JUDGE JULES: LENSES MAKE ME LOOK RED-EYED LIKE A VAMPIRE

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How was Judgement Fridays this year?

Firstly, a brand new venue, refurbed from top to bottom to the level of being unrecognisable, including a sound system so awesome it literally blows your mind. And a brand new concept, recognising the fact that a large volume of Ibiza clubbers now come for long weekend breaks, making Friday a very significant day. And, of course, or well-honed ability to throw a top party.

What is a deciding factor for picking the line ups for the parties?

A combination of established names and the willingness to take chances with the Djs whose productions have excited me most over the past 12 months. Year after year we have spotted Djs before they have come to prominence, which has generated a degree of loyalty enjoyed by few other Ibiza club nights. The likes of Tiesto, Armin, Ferry, Eddie Haliwell and many others played their first ever Ibiza club shows with Judgement.

Do you remember the first time you ever spun at the Island?

Like any Ibiza virgin, my memory of the first time is a bit hazy, but it was for a gig at Pacha in the late 80s when I was very young. Suffice to say, Pacha, and Ibiza in general, were incredibly different and less-developed.

Does Ibiza maintain its relevance in relation to other big spots for dance music like Berlin, Amsterdam, Miami and Vegas?

Yep, it’s got the venues, weekly world famous Djs and the crowd is in the right (holiday) frame of mind.

You said goodbye some time ago to focus more on your professional career as an entertainment lawyer. Do you miss radio and could you tell us about some of the cool things in which you were able to help other artists?

I didn’t say ‘goodbye’ to become an entertainment lawyer. It’s a joint career that now exists in parallel with my Djing. Whilst I’m no longer on Radio 1, for the past ten years I’ve had a second radio show ‘The Global Warm Up’, which is broadcast on 70 stations worldwide. It is also released weekly as my podcast, with over 500,000 subscribers and was recently awarded the accolade by iTunes/Apple as being one of the most successful music podcasts of all time. As regards my legal work, my vast experience as a dj, club promoter, record label A&R, radio presenter, music producer etc has put me in a unique position to guide the careers of the next generation. The world of being a lawyer and that of being a DJ are far more similar than you might imagine, as I’m not just ‘any old’ lawyer, but focus on the area of law where my entire career has been based.

Is there event from your career that you wished you had done differently?

Not really. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but serves little useful purpose!

You are known to play a great amount of styles. Which would be your top 3 genres of EDM? And do you like that term?

I’ve tried to avoid becoming a ‘prisoner of my own music stye’, attempting to judge music not by genre but by the only monikers that really count – ‘good’ and ‘bad’. Although trance is my predominant area, this is mainly because I love minor chords, and I’ll therefore dip into other styles if the chords are melancholic and dark enough. As for the term ‘EDM’, I’m on the fence. People seem to need labels to tag onto their musical allegiances, and if it simplifies music and makes it more accessible, then fine by me.

Have you ever considered contacts?

Do you mean contact lenses? If so, yes, but they get very dried up and irritating in hot clubs, ending up making me look red-eyed like a vampire.

The weirdest thing that has ever happened in the booth?

Too many to mention. So many times ‘randoms’ I’ve never met have evaded security and wound up in the booth, initially watching inquisitively from a quiet corner, and eventually (having ‘borrowed’ some of my drinks) being so painful and drunk that I have to throw them out, as they almost try and take over the mixing.

Name one of your specific DJ skills that really sets you apart from the rest of the crowd.

Apart from scratching, which has never been my forte, I’ve lived with Pioneer DJ set up since day 1, and I’d like to think that I can work the system as well as the product developers themselves.
Connect:
Judgejules.net
Facebook.com/judgejules
@realjudgejules on Twitter

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