Joey LaBeija's music reflects his state of being. His last EP, Shattered Dreams, was a ferocious, dark and roiling project laced with anger and aggression. For Joey, it was an outward expression of a difficult period in his life. Today, the Bronx-born producer and DJ debuts his latest EP, Violator. The project is a triumphant return to the New York club scene, a place that built, broke and rebuilt the artist time and time again. A brash mix of distorted rhythms rooted in ballroom, trance, house and techno, it is Joey's reclamation of the club as a place of moshing, madness and letting go.
Ahead of the release, we chatted with Joey about what the project meant to him. You can listen to Violator and see what he had to say about the making of the EP below.
What inspired your lead single, "XXXcuse Me"?
Violator, as a body of work, is about reclaiming and reviving club culture. "XXXcuse Me" was inspired by feeling like you’re the only person in the club that wants to go absolutely buckwild while everyone is invested in being a wall flower, a common issue I’ve found myself in over the last few years living here.
How is 'Violator' a progression from the 'Shattered Dreams' EP?
I was in a really dark place when I was writing Shattered Dreams. It was also my first project so I wanted to not only get deeper and more personal with the music but show the people that follow my work that I could make more than just a dance tune.
Violator is my revenge, the anger that came from the sadness I went through during the time I was writing Shattered Dreams. Although the two bodies of work are very different, Violator definitely picks up where Shattered Dreams left off.
The production is almost violently atmospheric. How do you capture that soundscape?
I’ve always been a daydreamer, so when I’m working on music I come up with a sonic sketch with layers of melodies/sound and no drums. I’ll let it play on loop while I close my eyes and create practically an entire movie in my head until the rest of the sounds come to me. Creating music that tells just as much of a story as it would with a vocalist is so important for me so I’m constantly pushing myself to figure out new ways to convey messages, stories and emotions without getting bored.
I’m also not a producer that can work on five songs at once. I’d rather sit in the studio for 12 hours working on one song until it’s as close to finished as possible, and then let that track inspire the next song. Each song on Shattered Dreams and Violator were actually made in the order that they are on the track listing. I didn’t plan this at all, the stories just so happened to sound perfect beginning to finish in the way they were created.
What does New York represent for you?
New York is like an abusive relationship that you don’t want to leave. Growing up here, I learned to be a savage very early on and I’ve been told, “ you’re so New York” for as long as I can remember. This place will break you down and build you up more times in a week than you can handle let alone imagine. Monday will be the greatest day you’ve had in months only to be ruined Tuesday morning when you’re crying in the bathroom at work for God knows what reason.
This place makes you so strong, but also (secretly) vulnerable and I’m so thankful for being raised here because I don’t think I would be a fraction of the person I am today if I grew up somewhere else. Today, New York has me questioning if I even want to be here anymore. It has become so sterile and the nightlife is hanging on by a thread. Still, there is no where else in the world quite like here. These are things that fueled the music on Violator, and I’m not very sure what my music would sound like if I moved elsewhere, or if this album would even exist to be honest.
How does the ballroom scene influence your music? What do you take from it and what do you change?
Ballroom music can be very feel good while being violent and aggressive. At the same time, I think you hear a lot of that in my music. Still, I like to transcend genres and categories. I want to see people mosh pitting, voguing, making out and losing all inhibitions - all under the same roof.
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