The prolific New Jersey DJ/producer details the making of his new album, plus drops gems on finding your signature sound, setting yourself up for long-term success and more.
Welcome to Sound Advice, the series spotlighting artists’ creative process and their SoundCloud journey. We’ll get the inside knowledge straight from the source on how musicians, producers and creatives are leaning into everything Next Pro offers to elevate their sound, reach the right audience and catapult their careers. Sound Advice is now available in audio format on the SoundCloud Stories profile.
On this edition of Sound Advice, we sit down with New Jersey’s Junior Sanchez, the prolific DJ, producer and remixer who has come out with hundreds, probably thousands, of records since he began releasing music in the mid-1990s. Junior is probably best known for his big-room house anthems on labels like Defected, Strictly Rhythm and Nervous, but he’s equally at home producing high-octane rock records or diving into his ’80s synth influences when working with Katy Perry and Felix Da Housecat.
Junior has a brand-new album out called, ‘Songprints Vol. 1,’ a big vocal record that finds him leaning into his East Coast influences while collaborating with Grammy Award-winning songwriter Dallas Austin, hip-hop legend Mike Dean, R&B queen Mýa and Jersey Club artist Cookiee Kawaii, among others. We caught up with Junior in Jersey to talk about the making of the new record, how he uses SoundCloud for demos and record label A&R, and his approach to remixing artists from Madonna to Gorillaz. Plus, Junior shares his tips and tricks on how you can shape your own sound and style.
LISTEN TO THE AUDIO EPISODE OF SOUND ADVICE, FEATURING JUNIOR SANCHEZ
LISTEN TO JUNIOR SANCHEZ'S , 'SONGPRINTS VOL. 1'
THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE OF SOUND ADVICE
- The making of Junior Sanchez's latest album, 'Songprints Vol. 1,' and where he got the concept, as well as the backstory behind the project's name.
- Collaborating with Grammy Award-winning producer Dallas Austin, from first planting the seeds for the project in 2019 to navigating working together on the album during the pandemic.
- Junior shares the backstory of how he and Lauren Hashian bonded in the studio after their first time meeting, underscoring the importance of finding common ground with one another and forging strong connections with the people you are collaborating with.
- Junior opens up about how producers Todd Terry and Louie Vega - who both have deep roots in the freestyle genre - gave their co-sign for his collaboration with Lauren Hashian, "Speed It Up," and why that meant so much to him.
- Drawing from his foundational influences, such as house, freestyle and disco, as a source of inspiration and as a guide informing how he crafts his own signature sound.
- Insights into having a hands-on approach when it comes to working with different vocalists, offering adice to up-and-coming producers to have patience, not rush the creative process and let artists be themselves (especially when working on another artist's music).
- A glimpse into his experiences working with rock bands, such as Action Reaction, Gorillaz, Morningwood and Good Charlotte, to name a few, as well as some of the lessons he learned from his mentor, Armand Van Helden, and from being "the youngest in the room".
- The importance of cultivating your own sonic signature ("sound print"), and insight into how to learn what makes your sound distinctively your own.
- Junior shares insight into how he approaches remixing other artist's music, emphasizing the importance of remixing music you genuinely like, connecting with the original and balancing an artist's intention for a remix with what maks you fulfilled as an artist.
- How Junior uses SoundCloud as a place to curate, organize and store his own music, DJ mixes and demos, from cataloging in-progress tracks and different tracks and different versions to sharing private demos.
- Utilizing SoundCloud for record label A&R, as well as to discover other artists, connect over DMs and receive feedback on song ideas.
- Junior drops gems regarding how to obtain longevity in the music industry, as well as shares technical tips, including the learned art of mixing while you're creating, learning technology, avoiding the temptation to chase trends and setting yourself up for success (both technically and artistically).
- Learning from other artists and how they work, from Mýa to Mike Dean, as well as learning what your strengths and personal interests are when it comes to crafting sounds.
- Commentary on the current state of DJing and what goes into creating memorable moments for fans in today's culture, as well as how Junior balances being adaptive to technology and what audiences want while staying authentic to his own style/voice as both a DJ and producer.
LINKS AND EXTRAS
Follow Junior Sanchez’s journey on SoundCloud.
Listen to Junior Sanchez’s latest collaborations, such as with Mýa, Lauren Hashian, and Mike Dean and Lee Wilson.
Dive into the catalog of one of Junior Sanchez’s longtime mentors and collaborators, Armand Van Helden.
Check out some of Junior Sanchez’s notable remixes, including for the likes of Madonna, Gorillaz, Daft Punk, CHVRCHES and Fcukers, to name a few.
Listen to the Buzzing: Electronic playlist on SoundCloud.
Follow the official Sound Advice playlist on SoundCloud.
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF SOUNDCLOUD
- Learn more about using DMs to connect with fellow artists and potential collaborators.
- Learn more about searching your own Likes on SoundCloud.
- Learn more about using private tracks on SoundCloud.
- Learn more about getting started with Insights on SoundCloud.
- Learn more about Advanced Insights, available to Artist Pro subscribers.
- Learn more about unlimited uploads, available with a Artist Pro subscription.
- Learn more unlocking access to unlimited distribution, available with Artist Pro.
To discover additional features a SoundCloud Artist Pro subscription offers, visit here. To catch up on past installments of Sound Advice and make sure you don’t miss out on future episodes, visit here.
Credits: Hosted by Vivian Host. Executive Produced by Mike Spinella. Produced by KC Orcutt. Audio Engineered by David “DibS”. Coordinated by Trevor McGee.
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