TFword in Conversation With John Dee
We had a chat with the German DJ and producer about his latest single, his style of DJing, his journey and lots more.
We had a chat with the German DJ and producer about his latest single, his style of DJing, his journey and lots more.
Surfacing the scene in 2018 as a newcomer with outstanding potential to make his high-energy bass music an exclusive territory of his own, John Dee is a sonic force to reckon with. Having acquired tens of millions of streams on internationally accomplished labels like Viper Recordings, No Copyright Sounds, Future House Cloud and 3000 Bass, John Dee’s music was also featured by UKF, the biggest and most well-regarded bass music imprint in the world.
Along with his palpitating brand of music, John Dee is also a wizard behind the decks. With his unique way of DJing combined with a charismatic stage performance that does not cut short in any way, John Dee has played over a hundred shows a year in almost every club and festival like Bootshaus, Sputnik Springbreak, SonneMondSterne, just to mention a few. He‘s a machine on stage.
Continuing his relentless run of releases, the German DJ and producer has returned to Future House Cloud for his latest single ‘Pump It Up.’ Featuring pace, power and innovation in trademark John Dee style, the single is an ever-growing energy sphere. Following the release, we were keen to know John Dee’s thoughts on ‘Pump It Up,’ how his journey has been over the years, and his style of DJing. So, we sat down with him for a chat, and here is what he had to say:
TF: You have been on a roll this year and ‘Pump It Up’ marks another belting release from John Dee. What are your thoughts?
John Dee: Thanks for the kind words; I’m pleased to have this interview! Really looked forward to this song for a long time since it’s smashing the dancefloors ever since I’m playing it out. It’s a perfect example of how I understand bass music. Which is a mix between UK House and Bass House but always 140 BPM or faster, high energy – that’s what it’s about!
TF: What was the inspiration behind writing the tune?
John Dee: I’ve been inspired from a lot of jump-up drum and bass tunes lately and really loving the way the melodies and drops are structured – simple, catchy and very energetic. I wanted to create something similar that fits my taste of energetic bass music. Something that gets you in a good mood but is also banging on the dancefloor. Of course a cover vocal from the well-known “PUMP IT UP” by Danzel makes it super recognisable and helped finish the tune.
TF: Talk us through the high-energy bass music which has now become a John Dee exclusive territory.
John Dee: What makes it exclusive is the unique mix between fast Bass- and UK House and Drum and Bass. There is two ways to look at it. For one it’s my live shows which combine the genres mentioned beforehand with fast-pace mixing, elements of real DJing like live mixing acapellas, double dropping and using self-made mashups that are exclusively for my shows to make everything very very smooth. On the production side I always focus on having catchy vocals and or melodies with big drops and a sound that is recognizable. For me, it’s not about having that one sound. It’s more about the way my songs are done.
TF: Right from your first release in 2018 to your mind-bending music in 2023, how do you think your style has evolved over the years?
John Dee: Haha that’s a very good one! I always had a f-genres mindset (pardon my french). Just making good music, developing sounds, not putting myself in a box. I have to resonate with the music I make, while the judgement on what’s good is not up to me. I make it when I feel it and then let the world decide what they think of it.
I think my style kind of stayed the same while evolving in the quality of production and sound design. Gotta give shoutouts to BLVCK CROWZ who is one of my best buddies in music and life. He helped me improve a lot on sound design and has an approach to production which inspired me a lot. Going very fast paced and having rules like not visiting a session more than three times so you do not ‘destroy’ the initial idea.
TF: How did the John Dee journey begin?
John Dee: It was twelve years ago and I must have been like 14 years old. I started being a resident DJ on a small German internet radio station as a newcomer. The music I played back then was waaaay different but the idea to play music I love and show it to an audience to inspire them is still the same. Then I started playing a lot of shows at a quite young age of 16 in the area where I grew up. I lived in a very small 12.000 souls town in east Germany with literally no big noticeable cities around. But we had a lot of small to medium size parties, and open airs in the summer.
Back then I played an EDM sound, it was the beginning of the electronic music boom in 2013. What really helped me was that I’ve been the only one not playing Tech- or Deep House in that area. That helped me grow a small fanbase, from that point on it took me around five years to play my first festivals, build a network, get a local booking agent and get deeper into music production.
For that time period it was a 24/7 grind for me, I’ve quitted my studies and decided that I’m gonna be a musician no matter what. Lived with my parents for a couple of years and build up until the point that I could afford an apartment in Leipzig. Could barely cover my rent and food but I just wanted it so much that I’ve sticked to it and believed in myself. Which proved to be the right thing. Always believe in yourself, YOU and only YOU can make happen whatever you want!
TF: How do you approach your DJ sets?
John Dee: With the mission to get smiles on people’s faces. For me, it’s mostly about making people happy and making sure I can do that best and that needs lots and lots of preparation. Doing special edits and mashups for shows, so that transitions are smooth and to make sure to keep the energy up. I also play a lot of unreleased music from myself and my friends, which makes the set even more unique. But it’s not like I have a certain playlist I repeat over and over again. All the preparation just helps me do my best and I can vary a bit depending on crowd reaction; I’m still me and it’s certainly within a limit. But just changing the order in which you play the songs or squeezing one in between can make a huge difference.
TF: What are John Dee’s tour essentials?
John Dee: I like to travel very light with just one big backpack including everything I need for being in hotels for multiple days. Though I have a special area in this bag for merch like flags, stickers and wristbands – I love to give some small things to people who talk to me after the shows.
TF: What’s coming next for John Dee?
John Dee: We are in the middle of a super incredible festival summer and there are still some shows ahead I’m very much looking forward to. If I had to mention only two I’d say Blacklist Festival in Oberhausen, Germany and SonneMondSterne Festival in Saalburg, Germany are the ones that I’m extra excited to play. In terms of releases, we got one song lined up almost every month with super cool people I met along the way. I feel like I’m just at the beginning and that feels never really goes away. Thanks for the questions and don’t forget to take at least a peek to the new song ‘Pump It Up’. See y’all at the dancefloors!
John Dee ‘Pump It Up’ is out on all platforms via Future House Cloud
