In today's world of digital gadgetry and the surplus of reality television booming through plasma screens and hi-tech cell phones, it seems everyone is a producer, artist, actor, manager, record executive, label owner; and sometimes, all of the above. Once upon a time, talent and a little luck were the only requisites for a successful career in the entertainment biz. Nowadays, the once simple task of identifying a true gem has subsequently become much more daunting amongst the sea of super shiny zirconias, all passing themselves off as genuine diamonds. The fact still remains that when you pit a true artist against one that's been manufactured as a commercial cash cow, the real McCoy is an obvious stand out.
There are those who subscribe to the school of thought that everything in life has a rhyme and a reason. DJ Journey, the bi-coastal triple-threat from the Windy City is definitely one of them. Well beyond his years, this musical prodigy witnessed the power of music first-hand as a child, sitting on his mother's living room floor. It was in this space that Journey recalls the way the music his mother played affected everything, from her emotions & her mood; even taking on a life of its own as a real-time soundtrack to their everyday lives. "My mother was a music collector and I remember how music made her feel. It made her think and explore. It made her a better person," says Journey. This eclectic DJ, Remixer & Producer is hard pressed to name a short list of specific influences that point to his cinematic production style, but when asked where the unpredictability of his music stems from, the jazz fusion band, The Crusaders, rolls off his tongue with ease. "The Crusaders music had no beginning and no ending. This is really prevalent in the structure of my songs."
As a high school sophomore, Journey's marriage to music became official when he was gifted his first set of decks as a birthday present. The DJ persona fit his outgoing personality seamlessly, and success soon found him. With a promising radio show and a high demand for his skills as a party rocker in Chi-Town, it wouldn't be long before the West Coast's promises of prestige and flashing lights would bait him out of his backyard, leaping off to the City of Angels to join the Power 106 team, as an on-air personality & DJ. While the relationship fizzled quickly, the geographic relocation sparked a shift in Journey's mind.
Where in Chicago, he had been the escape for others; Los Angeles became the sand box that would allow him to create music that would provide an escape for him. It was here that Journey realized, "the studios are programming the minds of the world!"
Of his own accord, Journey describes himself as quite a complex character. And it's in the layers of his complexities, that one truly begins to understand his music. With a role model like Quincy Jones, who took huge risks sonically and studied symphony orchestras in London, listeners will find brush strokes of electronic, experimental and orchestral fusions with a dash of hip hop influences in Journey's picturesque productions. "These are compositions of my life and I just want a reaction out of the music that I'm producing," he says. And while most might assume it takes a Bentley's worth of studio equipment to create such grandiose sounds, Journey draws from his past, reminiscing on how his mother had very little means but always showed him how much they truly had. Set in his ways, his minimalist attitude carries into his selection of weaponry. Armed with Reason, Garage Band & Ableton Live, the only outboard audio gear he uses in the lab are an MPC2000 sequencer, a Mo' Phat sound module, the Oxygen 8 Midi Keyboard and an Akai MPDP24 Midi Control Pad.
As a DJ with an impressive client list that includes Adidas, MTV, Red Bull, Ed Hardy & Fred Siegel just to name a few, Journey is setting his sights on the film & television industry as his next musical conquest. Currently working with blooming artists Ryan Gordy and Jesse Hart, it shouldn't come as a shock, should you happen to find his name on a Silver Screen in your city in the very near future. His next calculated move is to work with one of the top agencies in Hollywood to market his unique sound & carve out a role for himself alongside the greats of scores and soundtracks. L.A. is known for its brutal turnover rate and conniving "every man for himself" mentality. But the spiritually grounded, analytically complex DJ Journey knows that everything matters and in his own words, "Good things come to those who create!"
WRITTEN BY MAUIKAI
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Journey
www.myspace.com/
