It’s been rather thrilling to watch the rise of former Canberra boy James Cayzer to global stardom as his DJ and production alter ego Jaytech with the Australian export growing by leaps and bounds every time we speak to him for an interview. This time our chat is around his July club tour but we also touch on returning in September with label bosses Above & Beyond, the art of the support DJ slot and the trials of ‘making it’ as an Australian DJ.

The last time you spoke with us we were talking about your base in Berlin and your time there. Is it still your indefinite base? Does it feel like home yet?

To be honest I’m only there about one week a month at the moment, as I’ve been travelling a lot, so I haven’t been involved much with anything going on there. I’m going to get to spend some more time in Berlin over the summer festival season in August, so very much looking forward to that. Ultimately I still have no idea where I’ll end up…depends how the rest of the year plays out I guess.

Making the move overseas is obviously a big call for any person, not just a producer, how does the environment in Europe compare to the one in Australia when it comes to the dance/EDM landscape? What does it offer you that living in Australia couldn’t?

The greatest advantage is obviously proximity to the rest of the global dance music scene, namely Europe and the USA. Over the rest of the year I’ll be bouncing back and forth between the two a lot, so at the moment it’s not really viable for me to be based in Australia. All things considered, I’m quite lucky that I manage to get back down under as often as I do. Coming home is a real reward for me, a kind of incentive to get through all my travels in one piece.

Obviously you decided to make the leap and relocate overseas but do you think that it’s a necessary move for other DJs and producers who might beginning to build a profile? Or can the Australian scene sustain up and coming acts?

I think as an Aussie DJ you need to pick a market and stick with it, at least initially. I was always looking overseas right from day one, and that’s worked really well for me, but as a result I only cover the Australian market two or three times a year. I think it is possible to do really well as a DJ in Australia, but you have to put in the hard yards. I remember Mark Dynamix used to play up seven gigs a weekend!

One perk is obviously you’re in the northern hemisphere’s summer season right now, how’s that going for you? Is it a case of getting out and smashing it every weekend while the punters are up for it?

Ha, I was in the northern hemisphere until I headed back down under where I am now freezing my butt off! But yes, when I get back to Europe in August there’s great stuff happening every weekend. I’m going to be playing the Tomorrowland and Dance Valley festivals in Belgium and the Netherlands respectively. I’m also doing the Audiotistic Festival in California and giving a music production seminar while there. Towards the end of August I’m returning to Ibiza which, after last year, I am super excited about. Then it’s back to the US for New York’s Electric Zoo festival. It’s going to be an insane month I think.

Now that you’re in Australia enjoying the winter chill, how has the return home been so far and what’re you looking forward to about the shows here?

I’m super excited about seeing my family and friends. My little nephew Eli is turning one year old, so it’ll be great to be home to celebrate it with him. I’ll be doing a 3+ hour set at Chinese Laundry in Sydney and also playing The Met in Brisbane for the first time. I’m also looking forward to working on my new album in the downtime.

Jaytech Music Podcast #42