DJ LIFE catches up with Jauz, who continues to win over fans with a flurry of original tracks, collabs and remixes.
During his near-decade in the electronic-music spotlight, Jauz has rightly been lauded as one of genre’s unique young talents. Known for his original sound designs, gut-busting bass beats, and rampaging sets at some of North America’s top festivals and clubs, Jauz has won over fans with a flurry of original tracks, collabs and remixes.
Another successful grad of the L.A.-based ICON Collective Music Production School, Jauz – aka Sam Vogel, 30 – broke out big in 2014 with the bass-house anthem, “Feel the Volume.” He then followed up with remixes like his groovy 2016 collab with Diplo on MØ’s “Final Song” and his spooky 2019 take on SHAED’s “Trampoline,” plus original tracks like 2022’s manic “Mercy” (with Masked Wolf) and 2023’s housey “Lights Go Out.” Though he’s always displayed a versatility with genres, his boombastic live sets of bass/dubstep-heavy material became his trademark.
In 2024, Jauz is set to flip the script a bit. In the wake of “Teardrops,” his new ethereal, breakbeat single released on his Bite This! imprint, he’s embarking on a novel tour. The Wise Vs. Wicked 2024 Tour will play 12 shows in seven North American cities, and most cities will include two dates – one house-leaning “Wise” show and one bass-leaning “Wicked” show. We caught up with Jauz pre-tour to discuss it all.
DJ LIFE: The new single “Teardrops” seems to represent your further evolution as a DJ/producer. For some fans, it’s bit of a departure from the huge, crunchy bass vibes you’ve become known for. What was your approach to this tune?
Jauz: I’ve always had a ton of influence from garage/UKG and breakbeat ever since the inception of the Jauz project. And if you look back at a lot of my earliest records, that influence is way more present than in the records most people might know or remember of mine. So, while it might feel different or new comparatively, to me it feels like something I’ve always had an affinity towards making and it felt great to revisit.
DJ LIFE: For you, are there more melodic and perhaps more artistic possibilities with progressive sounds?
Jauz: I think it’s just a natural evolution for myself. The mantra of Jauz has always been “Music Has No Boundaries,” so I was always going to keep pushing myself to different areas of music, whether it be more melodic, more heavy, etc. I also won’t lie – I think the older I get, the more I gravitate towards writing music with more “substance,” whether that be melodics, vocals, and so on. But at the same time, I just put out an album of all heavy-ass dubstep and drum-n-bass records, and I’ll always bounce between making stuff that’s aggressive, melodic, for the club, for festivals, for your headphones. That’s how I’ve always been and always will be.
DJ LIFE: For your tour, you’re offering fans both sides of your artistic approaches. What was the thinking there? And what should fans expect when you’re mixing the two sounds on some dates?
Jauz: There are a few dates – New York, for example – where I’ll be doing two sets in one night. But the goal with the tour is that each show is completely separate from one another – different songs, different visuals, different vibes. I just got back from the first weekend in Philadelphia and a lot of kids after the second show came up and said they had been to both nights, and how cool it was to see two totally different shows in the same room by the same artist. That reaction is exactly my goal.
DJ LIFE: Can’t beat that…
Jauz: I’ve always had these two polarizing sides to my sound, on top of everything that lives in the middle. So it’s been really fulfilling to finally give them each their proper space to live in. And after this, we, of course, will have tons of “real Jauz” shows lined up where you’ll get a completely different experience to either of these two, as well.
DJ LIFE: Talk about your relationship with your fans. Back in 2018, you were voted Amercia’s Best DJ and garnered massive fan support. How do you stay connected with your fans? How do they motivate you?
Jauz: The fans are the only reason I have a job, why I’m able to do what I love most for a living, why I’m able to put a roof over my daughter’s head. They don’t owe me anything, so the fact that after all this time they still come to shows, stream the music, buy the merch, etc., is really just mind-blowing to me. Obviously as I’ve gotten older, things have changed a bit. For example, I don’t always have time to stay behind after a show and take 150 pictures because I’m almost always taking the first flight in the morning back home. That said, I still try to do just about everything I can to make sure that the fans know how much I appreciate them, just like I always have.
DJ LIFE: What’s your production process? Do you have a ritual? Or is it something that happens when the inspiration hits?
Jauz: I’ve never really had a routine or a ritual. I just go into the studio every day and try to have fun, and hopefully something productive comes out of it. I’m a pretty firm believer in letting creativity flow out of you, as opposed to trying to “harness” it. So, having some sort of regimen, to me, would feel a bit counter-intuitive.
DJ LIFE: What’s in your studio? What’s your DAW? Monitors? Do you have fave plug-ins?
Jauz: My studio is a bit of an oxymoron. I have tons of gear, equipment, etc., but 90-percent of the time it’s just me tapping away on my laptop like I’ve done since I was 14. I’ve been producing on Ableton Live for the last 13 years straight. It feels like it’s as much a part of me as my arms and legs are. Currently, I’m using the Genelec 8351A monitors, which I love because of their SAM smart-monitoring hardware that allows me to correct any frequency issues in my studio and get as true of a reference as I possibly can. My main go-to plug-ins are [Xfer Records] Serum, all the Native Instruments plug-ins, the FabFilter Suite, Cableguys products, and a ton of Arturia.
