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Q&A: Miller SoundClash 2017 Finalist Jayboo

Representing Brazil in Las Vegas...

The Miller SoundClash finalists are busy preparing for their trip to Las Vegas for the Grand Final. In the lead up, we'll be profiling each of them on the site. You can keep up to date with the Miller SoundClash DJ Competition by following Miller Genuine Draft on Instagram.

Tell us in one sentence who you are and where are you from?

"I'm a music addict from Curitiba, Brazil who loves to create, play, improvise and teach music."

Where did your love of music first come from?

"My uncles had a beach club. When I went there for the first time and saw the DJ performing on a hot dancefloor I found my passion. I remember how magic it was seeing him using music and technology to put people to dance connected with a big sound system and lights. I always liked every kind of electronic device so when the DJs were testing the setup before the night started I was always there to try to understand how it worked and getting the name of the records. That time they played techno and house music and it was when I discovered electronic music."

How long have you been DJing?

"I've been DJing for 15 years."

Do you produce music also?

"Yes. I have more than 70 releases signed as 'Mateus B'. Some labels I’ve signed with include Toolroom, Mr Carter, Materialism, Witty Tunes and Hotfingers. My friends tell me how crazy my creative process is because I’m a plug-in addict and I’m always trying to find new ways to express myself creating music “live” by spinning some buttons.

The Jayboo project started this year with an album called 'Sweet Lips'. It started when I set up a studio in partnership with Drunky Daniels in a co-work space called Radiola Records. I also have experience doing some studio jobs for radio and advertising."

What’s been the highlight of your career so far?

"My first international support brought me a lot of confidence to show me I was in fact, on the right path. In 2006 I delivered a promo to James Zabiela in a party here in Curitiba and he listened to it and gave me a very positive feedback. That night was a turning point for me. First because he just killed the dance floor. That was the first time I saw a DJ using the setup that way. I remember that my big mentor Ilan Kriger bought the Pioneer EFX-1000 and lent it to me, I just got addicted to his kind of performance and I started to improve my performance by doing lots of improvisation and crazy stuff. Years ago I went to a party at Belvedere Beach Club to see James Zabiela playing and the promoter said: “You brought your pendrive right, because I'll try to talk to James to do a b2b."

Tell us about the success as a DJ you’ve had in your own country.

"I’ve been a professional DJ for 15 years so I played in some different projects over these years like with a live vocal, audio visual project and I've held many DJ residencies. I’ve played in 14 states in Brazil.

I’m part of the AIMEC DJ school crew. We have 7 schools in Brazil, a lot of people know me because of my technical skills. I usually teach some workshops and courses around the country and also the biggest electronic music conference in Brazil: RMC - Rio Music Conference bringing musical and cultural knowledge to people.

I also participate in a crew called Radiola which is a successful co-working with 8 studios involved in parties and musical production."

How does it feel to win your local Miller SoundClash competition? Tell us about your experience in the competition so far.

"It’s such a great experience. It’s totally different than the regular gigs because you are putting your skills to test and the people create lots of expectations on stage so you have to use all the cards up your sleeve. Any detail can bring good or bad impressions, being careful on these situations brings lots of insights that can make all the difference. One interesting thing about every competition is: if you are just good in one of the criteria, you probably won’t win. So these steps to take care of every area are a good way to grow and be prepared to be as efficient as possible onstage.

It's too good to see friends and fans giving feedback and motivating me to win the competition. This is priceless and brings a good atmosphere to be prepared for the competition."

How much does it mean to you to have made it to this stage of Miller SoundClash?

"It’s an incredible opportunity for me to showcase my DJing skills, meet people, make new contacts, expand my network and represent my country, all made possible by this fantastic event brought together by Miller."

How do you plan to stand out over the other DJs in Las Vegas? How will you be preparing for the finale?

"Using every skill I’ve learned throughout my career with a big dose of focus and determination to try to understand the competition, the judges and showing them the best of my skills: an energetic set with a lot of creativity and improvisation."

What makes you unique compared to the other international finalists?

"My play style is unique because I’m considered to be a charismatic and positive person who tries to transfer these values to my music using a lot of improvisation and creativity. Once, I read a sentence in a book which changed my life: “The artist’s performance is directly connected to his personality. Understanding who you are allows you to express the best of you.”

Las Vegas is the EDM capital of the USA, with major DJs playing every weekend. If you could meet and hang out with one of these DJs in Vegas, who would it be and why?

"Richie Hawtin, because he is a legend and has his own style. He became an inspiration for me since the first time I saw him playing."

Who from dance music’s elite do you most respect and take inspiration from?

"James Zabiela"

How important is it for competitions like Miller SoundClash to give aspiring DJs the chance to show their talent to the world?

"It’s very good because we have tons of big talents who are trying to show their skills to people but sometimes didn’t find the right way. So these kind of opportunities help the electronic music scene to grow, because every DJ who tried to enter the competition acquired some kind of experience, winning or not."

Tell us a bit about your home country - how is the electronic music scene where you are from?

"I’m from southern Brazil, Erechim, Rio Grande do Sul. When I lived there that city didn’t have any electronic music scene so I moved to Curitiba around the early 2000’s because some relatives had a night club and also to start the music production course at AIMEC DJ school. In Curitiba the scene is quite big, we have lots of good parties with the biggest artists. We are very close to Balneário Camboriú which has the 2 most well known clubs in Brazil (Warung and Green Valley). Curitiba’s administration also provides a huge cultural support which brings some good events to town, such as the electronic carnival: it’s like an electric trio on the street. I played on the first edition, and it was awesome!"

Keep up to date with Jayboo and all the Miller SoundClash finalists by following Miller Genuine Draft on Instagram.