predator’ or  ‘Dama S Salon’ I did with Sidney Samson) to much deeper moods  (Boris Werner remix of ‘Lost in the Streets of NYC’, or ‘Les Enfants Du Bled ‘ by Soha. The project I had with Julien Jabre or Jairo Catelo ‘Suspicious Mind’ (one of my favorite cuts of the year) and certain ruff cuts like the classic ‘Ok Alright’ by Buddha Khan (Props to Leroy Style for reminding me of this one) or going with the new Quentin Harris which is dope by the way!                        
 
Someone told me you sampled the Vuvuzelas from the world cup for your records, is this true?

Nope but I could have, it’s a quite dope sound actually!

Tell me about your experiences of Bali? What do you like the most about their culture? 

I’ve been to Bali several times for the junction festival, vibe is great. Weather is amazing the island is just dope and Indonesian people are just so kind and welcome you the best they can. About the culture I’m quite fond of those curly knifes (real ones of course). 
 
Is there a big dance music and clubbing scene there? 

Well Bali has quit a lot of places, Jakarta has a lot too and there are more and more very good local Djs, the scene is getting there big time.

Will you be performing there soon? Tell me where and what’s happening.

Yes in Bali the next Junction Festival on July 31st.

Tell me something about DJ Gregory that only you know.

This year there’s going to be more from Brazil and Angola but next is another story, look forward to it.

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