Judge Jules aka Jules O’Riordan is a multi-award winning Dance Music Producer/DJ who has been up and club banging it since 1987. He runs one of the longest standing, premier club nights in Ibiza: ‘Judgement Sundays’ at Eden Night Club. He also won the awards for ‘Best Trance DJ’ in 2001 and ‘Best Trance Night’ at the ‘Ibiza Pacha Awards’ in 2003.
I called him up long distance for a little chat a few days ahead of his SA December 2011 Tour in Cape Town, Durban and Joburg.
What do you think has helped sustain your long standing DJ career?
Definitely not being a prisoner of my own style; I think my exposure on Radio 1 and playing in Ibiza. There are only a handful of nights in Ibiza that have been running as long as mine, which is a great success. I would also say, serving yourself on a plate to the discerning Dance audience the way I have been doing every year for four months a year. You have to keep at it and continue re-inventing yourself.
Out of all the distinguished genres and sub-genres in Electronic Music. Why Euro-Progressive Trance?
I sometimes think that genres are created in order to explain it to people or fans. The majority of DJ’s I know do not pigeon hole themselves. Music and sound is a lot more varied than just a certain boxed idea of a genre. So if there is a sound like Prog Trance for example that I really enjoy working with, I work with it.
How would you describe your Judgement Sunday parties at BCM Mallorca?
My nights in Ibiza are incredible and so important for a DJ’s career and the audience there is definitely more mature which is great. But, what is also great are the BCM Mallorca nights; these are more British and appeal to a younger crowd aged 19-21. This again is very important; to stay relevant you have to keep reintroducing yourself to the new and younger clubbing crowd who are probably going to party for the next three or four years. I enjoy opening myself up to this audience.
How, in your opinion, do accolades, awards and high honours impact on the quality of music from a producer?
I think that awards are just a tangent to the most important aspects of the job. They shouldn’t affect the quality of the music and don’t, yet in some cases they do. Aside from this there will always be an element of people who will say that your music sucks now since you made it big. It’s just how it is, even if it’s not true.
What is the one thing that can take a set from good to great?
There are all sorts of technical issues that can really affect the quality of your set. Like last Saturday when I was playing at a club in Russia, the promoters had the monitors put way too far at the back. So it wasn’t that good, but at the same time the crowd didn’t know and you still have to be a pro and keep the show going at its best even when you are being challenged. One thing that can really make a set great is a big crowd that is open minded to the music and are just loud! Love it.
Your favourite live music instrument?
Wow, I hardly think of that but I’d have to say the Bass and Acoustic Guitar.
One of the craziest things a fan has ever said to you?
When I’m in the UK there are always people coming up to me and saying… “I’m your cousin” or… “I know your cousin really well.” It’s the weirdest thing and has been happening to me for years and they are always wrong, we never are related. [Laughs]
Related or not, his fans sure feel close enough to his music, that it simply just feels something like family.
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