“It was crazy, as every year. Doing a warm-up for John, it’s always… well, my hands were all shaking. It was actually a long set, it was two hours. So I get the chance to play some ‘higher’ kinds of stuff. But for the last half hour, I should be really setting the mood for John to start, going down with the BPM. I’m trying to keep what I play more melodic, warm sounds. It’s a challenge.”
I last spoke to Guy in June, ahead of a short Australian tour featuring a few club dates including a memorable performance at New Guernica. Since then, he’s been trying to balance touring and studio work – and pets. “I’m still working on some new original tracks. It’s actually a bit of a struggle. I’m still travelling a lot, so every time I’m home I’m trying to spend time with my lady. I’ve also got some turtles, that’s something new. They’re called Benny and Sylvester. It’s a dream come true. But not a lot of people understand… why turtles?”
Turtles aside, Guy’s also been working on his record label, Lost and Found – although it’s not the focus of his time at the moment. “I’m not trying to release every month or every three weeks. It’s not my main work. So it gives me the opportunity to be a more freestyle label.”
In our last chat, Guy also mentioned a project in the works with Loopmasters in an exciting new format. That project came to fruition in September, when he released an EP entitled Transitions, featuring four new tracks – with a twist. The package also includes the stems, patches and loops used to create each track, so that aspiring producers have a glimpse into what goes into making a Guy J track and can play around with the raw components (which are all royalty-free and ready for remixing).
“The idea is that people need inspiration, sometimes, to do something,” explains Guy. “It’s more like a different approach, a remix. With this, I wanted to give people something more private than the general Loopmasters package. There are four tracks, each quite different. One is more deep house, one is more open… so yeah, it’s just to have people give their own point of view on this. Hopefully we’ll try to do a remix contest with the package. But it’s still a process to try out.”
Guy will next be heading our way towards the end of January, for one of the biggest events on the Australian festival calendar – Rainbow Serpent Festival. He’s enthusiastic to see what it’s all about. “It’s the first one for me. It’s exciting! I’ve heard it’s one of the best festivals down there. I haven’t even been in Australia during the summer. I was always coming around winter. I think summer will have something more special in it.”
And what else does Guy have on the cards for 2013? “I hope to make another artist album,” he reveals. “I think when you’re making an album, I think you’re trying to make a timeless package. I cannot say it about myself, whether I managed to do it or not [with 1000 Words]. But that’s what you’re trying to do. Time will say!
“I miss that experience [of making an album],” he continues. You really express yourself without focusing in every genre. It’s like yoga for an artist. But you need to find the right time when you’re not travelling a lot and you have free time.” Continuing with Guy’s yoga metaphor, it definitely sounds like one has to be flexible with time – or was that a bit of a stretch? Guy admits that he doesn’t do yoga himself, but says his turtles fulfill a similar function. “They’re like yoga for your eyes. It’s relaxing just to look at them.”
