Balance Selections 257: Jody Barr

Jody Barr is a name you’ll no doubt find familiar. Whether through his music electrifying the dance floor in a Sasha or Laurent Garnier set, through the airwaves via George Fitzgerald on Radio 1, or at one of his own gigs at the likes of fabric’s Room 1, Space Ibiza, Bunker in Derry; the Welsh producer has already carved his mark deep into the musical landscape.

Packing a serious arsenal of studio hardware, this predigious talent has a vibrant catalogue showcasing the variety of his output. He is equally at home with melodic techno, acid and broken beats, such as on his releases ‘Teriyaki Donut’ and ‘Telepathic Seduction’ on James Zabiela’s Born Electric imprint. He has also joined Sasha’s Last Night On Earth roster with the uplifting yet groovy ‘Marlon Brando’ EP, and currently on Balance Music with there ‘Blue Rain’ EP.

Jody’s productions continue to garner support from the worlds leading DJs such as Black Coffee, Alan Fitzpatrick, Joris Voorn, John Digweeed, Hernán Cattáneo, Anthony Pappa, and more.

The future looks bright for the the talented artist with more exciting new releases in the pipeline.

Balance Selections 257: Jody Barr

Tracklisting:

Jody Barr – Mera (Beatless Version)
Jody Barr – ID
Jody Barr – ID
Jody Barr – ID
Jody Barr – ID
Jody Barr – Blue Rain
Jody Barr – ID
INXS – Never Tear Us Apart (Jody Barr Remix)
Jody Barr – Mera (Club Mix)
Jody Barr – Second Vale
Sunscreem – Perfect Motion (Jody Barr Remix)

Balance Selections Q+A

Name: Casey Jones
Location: Wales, UK
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Alias/Producer name: Jody Barr / DUFAUX
Labels affiliated with: Last Night On Earth, SUDBEAT, Atlant, Kneaded Pains, Balance Music

My last 3 releases:

Jody Barr – Blue Rain EP

Hernan Cattaneo & Jody Barr – Airglow EP

Made By Pete & Just Her – The Tide (Jody Barr Remix)

What music did you listen to as a child?

I was pretty lucky I grew up in a household with what I would class as good music taste. The likes of Simple Minds to Jean Michel Jarre and Talking Heads were regularly playing. My dad was also a drummer in a band so I guess I got my love of music and percussion through him.

When was the first time that you realised that you liked electronic music?

I have always loved electronic music for as long as I can remember, it was always the natural path. It moved from that Jean Michele Jarre sound to the Prodigy and Leftfield in the later years and so on. There was a turning point after hearing ‘Xpander’ and BT’s ‘IMA’ album that i gravitated towards the sound which has led me to today.

When was the first time you saw a DJ in a club?

God bless the fake ID days. No doubt it was probably a dodgy transaction via Bebo, MSN or something that led to me getting my hands on a fake students union ID. Regardless, it worked and I somehow managed to bypass security into a Sasha gig once. Hearing the music I had been obsessed with in a live environment with that calibre of DJ for the first time changed my musical life.

Which producers/artists/acts inspire you?

I still love the generation of artists such as Sasha/Digweed etc. I still look up to these artists and draw inspiration. It’s the benchmark all us smaller artists try to attain eventually in our careers. The level of consistency over the years and contribution to the scene has been phenomenal. There’s many artists I love such as Robag Wruhme, Lee Burridge, Maribou State, Christine and the Queens, Metronomy. The list goes on and on.

What was the last album that you downloaded/bought?

It was Christine and the Queens ‘Paranoia, Angels, True love’. I’ve been a super fan of this artist since the beginning. I have this infatuation with 80’s synth wave and experimental pop music. My attachment to an artist stems from not just their music but the artistic vision. It’s hard to verbalise, but all I can say is this artist blows my mind.

I love all kinds outside of the house and techno world. I also downloaded Kendrick Lamar’s latest Mr.Morale album too.

What is your current production and DJ set up like?

Setup is centred around Ableton. I write a lot in the box with software via my laptop then transfer to the studio when things need to be finished and polished which includes both hardware and software.

I use 3 x CDJ’s and mixer (Xone 92 or Pioneer Nexus)

What releases do you have on the horizon?

I have a few records coming out very soon. Including ‘Blue Rain’ on Balance of course, along with something on Einmusika, and another label which I’m not sure if I can announce yet, so my lips are sealed.

Tell us more about the podcast you made for Balance?

I had a vision of creating a journey of my own unreleased records and remixes, something of which I’ve never done before. Starting with more groovy and dubby textures which later builds into a more driving and tougher sound. It’s been a creative game of chess seeing this body of work come together. It was all done using Ableton live.

Standout tracks are for the listener to decide but ‘Blue Rain’ is a personal favourite.

My Recommendations

The top track in my DJ wallet currently is:

Jody Barr – Blue Rain

If I could recommend only one of my tracks for you to listen to it would be:

Jody Barr – Second Vale