Sharam Jey is a well-established and well-experienced dance producer from Cologne, Germany. Jey released his first two studio albums back in the early 90s, and since then has been around the world and back (not many could say they've played a New Year's Eve party in Cairo, Egypt).
Jey carries a wealth of bangers and feel-good jams, clocking in over a 100 releases on his Soundcloud (You should see this guy's Wikipedia discography). Not to mention the numerous remixes he's done for stars like Moby, Gossip, Faith No More, Diplo, and Roisin Murphy.
Then, when he began his label, Bunny Tiger, in 2012, it was named among Beatport's Top 10 Labels the following year, and easily established itself as a go-to destination for g-house and dance fans alike. Jey's affinity for re-working classic hip-hop samples into deep house, g-house, and nu-disco continues to be a remarkable feat.
Sharam Jey will be gracing the stages of HARD Summer Festival again this year, so we have a fun Q&A and thumping 1:30 hour-long mix by him to get you all excited.
EARMILK: We're looking forward to your return to HARD again…Do you have any pre-show rituals? Or post-show rituals?
Sharam Jey: Definitely stoked myself to be playing HARD summer again! If time allows, before I get started I usually just grab a cold drink, join the DJ playing before me and check out the crowd and scenery.
EM: What are your best HARD memories?
SJ: Had a blast playing there last year – vibrant audience, impressive production and loads of good vibes! Couldn't wish for more really…
EM: Are there certain artists you're excited to see perform or reunite with?
SJ: Many in fact! No better occasion I could think of to catch up with buddies I haven't seen in a while or check out other artists and hear some new music.
EM: How does HARD or a festival in the USA compare to festivals out in Europe?
SJ: I generally love playing festivals all around the globe, always a unique experience. When it comes to the subtle differences, I would think that the audience at HARD is particularly open-minded and enthusiastic. Everything is a bit more colorful and you get carried away by the atmosphere the moment you set foot on the festival grounds.
EM: What else do you have planned while in LA?
SJ: LA has pretty much become my North American home since I started touring the US, so I'm really looking forward to hanging out with friends, stopping by the places I love and meeting up with some guys that I would be keen on cooperating with, either personally or in regards to Bunny Tiger.
EM: How do you see the future of g-house? And what it means that Destructo is making music in that vein, while running one of the biggest festivals in LA?
SJ: Of course it's absolutely great to see a mover and shaker like Destructo push this sound in the US from both ends and pave the way! It seems people really got hooked now, so very excited to see this scene grow and be part of it myself!
EM: Can you tell us about your label, Bunny Tiger? Anything new in the works? Any young producers you've got your eye on?
SJ: I started Bunny Tiger about 3 years ago to launch a fully self-directed platform for my own productions/collabs and also for works from homies that I was excited about. The idea was and still is to provide 100% DJ tools. Ever since the launch, the feedback has been massive and everything grew so fast that we also very selectively started taking other producers and young talents on-board. Actually, all this just lead us to the launch of Bunny Tiger Dubs, a new imprint I just set up to extend our sound scope and also showcase intriguing sounds from the tech and deep house spheres. So plenty in the works you can tell!
EM: If you could describe your music in emojis, what would they be?
SJ: If I take a look back at what I recently posted on my socials the most, then this would probably be 'clap', 'hands high' and 'heart'.
EM: Do you have a particular process for sampling? What makes a sample stand out and what's your process for integrating it into your music?
SJ: Definitely an entirely different approach compared to when I work on a fully original piece from scratch. Years of experience certainly got me to evolve and fine-tune my very own sampling style. When I use a sample today, I always try to create something new and balanced from it rather than follow the harsh copy/paste mentality that you see a lot at the moment.
EM: As a veteran in the music scene, what advice would you give to the younger generation? Nowadays, it's such a fight to stay relevant.
SJ: To shine your light through today's mist – take your time working out your own thing rather than just riding waves, be patient, be resilient and stay true to yourself.
Sharam Jey
'Hard Summer Mixtape 2015'
