Jay Harlin

Jay Harlin, a "DJ and music producer living in the UK," who has been DJing for about twenty years and producing for around eight produces "house music [and to put it into a category] I'd say progressive house and future house/bounce styles." He would describe his own sound as "uplifting? Europhoric? I don't have a sound as such, I have sounds that I like and I try to take elements from them to make my own. I love real instruments, but if I had to say anything then I'd either go for a dark, aggressive sound (if I'm in a mood!) but I love vocal tracks. It's just difficult to find good singer-songwriters to work with."

He started playing UK garage on various London pirate stations, and from then, he knew it was his only goal. He then moved on, starting to play various bars and clubs, then electro house and others styles. "I fell in love with dance music."

Most inspired by DJ EZ because "of the way he uses the decks like an instrument with effects combined. I loved what he did with a few tracks and I wanted to learn. Production-wise, I'd say Calvin Harris has to be right up there. The guy is so musically free and talented. This is a hard thing because I'm inspired by so many."

"I have no favourite part of being a musician. I love the feeling when the inspiration hits, when I learn something new and when I feel the emotion in something I've made. I love listening to music and I'm grateful that I have the creativity to do it." However, there are, inevitably, difficult parts to being a musician, "for me, I find my biggest issue is mixing and mastering. A lot of music listeners don't realise, but a producer will create an idea and arrange a song. Musically it can be perfect but if it doesn't right to the ear then it just flops..."

Undeniably, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected everybody - but people in the music industry specifically are facing difficult times. With lockdown, it has been impossible for them to play live shows and therefore earn money, and with social distancing guidelines now being put into place, it is also hard for them to play a venue. "[COVID-19's effects] have been so bad. Music is being made with nobody DJing it to crowds, so getting a track to grow is hard. Everyone should know by now (but I am sure that some don't) that the money in music is made mainly from performances - unless you're Calvin Harris and you write, produce and sing the track, then it's commercial plays that stack the money." Jay then continues to lament, "the UK's nightlife scene has already fallen in the last ten years, and unfortunately this could make it a whole lot worse."

Jay Harlin in the studio