TF Archives

Judge Jules Out to Prove Himself

Author: Shell Heaven Lee @ Tranzfusion
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
Hey Judge Jules! This summer is going to be a scorcher!! Do you think you'll cope with our Aussie summer heat-
Uh, yeah, I've been spending the whole summer in Ibiza, where I own a house, I'm kinda used to the summer. I mean, obviously the one thing about Aussie Summer is that the sun is really deadly, sorta UV wise, even if it's rainy and some. Apart from that, I'm looking forward to it no end!

What do you think will be the vital essentials for surviving this summer's dance music festivals-
Basically, I've been to Australia lots of times, it's the first time I've done Aussie festivals, but I can give some really tender advice relating to the UK where I do probably 10-15 festivals every summer. And, main thing is pacing yourself; Try to work out which DJs and acts you're going to see in advance; and having a bit of an itinerary - so a bit of homework and a little planning. Just remember, don't overdo it, just pace it steady.

I believe your latest album "Proven Worldwide" came out in the US first, was because it was signed there first, but were you quite proactive as well in terms of trying to break into the US market which traditional UK DJs and bands have had trouble doing-
The problem for me is that I'm on the radio on Radio1 in the UK, or globally really because you can access it globally, every Saturday night. It's something I never take lightly; jointly with Pete Tong I've got the most listened to dance radio show in the world. And I can only be away for a finite time. I'm away and pre-recorded probably about 10 or 12 times a year on long haul trips and then on more occasions I'm on European trips. That ultimately prevents me from going to the US as much as would be necessary to properly promote the album. So I put it out a bit earlier there, but unfortunately wasn't in the position to promote is as much as would have been ideal.

I understand the album title, 'Proven Worldwide', refers to the fact that of
all the tracks that you've created and trialed on dance floors over the last few years these were the ones you were happiest with and that were embraced throughout the globe. Is this correct-

This is exactly right. The studio is my day job, I mean today, here in the UK now, it's 10am in the morning. When I finish the interviews I'm doing over the next hour, I'm going to go into the studio, and continue the conveyor belt of making tracks. Some of which, I might play out for a month or so, and then really don't go any further with. But then there are those tracks that seem to work wherever I play them, over a prolonged period of time, regardless of where they're played across the globe. Those I'll be sticking with. And that's really the long and short of it for the formula to the album. I can't tell you anything more pretentious than that. It's just stuff that really works.

While you have recorded original music before this is the first time you've done it completely solo. Has this always been a dream of yours and were there any stages during the process that the prospect made you nervous-
I've put loads of records out, probably getting off a 100 I would say, not under my own name. The reason I didn't previously use my own name's because of my Radio 1 factor. The thing seemed a bit of conflict of interest, being on a public service broadcast, like you know, an institution like the BBC, and then playing your own records, it speaks, you know. There is due process one has to go through in order to play your own records, when you're on Radio1. You need to play them music, they need to give you a sort of written ok, and then you can do that. It was only really when other dance dj's on the station started making and release releasing tracks under their own name, that it kinda seemed acceptable for me to that as well. Hence why, in the past my records have seen a glimpse under Angelic and Hi-Gate and loads of other different names. But it's only now that I've only fe
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