"It's about hope, and hope is about chances," Guy says of his breathtaking debut album Esperanza, sighing wearily down a crackly international phone line. He's got every right to sigh; he's just spent a day and a half travelling back from Australia and tomorrow he's jetting off to South America. That's not even enough time to wash his pants.
"I've been touring loads," he says happily. "But the 34 hours was not so good." He's living the typical jet-set life of an in-demand artist, but he's not complaining. Far from it. Besides the odd epic journey, he finds himself having to pinch himself at how well he's done since his first 12" release 'Never Say No' on Deep Records two and a half years ago. Now under the watchful eye of John Digweed, Guy's profile has gone from 'one to watch' to a 'must to check out', both as a DJ and as a producer. If you've yet to experience a slice of Guy J magic then Esperanza is the perfect place to start.
A beautiful journey of deep, melodic house and techno and slick soothing ambience, Esperanza has the same depth and forward-thinking electronic experimentalism as Trentemoller's Last Resort or Nathan Fake's Drowning In A Sea Of Love, but while those album had their eyes on your headphones and home listening, Guy's epic debut always has one eye on the dancefloor.
"Honestly, it felt beautiful," he admits, perking up a little as we speak of something so close to his heart. "I am so lucky that the album came out exactly as I had wanted it to. I always make music to reflect how I am feeling at that time, I channel it all into my music and the album just took form, all my moods seem to meld into the album. I always think I should have a live soundtrack to my life - a piece of music for each moment. When I work on music I always try to think of something or remember a special moment and the muse just seems to flow from that."
His passion and enthusiasm shine through at every stage of the album, from the sneaky anticipation of 2 Steps to the slightly barbed and melancholic isolation of 'Love Is Not Alone' via the inspired electronic gospel vibes of the LP's eponymous finale. Just like his fellow Israeli peers Guy Gerber and Shlomi Aber, Guy's got that emotional techno formula nailed down tightly. It's no wonder John Digweed's given him such a strong blessing.
"It's amazing," he chuckles sleepily. "John has always been such a huge influence on me in the house music scene - he is so knowledgeable about music and for me to even have his attention is just fantastic. I always thought it would be a challenge to get on Bedrock, but luckily for me John likes my sound and has really taken me under his wing. It really is a great feeling. He gave me a few tips while I was working on the album and one in particular about editing which has helped me enormously in shaping my tunes to bring out the best of my music. I could tell you, but I would have to kill you!"
As sleep deprivation and travel fatigue set in, we leave Guy to take a rare moment's peace in an otherwise hectic schedule. Killing isn't usually on his agenda - his positive star-gazing sonic soundcapes suggest as much - in fact the only thing that really pisses him off is "thinking too much". As deep and thoughtful as his music, Guy J is no flash in the pan artist destined for a 'here today, gone tomorrow' footnote in the history of electronica. With the backing of John Digweed, Bedrock and, most importantly, his own musical finesse, Guy's currently embarking on what promises to be a long illustrious career. Esperanza is just the beginning.
***
|
Guy J - Esperanza Album REMIX CD |
![]() Digital release feature a bonus mix album by Guy J Released Worldwide September 8th on 2 xCD and available on Digital download including iTunes, Beatport. * Digital version features special bonus album mixed by Guy J |