Northern Ireland’s latest rising DJ star Gabriel Jon has today released his new song “For You.” This upbeat house track will be the 19 year old producer’s seventh single and is now available across all streaming platforms.
The release of this single represents another milestone for this local lad on his rapid ascent to prominence. This year alone he has released four other tracks, (‘I’ll Be There, ‘Coming Home, ‘Our Life’ and ‘Leave This Town’) has signed with record label Cry Records and has had his single ‘Selfish Desires’ featured on Cool FM DJ Neal McClelland’s radio show. Gabriel amasses over 22,000 monthly listens on Spotify and has gained a substantial following of over 43,000 on Tik Tok, a figure which is growing daily. On the app, Gabriel gives a quick tutorial of the process of making a dance track in various styles such as techno, house and radio hits. As well as his own music, Gabriel regularly produces remixes on his Soundcloud account where he posts variousextended sets.
In celebration of the release of ‘For You’ I caught up with Gabriel to talk through his journey so far, the process of making tracks and his plans for the future.
So Gabriel, do you want to talk us through the making of ‘For You’?
Yeah sure, so there were around 5 different ideas for the track “For You”. I started off with a very basic piano track in the style of MK, then slowly progressed into a deep house sound as I started to work the vocal more. I then added some more up beat elements such a starting the track straight into the beat without the wait other songs usually give.
How did you first get into DJing?
I started off when I was 14 with some basic software that didn’t get me very far. I had started using online classes and tutorials to learn more advanced Software called FL studio.
Who are your musical inspirations?
My biggest inspirations have to be Rufus du Sol, Camelphat and Gorgon City. Their unique styles inspired me to create a various set of tracks using their tricks and elements. Seeing how they have grown in the industry only made me want to grow my own name.
What are your favourite genres of music and which do you enjoy producing?
Over the years I have tried to make every genre and study how producers build them into fully released records. My favourite genre to make would have to be Deep house tracks with a good summer feel to them but also have that strong club vibe to them.
Do you have a particular process which you go through each time you make a song?
I would never force myself to make music, I just let it happen naturally. Sometimes I would just get an idea and record a voice note of the idea so I can just get straight to work when I’m home. I always prefer starting a track with a vocal so I can get a feel for what type of way I’m going to construct the idea.
How do you choose what songs to remix and in what style to remix them?
I listen to music most of the day and I always hear tracks and think how different the whole track would be if I added my style to the artist’s vocal. I always appreciate the talent in producers making today’s hits but I’m always listening for new ideas that these artists use to build their massive records.
How does it feel to have your songs on Spotify and Apple Music?
It feels like a good achievement to have my music in every big online store and platform such as Spotify, Apple Music etc. This lets me reach a wider audience and it allows people to stream and share my music on their preferred platform.
I know that mine would be ‘Selfish Desires’ but what has been your favourite track that you’ve made so far?
I have so many tracks that I loved making but my favourite track to make was definitely ‘Leave This Town’ as it has so many creative elements that I have never tried before and plan on incorporating more in future tracks. In saying that, every track I released I loved to make.
Which song has been the most difficult or taken the longest time to produce?
‘Selfish Desires’ was a track that took the longest as it was the first time trying that sort of style. I went through so many drafts until I got the track perfect, every day sending my drafts to my friends to get their approval.
You’ve amassed a large following on Tik Tok do you think it is a developing platform for DJs and producers to engage with a bigger audience?
I think any platforms that reaches a large audience is great for personal growth especially Tik Tok. It is the biggest platform in the world right now and the users on Tik Tok basically run the music charts. Seeing multiple artists that are big today that have built their fan base and streams through Tik Tok was just an opportunity I saw. I would always tell people to share their talent on the app.
What have been some of your proudest moments to date?
I think my proudest moment was definitely reaching over 700k streams in just 2020 so far. It was a big achievement for myself and that alone showed me that anything is possible when you do what you love. Reading hundreds of people’s messages about my music really has motivated me to continue further and to make as much music as I can.
What would be your advice for any producers who are starting out?
For any other producers trying to start off with making music and who want to show their creative ideas, my only advice is to take it slow and learn the software before you do anything. Starting off, you want to understand what you are doing when it comes to building a basic sound and layout. I used YouTube tutorials and articles online to help me understand the software.
Finally, what are your plans for the future?
I have a lot of plans I want to carry out in the future such as having my own show, performing my tracks and showcasing other local artists. I have a big album coming out for summer also with some massive tracks everyone is going to love and I hope it really takes off my music career.
Listen to ‘For You’ by Gabriel Jon, available on all streaming platforms now.