Considering that it all started in Yorkshire back in 1971, it has been hell of a ride for someone that is now one of Belgium’s favourite DJs. CJ (Christian Jay) Bolland, moved to Antwerp at the tender age of 3, and just over a decade later, he was well on his way to becoming the producer, remixer and DJ that we’ve grown to know so well.

“It all started in Antwerp, when I had the opportunity to show my wares on a local radio show (“Liaisons Dangereuses”), which was just me churning out stuff that I was enjoying listening to, but loving every minute of it,” he said, as he touched down in Australia for Belfast on NYE. But it was from the radio show, that his biggest break came. “Someone recorded some of what we’d been playing, sent it to R&S, they liked it, and invited me to check out the R&S lab… and things really began happening. I would spend the next five or so years with Renatt, and they were some of the most productive days of my career.”

In no time, CJ became regarded as one of the true monsters of the techno sound, and he would make his imprint on the late 80’s. On a personal level though, rather than sitting in awe of the success he was achieving, he was just taking it all in his stride. “In those days, we just didn’t think about it. Cliché perhaps, but we were about the music, and we never thought it would become as successful as it did. We were just kids banging out stuff that was a little different; maybe we did tap into a niche market. Looking back on it though, you realise with hindsight that you [we] were having the most fun ever. It was a blast, and we loved ever minute of it!”

CJ’s music has drawn from diverse inspirations, from the Belgian scene itself, to Neo-Judgment, Art of Noise, to Australia’s own Severed Heads. “The music is experimental and draws on a bit of everything like that – it’s crazy stuff sometimes… different sounds, samples, instrumentation. Non-musically however, my greatest inspiration remains film: I get into a great vibe after them, and can’t wait to get back in there and bang out something new.”

And it’s that inspiration – that fire in his belly that has allowed CJ to remix for some impressive artists; Tori Amos, Prodigy, Moby, to name a few, but according to the Belgian resident – it is those kinds of gigs that are often the hardest. “When you’ve got yourself a big name, a big superstar, it is so much harder to prove yourself. Mixing for Depeche Mode was the ultimate example, and it was such a heavy thing to carry; here I was remixing for a group that I’d looked up to.”

The highlights have arguably been plentiful, and with those highs, CJ likens it to a process that ‘just hits you’. The real clincher was when his hit ‘Sugar is sweeter’ hit #1 in the US. “When it made #1 on Billboard: fuck that’s a pretty big moment. You’re not quite sure of the repercussions, you’re not quite sure what’s going to happen next, nor what’s going to come from it. The money helps big time, gives you a bit more room to move, but you keep thinking “shit, what now…?”

On his website, CJ refers to this period as being somewhat of a confusing time. Commercial realities got in the way of his creative instinct, and the result was a feeling of absolute frustration. “The crossover potential had been made apparent and it became harder and harder for me to make the music I wanted because of record company pressure. The result was that my following two albums never got released due to the lack of a crossover track. I spent nearly four years producing what I consider to be some of my best shit to date and it never got fucking released. It almost destroyed me, but I wasn’t gonna let that happen!” Fed up with the differences with his record company, CJ took things into his own hands and set set up his own label, Mole, providing him with what the ability to take what he calls, ‘a more hands on approach to what happens with my music’.

Moving forward, CJ has got some solid predictions, and he stands by what he stated a few years back as testament to his crystal-ball abilities. “A couple of years ago, I remember calling it with David Haberfield that it was all going to be about electro. Now look at it, it’s the big thing. But in my opinion, its days are numbered,” he says. “From here, music will get harder… slowly, but it will get there, and acid house fits the bill perfectly. There’s lots of minimalist stuff around, and it will ultimately be a repeat of what happened 15 years ago – we’ve well and truly come full circle.”

But for now, CJ is all juiced up and ready to go for NYE at Belfast. It’s not his first time in the land down under however, and he has plenty of fond memories. “Did Belfast a few years back and we had a ball. We went with an old-school theme, playing some old tunes that we wouldn’t normally have played. Best thing was, the crowd loved it.” Not surprisingly, he’s been invited back for more, and there is no doubt the punters are going to make him feel welcome.

Be sure to check out CJ Bolland at Belfast NYE Birthday Bonanza in Melbourne on New Year’s Eve.