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After having the chance to listen to his live sets and various venues around town, we asked local DJ Scott James if we wanted to pose in front of our lens. Following an extensive set of studio photography, we decided it was his turn to answer our questions.

Thorium : We’ve noticed a change lately in your music from progressive to more big room. Can you explain to us this shift in style?

Scott James: This change in sound primarily stems from my change in timeslots. Over the last two years I have been receiving more and more peak time slots where I can really play a lot of big tunes. I still play a very groovy and progressive sound but now you will only hear it I am warming up the night or playing extended set of 5 or more hours.

Thorium : How did you get into DJing and what made you stick around for so long?

Scott James : I got into DJing my first year at McGill University. I was playing varsity lacrosse at the time and one night a fellow teammate was throwing a party. At this party he had old vinyl turntables set up and I started to play around them. After what I thought was 5 minutes turning out to be 3 hours, I right then and there decided I need a pair of decks. I ended up getting my first cdjs in 2007 and immediately started hauling them around the McGill ghetto every weekend to play all my friends house parties. It’s really from the university crowd did I build a following and eventually integrated into the Montreal scene. I was eventually picked up by Circus Afterhours as a resident and haven’t looked back since.

Thorium : You played your first festival last October, the main event of Black and Blue in Montreal. How different was it to play for such a massive crowd as opposed to your more intimate gigs? 

Scott James : Black and Blue was a phenomenal opportunity for me and I am happy to have been apart of it. Getting a gig of that magnitude really developed me as an artist and since then I have really been able to mature and hone in on the sound I want to put out. Regardless of festival or club, getting to play in front of a large audience is always exhilarating. I’d say the only difference is that a club atmosphere is more social where people drink, socialize and party rather than a festival where people will dedicate their whole day/night to getting full on crazy.

Thorium : You’re scheduled to play the Escapade Festival in Ottawa at the end of June. This will be your second festival but of a very different nature than Black and Blue. How are you going to tailor your sound for a day gig? 

Scott James: Day gigs usually need to have a more upbeat and bright sound depending on the event. Although I’m more known for a heavier and darker progressive house, there are a lot of bright tunes in my collection that I’m actually very eager to play at this festival. I like to think of it as letting it all out, playing really what I like and to keep the dance floor moving.

Thorium : Any DJ you look up to and that heavily influences you both in your producing and your DJing? 

Scott James: For those that know me, they know that I am kind of a Toolroom Knights Fanboy! Since the beginning I’ve always been a fan of Mark Knight, Funkagenda and Paul Thomas. One of the very first beatport records I ever bought was their track “Arena” in 2008, since then I have followed them ever since. There is just something about the progressive techno sound that I really dig, and I hope one-day beatport will eventually coin a new genre for this “ProgNo” sound.

Thorium : You come from the west side of Canada, how different is Montreal from where you grew up? Did this city have an influence on your sound? 

Scott James: Montreal is a rocking city! This is why I decided to permanently move here after I finished my degree in 2010. I find the city very liberal, forward thinking, and cultured. From a DJ standpoint, the city is very open musically and it allows you to really take the road less traveled. I really have no fear testing out tunes in Montreal, as I know that the crowd is much more open compared to other cities.

Thorium : If you could pick one event or club anywhere in the world to play, where would it be?

Honestly playing in any club in Ibiza is the goal of any DJ. In my opinion, playing in Ibiza, shows that you have reached the pinnacle of business. To me, what Ibiza is for DJs is what Broadway is for actors. Secondly there is another club that I’ve heard tons about and am dying to see one day is Berghain in Berlin. It’s a very big warehouse style dark techno club and from the photos I’ve seen looks like an awesome place to play.

 

We hope you learned more about one of our most promising Montreal locals and would like to thank Scott James for his time.

Author: Michael Chidiac

Photography equipement: Nikon D7000, 2x SB-900, Orbis Ring Flash Adapter.

To know more : Scott James