Hailing from Melbourne Australia, GMJ is well known in the local & international progressive scene. With a passion for deep and emotive electronic music, and a love of spatial atmospheres and organic rhythms, GMJ melds a sonic palette that shifts, opens & expands to deeper states.
The GMJ project has been received and supported worldwide by luminary artists such as Hernan Cattaneo, John Digweed, Nick Warren, Dave Seamen, Cid Inc, Dousk, Jeremy Olander, Gui Borato, Kasey Taylor, James Monroe and many more. (In 2016, GMJ was also nominated in the Progressive House section of Best of Beatport Awards.) His collaboration with fellow Melburnian producer Matter, has resulted in a spate of releases which have pushed their collective & individual sound to new heights. In short, he knows his way around a studio.
Gavin also hosts the radio show ‘Future Memory’ on the first Friday of every month on Proton Radio, and another show ‘Simplifi’ on the third Friday of the month on Frisky. Sit back and enjoy the deep and lush sound of the progressive underground.
Balance Selections Q+A
Name:
Gavin Griffin (Gavin Martin)
Location:
Melbourne, Australia
Facebook:
www.faebook.com/gmjmusic
Soundcloud:
www.soundcloud.com/gmj-fulcrum
Alias/Producer name:
GMJ
Labels affiliated with:
Proton / Sudbeat / Replug / Anjunadeep / Parquet / onedotsixtwo
My last 3 releases:
What music did you listen too as a child?
I grew up with older parents so the music when I was a really young child “skipped a generation” haha; so my early memories are of a lot of classical type stuff. As I got older I got more into pop & alternative, and always stuff that made me feel something inspiring, more often than not from a melody that moved me.
When was the first time that you realized that you liked electronic music?
Honestly a lot of the 80’s music I loved had many electronic elements in it, stuff like New Order & Icehouse. My first real “homecoming” to the electronic music that would become my life came through listening to DJ Kate Bathgate on RRR at the start of the 90’s.. Wow what a world that opened up!
When was the first time you saw a DJ in a club?
I used to go to early nights at the Chevron around 1990, listening to people like Mark James & K-Cee (Kasey Taylor!), and from there got more into underground trance & techno club & rave nights, then progressive house.
Which producers/artists/acts inspire you?
Wow there have been so many but some of my biggest influences over the journey that shaped me are Oliver Lieb, Sasha & John Digweed. After that Guy J has risen to the top, and I also admire greatly Hernan Cattaneo & Nick Warren for their longevity & constant quality. My good friend & collaborator Matter is a huge inspiration, alongside Funkform who is just amazing, Luka Sambe & my brother in the UK Nick Tripswitch. Artists like Navar, Cid Inc, Roger Martinez, Alex O’Rion, Stereo Underground, Volen Sentir, Modd, Ezequiel Arias & so many more are constantly moving me!
What was the last album that you downloaded/bought?
The last physical CD I bought was Oliver Lieb’s “Inside Voices” – an absolute ambient masterpiece. London Grammar’s “truth is a beautiful thing” was my last full album download!
What is your current production and DJ set up like?
Production wise I am all “in the box” – I have an IMAC running Logic Pro X, with a presonus fire studio mobile sound card & Adam A7x monitors which are the latest edition! My go to synths are Omnisphere 2, Spire, FM8, Diversion & for sampling Native Instruments Battery.
DJ-wise I am running Serato DJ on a MacBook Pro with a Pioneer DDJSR controller which I use here & abroad!
What releases do you have on the horizon?
Coming out the day of this mix is my remix for Da Luka – “Creation” on Stripped Recordings. After that Matter & I have a new collab remix for Juan Deminicis out very soon, I have new remixes lined up for FSOE UV, Soundteller & Balkan Connection, and more collabs coming with Matter, Funkform & RPO! I have quite a lot of finished signed originals also which I am currently sourcing to a good home!
Where can we hear you perform?
My next gig is With Matter on Friday Feb 15th playing for Progtech Underground presents: Dezza at New Guernica. After that we will be performing at a soon to be announced Easter event & also in Europe for ADE in Amsterdam, as well as other European shows!
There is also talk of a label night for onedotsixtwo in the wings.
You can catch me on 2 monthly radio shows – 1. Future Memory on proton radio – first friday of the month at 12noon pacific. 2, Simplifi on Frisky radio – every third Friday of the month at 1pm EST.
Tell us more about the podcast you made for Balance?
I mixed the podcast at home on my Pioneeer DDJ SX controller with Serato on my laptop. As soon as I knew I was doing a Balance mix I have been putting out the intention for the right tracks to come to capture the sound I wanted to put across & things just turned up at the right moment! The mix itself took a few weeks of sourcing tracks & then a few days in deciding the direction & order. But actually a lot of the tracks I ended up using arrived in the last week or so!! The sound of the mix is deep, hypnotic & organic, and definitely for the dance floor! There are 2 unreleased tracks from myself on there I am really excited about; they remain nameless for now but I am happy with the sound! Also there are unreleased gems from my friends Matter, Roger Martinez & Alex O’Rion which are fantastic!
My Recommendations
The top track in my DJ wallet currently is:
Roger Martinez – Songlines [Higher States]
If I could recommend only one of my tracks for you to listen to it would be:
If I could recommend only one track for you to listen to it would be:
My favourite Balance compilation is:
Balance 005 – James Holden
The last movie I watched that I really liked:
Bohemian Rhapsody
My favourite TV show:
Game of Thrones
If I could choose anyone to compile a Balance comp it would be:
Cid Inc
Tracklist
1. Mike Griego – Pelican [Plattenbank]
2. Budakid & Westseven – Quixotic [Esteble remix] [When we Dip XYZ]
3. Embliss – Lone Wolf [Matter remix] [Proton Music]
4. Roger Martinez – Songlines [Higher States]
5. Forerunners – Off Word [Lowbit]
6. GMJ – ID
7. D-Nox & Beckers – Polyacid [Navar remix] [Beat Boutique]
8. Artfaq & Ezequiel Arias – Babel [Replug]
9. GMJ – ID
10. ID – ID [Alex O’Rion deep dub mix] [ID]
