RoryJames is delivering our first guest mix on the USTM podcast this month. He’s a New York-based DJ and Producer with a more uplifting feel than most DJ’s in the local scene. However, he’s much more than a local artist. Rory has released his own tracks and received support for them by some of the biggest Trance artists in his style such as Sean Tyas, Activa, Jon O’ Bir, and Alex M.O.R.P.H. This year his mix was voted by TranceAddict.com to be their favorite in their DJ Competition, earning the opportunity to play Tomorrowland Festival alongside Ferry Corsten, Simon Patterson, Aly & Fila, Arnej, and Orjan Nilsen. All in the same tent.
Recently, he closed Pacha after the legendary Paul Oakenfold’s performance. What seems to connect those styles is Rory’s influence from 80’s electronic and old-school legends. He cites M.I.K.E., Airwave, and Oliver Lieb as major influences in both his DJ sets and productions.
You can hear it very clearly in his bootleg of Sensu’s “Sunbreeze.” The quirky acids and quickening lead remind me of Lieb’s “Subrastimulation;” I wouldn’t be surprised to hear these two together in one of his sets. “Quake” brings back a lot of that old school flavor in the euphoric pads that seem to fly right out past the speakers. Crisp hihats, a rolling bassline, and that dry yet satisfying feel a lot of us may remember from the old “In Search of Sunrise” series. It even includes the 90’s snare roll drop many of us miss dearly in modern productions. Most go with interval kicks, becoming more spaced out before a silence and a drop. It’s refreshing to hear a newer production that utilizes the old concepts so well.
That style shows more of itself in “Untamed,” a more introspective piece of this American DJ. The droning pads and traditional repetition of the melody over the release makes you feel like you never should have stopped dancing for a drop. Panning stabs come in at the last few minutes which make for a suspenseful feeling that isn’t exactly common in the current scene. “Conscious Greed” breaks out the shakers in the breakdown after the wooden-sounding instruments in the first few minutes to create an intense tribal atmosphere. His most recent remix, of Paul Miller vs. Ronald de Foe “Aqua Virgo,” has his trademark driving kicks washed over by a wave of melody reminiscent of Paul van Dyk.
Armed with a style he’s determined won’t be forgotten, RoryJames is one of those DJ’s that is clearly going to make a name for themselves around the globe. I hope more DJ’s bring back some of these classic touches which inspired them as well.
Bio:
Music speaks louder than words. It is easier to understand RoryJames by the feelings that get expressed through his sound. Inspired mainly by 80’s electronica, along with the trancemasters M.I.K.E., Chris Cowie, Airwave, and Oliver Lieb, Rory has obtained a knowledge high enough to pump out huge tunes while managing to keep distinctiveness not by choice.
After a short time in the studio, Rory’s tunes have already seen the light of day and the dark of club with releases on Metallic Recordings, and Conspiracy Recordings. His tunes have reached the music arsenals of names such as M.I.K.E. Tom Colontonio, Mark Andrez, Activa, Jon O’Bir, Frase, Suzy Solar, John Askew, Eddie Halliwel, Alex M.O.R.P.H, Aly & Fila, and Sean Tyas just to name a few, and the list will inevitably expand even further.
On top of spinning alongside Greg Downey, Mat Zo, DJ Eco, Breakfast, Bissen, and headlining a night at Colombina Night Club in Poland, he had recently embarked on a journey to Belgium to play his first big festival performance after being crowned the winner of the TranceAddict Tomorrowland 2011 Festival DJ Contest. Lined up with the big boys Ferry Corsten, Aly & Fila, Simon Patterson, Arnej, and Orjan Nilsen, Rory got the chance to showcase his skills and tell exactly what he’s all about.
If you get a chance to experience RoryJames behind the decks, expect nothing but the real contents – emotional melodies, driving hi hats, rolling basslines, atmospheric pads, and thumpin kicks. The real trance. The stuff that raises the hair on every centimeter of the body, the uplifting emotional epicness that will leave the listener in a perfect state.
USTM’s TOP 3 TRACKS:
1. RoryJames – Untamed (Original Mix)
2. Suncatcher pres. Sensu – Sunbreeze (RoryJames Bootleg)
3. RoryJames – Quake
Links:
Facebook: RoryJames Facebook
Videos:
Written by Tom Rogers
