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Listen back to James Organ’s set from Parklife 2017
The DJ will be appearing at a load of festivals this summer.
Liverpool based DJ and producer James Organ brought his electric set to Parklife Festival earlier this month, ahead of a summer filled with various festival appearances. Releasing music on such labels as Roush / Decay Records, Saved Records and more, he’ll be gracing platforms at the likes of Virgin V Festival, Creamfields, and Reading and Leeds Festival.
“It’s been a great summer so far, and I hope the next few months pan out just as well,” Organ tells us at the start of our chat, celebrating his recent appearance at Parklife, where he pleased a vibrant crowd with his signature deep sound. You can listen back to James Organ’s full set from Parklife 2017, and read out full interview with the DJ and producer below.
What got you into professional DJ-ing?
I’ve always had a strong interest in electronic music, as far back as school. I never intended it to be a ‘profession’, but music has always been a full time roll for me for as long as I can remember. Whether it be putting up posters on walls, pressing play on a record, or administration on various club nights in my city, I’ve worked in this field for quite some time and I intend to continue to do so for the foreseeable.
What’s your favourite part about performing?
It’s amazing to have control of crowds of 5k and upwards at your fingertips. It’s a great feeling to watch people lose themselves to the music and there’s no better feeling than finishing a set, knowing that you’ve played well. You can feel the energy when you have got it right. Every DJ anywhere will have some good gigs and some bad, but the feeling of adrenaline after a great gig is really, very special.
How do you prepare for a summer of festivals?
Being fairly new to the game, this is my first real summer of festivals and in that sense, I’m still learning how to prepare. From my own experiences, I’d say that going into the gigs with a LOT of music, accounting for all eventualities on the day helps a lot. I would also say that knowing your music in and out helps to build a set and maintain the energy also, as you know exactly what the track is going to do and when.
Do you have a way of deciding which tracks to throw into the mix?
I tend to have a specific style of music which I enjoy playing, deep, grooving and often at low BPM. But, depending on the room and on the day, this can change depending on the crowd, often quite dramatically. I love to play in this way, but I am also comfortable taking it up a notch or 2 when the time is right. I learnt a lot of my craft from playing around local bars and clubs in my city over the years, how to structure a set, setting the mood when you’re playing early, or jacking it up when you play later. This has given me an insight into what can work and when, but you can never be too prepared.
Do you have a go-to crowd pleaser that you drop into the mix?
Kings of Leon – Sex on Fire. Ha… Not really, I’m buying and receiving new music almost every single day. With lots of young talented producers out there at the moment that have easy access to music production software, there is TOO much good music to play the same ‘crowd pleasers’ in every set. You find every other week that there is this one track that just works, on every floor, at this moment I’d say that one of my own tracks The Underground seems to be going down very well, also a remix by Jesse Perez of a track called The Duke by Sidney Charles is going off. There will be another track in a couple of weeks and so on, It’s a constant cycle.
What can people expect from a James Organ set at a festival?
Once again, this always depends on set time, the mood of the crowd on the day etc. As with most of my sets, I’ll try and play lots of big chunky basslines, with bits of tribal elements, congas etc where I can get away with it. On a side note, expect some loud shirts and lots of solid dance moves from me on various stages over the next few months!
Catch James Organ over the summer at various festivals. For more, head to our Festival Guide.