These days, there aren’t too many DJs whose passion for the music they play is made so visible when they speak of their craft. How refreshing it is then to see someone like J-Slyde putting in his all – and then some – into every aspect of his obsession.
Brought up on music from an early age, the late 90’s saw the young man embrace the sounds of electronica, and over the years such an embrace has conjured up quite a list of influences. His musical tastes are quite broad, dabbling in all kinds of genres and surrounding himself with as much melodies of supreme quality as possible. And whilst his core influences and interests lean more to Prog and Breaks, when rummaging through J-Slyde’s extensive record crate, you’ll find everything from House, Drum & Bass, Trip Hop, Techno, obviously Break Beats and Progressive, some oldschool Trance, a dash of Electro and even a hint of the 80’s if you look close enough.
With J’s strong passion for music flourishing throughout his teens, DJing was seen as a logical step. A step that offered him an outlet to express the way the music made him feel. So as his record collection – and razor-sharp ability to mix – grew over the years, so did the list of gigs, parties and main events J had found himself playing at in and around Australia. From his humble beginnings winning the Ghetto Fusion House Supremacy DJ comp, to his more recent ventures playing countless clubs and bars in and around Melbourne, to entertaining the bush-doffers at Earthcore events, to headlining events for the Involved krew on the sunny Gold Coast – it’s been made blatantly obvious that this adaptable talent is a true stayer.
However, the most notable turn in his career came in mid 2007, when he was approached by long time friend and fellow DJ, ‘Taran M’, about starting up a party krew of their own. A few months later ‘Substance’ was born and the Melbourne music scene has never been the same. Substance was launched in an effort to provide quality events at minimal cost for the punters, with none of the added bull$h*t that has become familiar in and around the Melbourne EDM scene. Now with over 2 years of successful events and club nights under their belt, the Substance crew has shown they’re a worthy contender in the Melbourne dance scene. Needless to say the future is bright for J-Slyde and the Substance massive.
Ultimately J’s mixing abilities and tight-as-all-hell track selection have seen him grow into one of the cities most loved – and asked for – DJs. His ever increasing gig list has become enormously varied enabling him to specialize in a variety of electronic genres. Not content in being pinned down, he’s constantly strived to offer something different to the crowd, and rather than playing to them, he plays for them – a quality that shines through in every performance.
