RB Exclusive Interview: Julian Jordan on His Youthful Success and Not Taking Life Too Seriously

Julian Jordan took to Stage 7 on the second day of EDC to showcase his amazing talent to the Las Vegas crowd. Being only 20 years old and having his first track signed when he was 16, this is one producer who isn’t messing around. He is best known for his collaboration with Martin Garrix on the track “BFAM” and for the track “Rage”, a collaboration with fellow Dutchmen, Firebeatz and Sander van Doorn, which was released in February 2015 and quickly reached the Top 100 on Beatport.

He just recently was signed to the ever impressive Revealed Recordings label, headed up by former number one DJ Hardwell, and he was nice enough to let us sit down and ask him some questions about how it is being so young and to already be traveling world to play his music, as well as some of his upcoming plans.

Julian, you’ve been all over the place lately with your tracks collaborating with some of the biggest names in dance music currently. Martin Garrix, Firebeatz, Sander van Doorn to name some. How does it feel being only 20 years old and having accomplished so much already?

It’s crazy, but it doesn’t feel like accomplishment because they are good friends and we hang out a lot. I’ve known Martin since we went to the same school so we never see each other like colleagues, more like friends. So it’s not really an accomplishment, but it’s definitely crazy being able to do this with friends at 20 years. So that feels like I guess is the accomplishment just that I can do whatever I want and that I can go whatever I want with music.

I believe your first big collab on a track was with Martin Garrix.  How did the idea to collab on a track together start?

Well when I was 14 years old I started sending my music to this forum and Martin was on there as well. We would send tracks back and forth together and that’s when we really started hanging out and working music together. At that time I got signed to a record label and started releasing music over there and they signed both of us and then we just always collaborated like we actually have hundreds of songs together. Then we finally wrote Bfam and that’s like our big track now.

It’s got to be pretty crazy then considering both you and Garrix are here at EDC. Being from the Netherlands, how does this massive festival compare to what you are used to.

Here in the US the crowd is really mixed, everyone loves every genre. In Holland you mainly stick to like house or techno, but I really like the US for the fact that we can play a mixed set.

What is one reason why the European dance scene is better than America?

Uh, I mean that’s hard, cause I really like the dance scene over here. But I don’t think there is something better then here, both crowds on both sides are amazing. No matter where you go they are both amazing.

You’ve just recently gotten your newest track signed to Revealed Recordings, which is different from your usual Spinnin’/Doorn Records. Is it important for you as an artist to try and get tracks signed to different labels?

Yeah I mean it is really important especially these last couple months I’ve been trying to release as many track on different labels because every label has it’s own following so it is good to reach out to these different followings than the same one over and over again.

Do you ever feel that you have to alter your sound in order to fit a certain label better than others?

I listen to my track and I’ll see if it is something that will fit on Revealed or Armada, but I never think about making a track and saying from the beginning this is going to be a track that will fit on this label or this one, I just kinda feel it out.

When you get in the studio, where does your inspiration come from? Any big icons you looked up to as you were growing as a musician?

I really enjoyed Daft Punk and The Prodigy. When I started doing these dirty bass lines I was really thinking about these two guys cause they bring that kinda of rock and electro feel together.

What’s your favorite Daft Punk song?

I really like Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger is one of my favorites, but I also like Daft Funk, which was actually one of my assignments for school was to recreate that song.

So did you play any instruments growing up when you were younger?

Yeah my parents had sent me to a school where I could find my own sound. I grabbed the guitar and it wasn’t my thing, neither was piano, but when I got behind the drum kit I was like alright this is dope.

What’s the one piece of advice you can give to someone who wants to be on the big stage like you one day?

Just do your thing and don’t follow the hype. Never give up when someone gives you negative feedback, it’s a learning process and you need to be proud of it because you made it. If you love what you do you will get better at it and find your own sound in time.

What’s the one piece of advice you can give to someone for life in general?

Don’t take life too seriously.

Anything that you want all of your fans all over the world to know?

I really love your guys’ support and I read all of your messages. It’s awesome to see them come to my shows and support the same vision and goals that I have as well.

Connect with Julian Jordan: Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud