Featured Artist: Jauz

Written by Jay-Dee on 10th December, 2019

When it comes to electronic dance music, American DJ and producer Sam Vogel or better known as Jauz is certainly a force to be reckoned with, collaborating with the likes of Zeds Dead, Example, DJ Snake and Tiësto.

Jauz returns to Australia to showcase new music later this month, kicking things off at HQ Complex in Adelaide on Friday 27 December. We had a chat with Jauz to talk about his career and what's on the horizon.

You've played at some massive festivals including Tomorrowland, Coachella and Ultra Music Festival. What has been the most memorable festival you've played?

It's pretty tough to pick just one because there really has been so many larger than life moments, but I think one of the most significant to me would be when I played Outside Lands in San Francisco back in 2016. I grew up just outside SF, 10 minutes away my entire life and even though I never went to Outside Lands as a kid I remember every single person I knew going on and on about what an incredible festival it was. It was kinda like our version of Coachella. Getting to play there was a really full circle moment so obviously I was super excited, but I was also so nervous because Zedd and I were the only 2 electronic acts on the entire lineup for that day. I had no idea if anyone would show up, and had nightmares about showing up to my biggest hometown show and having a completely empty crowd. The schedule of the festival made it so that only one main stage was going at a time, which meant when I showed up to my stage an hour early, it was completely empty. All the fears I had went through the roof and I was convinced no one was going to show up and it was going to be a disaster. I didn't go out to look at the stage again until the second I was going on to perform, and when I stepped out on to stage there were 25,000 people there cheering. It had to be one of the most incredible moments of my life so far.

Have you always been interested in producing EDM music?

I actually only ended up listening to and producing electronic music because I was frustrated with trying to be in a band. I played the guitar my whole life and dreamed of being in a metal band, but it was really hard at my age (14-15 years old) to find other people as seriously dedicated to it as I was. So when I found out about dance music and how you produce it all yourself on just a laptop, I was sold. I'm so glad that ended up happening because finding dance music is the best thing that ever happened to me and I can't picture my life without it.

If you were stranded on a desert island and you could only take one piece of equipment with you, what would it be?

My guitar. Anything electronic would eventually die, break, corrode, etc. but at least with a guitar, I could probably try to make strings out of stuff I could find on the island so I could keep playing as long as I was there.

Let's talk about your label Bite This! You've certainly come leaps and bounds with the label, with 23 artists on your roster since launching in 2017. Can you tell us a bit about the label and how it all came about?

The idea of starting a label has been around since as early as 2015, but I wanted to wait until the moment felt right. I also had the hardest time coming up with a name for the label, haha! That postponed the start date quite a few times actually. Eventually, after brainstorming for months and finally giving up on starting the label, the name kind of just popped into my head. I thought the "bite" made sense because of the obvious shark reference but also "Bite This!" really encapsulates everything I stand for and am trying to cultivate through my label - music that other people want to copy, or "bite". My goal is to put out as many different types and genres of electronic music as we can and help push the envelope on creative, inventive dance music that will help our world keep evolving.

So, you're heading to Australia at the end of this month, is this your first time Down Under?

Not even close! haha. I've been touring Australia since 2015, and I think this is my 5th time coming down. Australia is one of, if not my absolute favourite place on earth so any chance I get to come down I jump at. Not only are the cities and people amazing, but I've had some of the best shows of my entire career down here and I'm sure this trip will be no exception!

What can fans expect from your performances...any new music you'll be bringing along with you?

I just finished my newest EP, "Dangerous Waters" which comes out right around the time I start my North American tour of the same name, but Aus will be one of the first places on earth to get to hear all the new music! I have a ton of new music and other surprises along with the EP as well so fans will definitely be in for a good time!