DJ LIFE: How has your studio approach evolved since you began making records?
Jauz: I think the longer I make music, the more I try to focus on just writing a good song, rather than focusing on whether the bass sounds I make are heavy or cool enough. Obviously, sound design is a huge aspect of shaping your unique artist identity, but at the same time I think you can get a bit lost in the sauce. I’ve just tried to streamline everything I do, so it’s as easy as possible for me to come up with good ideas. Once you have that, you can spend all the time in the world tinkering with sounds and effects and stuff.
DJ LIFE: How do you work on your musical collabs? How do the connections happen and how do you execute each project?
Jauz: It’s always so different. Sometimes it’s getting in the studio with a longtime friend. Sometimes it’s DMing back and forth with some kid from across the planet that you’ve never actually met before. I think there are benefits to both. At the end of the day, it’s all about inspiration. If working with someone you’ve known forever helps you get that extra 10-percent out of your creative process, that’s awesome. Or maybe some young up-and-comer sends you an idea that really inspires you and begins a completely new friendship.
DJ LIFE: Which producer/remixers do you most admire and why?
Jauz: Calvin Harris is one of the all-time GOATs to me. It’s not just because every record he makes turns to gold, but because the way he’s always made music is so admirable to me. He doesn’t make pop records for the sake of making a pop record. He makes songs he truly loves, in the styles that feel organic to him, and just because of his talent, they happen to become pop records. In a similar vein, but obviously very different stylistically, I’d say I feel the same way about Chris Lake.
DJ LIFE: In the DJ booth now, what gear do you use?
Jauz: I’m pretty bog standard. Just a pair – or four, if I’m lucky – of CDJ-3000s, a DJM-900NXS2 mixer, and my Pioneer HDJ headphones that I don’t think they even make anymore. If I had to get a new pair, it would probably be the HDJ-CX.
DJ LIFE: How would you describe your style of DJing?
Jauz: Stylistically, it really depends on the set. When I’m playing house music, like a Wise set, everything is completely off-the-cuff, spur-of-the-moment. I’ll have a folder of about 500 songs I’ll scroll through and just find a vibe throughout the night. However, for my heavier sets, like the Wicked Shows or even most “normal” Jauz shows, I really like to create a proper “show” from start to finish. I’ll normally prepare for these shows months ahead of time, meticulously putting songs together like Lego pieces to get the flow of the show and the impactful moments just right. In those shows, I don’t even consider myself a DJ. I’m just an artist performing his live show, and I want every moment of it to feel like it’s there for a reason.
DJ LIFE: Which DJs do you admire and why?
Jauz: I admire guys like Fisher and John Summit so much because they’ve really brought a whole new aspect of performance to a genre of music that has been categorized for a long time by DJs needing to look like they’re too cool for school. They can completely captivate a crowd without using a mic, just from their sheer energy they exude from the booth. I also love watching Tiësto show, not just because he’s a good friend, but because he has such an insane catalog of music – and every time I go to one of his shows, he always surprises me with something. One of my favorite memories is a few times my wife and I have been at shows of his in Vegas, and right in the middle of his set he’ll turn around and ask Joann what song he should play next. He knows she’s a longtime Tiësto fan and knows a lot of his oldest records, and every time she suggests a song, no matter how deep of a cut it is, he always finds a way to mix it in.
DJ LIFE: What impresses you in a DJ? What’s a DJ’s job anymore?
Jauz: To me, it depends on what kind of DJ you’re referring to. An open-format DJ’s job, in my opinion, is to read a room, flip the vibe on a dime, and feed off the energy the crowd is giving you. For myself as a “DJ,” I equate myself much more to a band who’s playing a show than a DJ who’s rocking up to a club. My job is to put on a show that no one else can do the same way I can, share my music in a captivating way, and help broaden the horizons of the kids who come out to the show, maybe help them find a new sound they weren’t listening to before. I’ve never been a very good open-format DJ, so whenever I watch those guys who can really crate-dig and react to a crowd, I’m super-impressed.
DJ LIFE: What are a couple of your favorite venues to DJ and why?
Jauz: Brooklyn Mirage has to be one of the coolest places I’ve ever played. It’s a 5,000-person rave in the middle of New York that looks like some sort of futuristic English castle. It’s just nuts. In a similar vein, I think right up there is also Mission Ballroom in Denver. It’s like they took everything that’s amazing about Red Rocks and put it into a venue, with even better sound and one of the sickest backstage areas I’ve ever experienced.
DJ LIFE: What are three tracks that are always in your DJ box?
Jauz: Some version of [Yeah Yeah Yeah’s] “Heads Will Roll,” [Cascada’s] “Every Time We Touch,” and [Alice Deejay’s] “Better Off Alone.” All three of them have and always will stand the test of time, and always elicit that “hands-up” euphoric moment for any crowd anywhere. They’re just truly undeniable records.
DJ LIFE: Beyond this tour, what’s next for you?
Jauz: We have so much music coming out this year that I’m so excited about. My main focus has been on that and continuing to just create and release as much music as I possibly can this year. Everything that happens after that will take care of itself.
