Eskimo (DJ)

Eskimo (DJ Junya)
Birth name John Ford
Born (1985-07-24) July 24, 1985
Origin England, UK
Genres Psychedelic trance, electronic rock, hard house , Future House
Occupation(s) DJ
Musician
Producer
Years active 2003 – present
Labels Phantasm
Notable instruments
Nord Lead Synth

Eskimo (DJ Junya) is an English Psychedelic Trance DJ and producer, son of John Ford (also known as John Phantasm and owner of Phantasm Records).

Early career

Inspired by his father John Phantasm (and consequently the music he heard playing at home when he was young), Eskimo started producing his own music in the studio from the age of 9 but did not begin DJing worldwide until he was 13. Wrapped up in the life of DJing, Eskimo did not return to the studio until he was 15, which was when he 'wanted to get back into the producing part of it since the music was getting more technical'. Not until then did he start producing under the name of Eskimo. The name was chosen because it bears no connection 'to the product'.[1] At age 17 he released his first album Can You Pick Me Up.

Eskimo’s tunes begin to show up in the sets of psy trance DJs across the globe. By the time he performed his first live set, his repertoire had trebled. His many remixes from this time - some still unreleased due to copyright wrangles - included Infected Mushroom and Skazi, but it was his unofficial remix of The Prodigy "Voodoo People" that was most popular.

In summer 2004, Eskimo released his second artist album "Take A Look Out There" which included the well-known "Party Pooper", a track sampling the police shutting down a free party. November 2005 saw the release of Balloonatic Part One. Balloonatic Part Two followed in September 2006.

Influences

Alongside his father, Eskimo has been inspired by a number of well-known artists:[2]

Current projects

The Megaband

Eskimo is currently working on a project called 'The Megaband' which involves a collaboration with Israeli psy-trance duo Void (Oren Emanuel & Tamir Regev).[3] After realising that they viewed music in the same light, John, Oren and Tamir worked together in the studio under a new name and co-produced their first track 'MTV' (Hello Moto), which was subsequently released in Void's Music With More Muscle compilation album. MTV received a very positive reception and was regularly played on some of the world's most renowned dancefloors throughout 2008. Thanks to its popularity in both clubs and YouTube,[4] The Megaband firmly placed their name on the map.

Drawing influences from the likes of The Prodigy, Justice, The Sex Pistols and Led Zeppelin,[5] The Megaband's style combines a multitude of genres, ranging from electronic rock and electro to punk rock. Some fans have been critical of The Megaband's new style; it is understood that these fans expected to hear sounds similar to the psy-trance that Eskimo and Void are well known for, whereas The Megaband never intended to sound like this.

The Megaband's debut album, Propaganda, is yet to be released and has been long-promised. However, an official release date has now been set for April 2010. The 'music' page on their website includes short playable demos and gives an indication of the tracks that could be seen on the album.

Balloonatic Part 3

Eskimo is also working in the studio to complete Balloonatic Part 3, the final part of his Balloonatic series. He has informed fans that 'Part 3 will be Eskimo vs. all the best acts that Israel has to offer' and it will bear 'absolutely no connection to the 1st or second part'.[6] The release date of this is currently unknown.

Lets Be Friends

Apart from The Megaband Eskimo and Void also have the electro project Lets Be Friends who released their first EP called "EP 1" in January 2013. They have since gained international recognition and been signed to Monstercat.

JOYRYDE

In 2015, Eskimo primarily produced bass-heavy house music solo under the name JOYRYDE. He has released all free downloads so far, such as "Flo" and "Speed Trap".

Discography

Studio albums

Collaborations

Upcoming

External links

References

  1. ↑ "Phantasm's Prodigal Son". Retrieved 2008-05-28.
  2. ↑ "Eskimo - 4clubbers Interview". Archived from the original on 2008-06-10. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
  3. ↑ "The Megaband - The Band". Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  4. ↑ "The Megaband - MTV". Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  5. ↑ "Facebook - The Megaband (Official) fan page". Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  6. ↑ "Eskimo - Featured Interview". Retrieved 2008-05-27.
  7. ↑ "The Megaband - News Release". Retrieved 2010-03-08.
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