Introducing GJOL
Can you introduce yourself? who are you and where are you from? What are you doing in your day-to-day life?
My Name is Mikael and I’m a fulltime DJ and producer from Denmark.
How did the whole Corona situation impact you? For example, what things you did last year are you not able to do right now?
I used to play as a DJ every weekend, but due to the COVID-19 this is of course not possible for the moment. Therefor I use more time in the studio, but I miss playing music at a party and of course the whole social aspect.
Latest release ‘Rotator’
We would love to know about the production process of “Rotator”, can you tell us how the track came about? What was your source of inspiration for the track? How much did it cost from start to finish? What issues did you run into?
I’ve always loved deep house and melodic techno, but I also dig the disco vibe which have had another revival over the last few years. So, the idea was to make a melodic tech track with a disco vibe. The bassline is a bit disco I think
Producing music
When did you start producing? How did you discover music production? And what made you decide to start producing?
5-6 years ago, I started putting a serious effort into producing. I’ve been a DJ for more than a decade and to begin with it was mostly about making bootlegs etc. for the DJ sets. Maybe the COVID-19 changed my priorities, as I feel much more like a fulltime producer now.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given when it comes to music production? What’s your best advice you can give to any new producers out there?
If you can’t feel a good vibe in your project after max 4 hours in the studio. Leave it! The first idea is often the best one.
Which other producers/DJs inspire you the most and why?
I think Solomun is a Hero. Melodic productions and interesting DJ sets.
Can you name five tracks that were important in your musical development and why they were so significant for you?
- Kollektive Turmstrasse – Sorry I’m Late: An amazing track mixing all kind of styles Yotto,
- Lane 8 – Buggy: heard it 1000 times and love it!
- Solomun – Friends: Amazing bassline. Just keeps on rolling
- Sono – Keep Control (Terry Lee Brown Jr. remix): Remember first time I heard this crossover. I was blown away.
- Depeche Mode – Personal Jesus (Alex Metric Rmx): Rock N Roll baby!
How much road testing or friend feedback is done before you’re ready to say a track is finished? And who is someone you share your new music with first for feedback?
I’m always testing new things in my DJ sets. I have a dogma saying that a track needs minimum 4 month from birth of the idea until it’s approved.
What more can we expect from you next year? Any releases or special events you can tell us about?
I have a few releases on the way and then just hoping that we will be able to move around like before COVID-19. Meanwhile, stay Safe!