INTERVIEW: DJ Judge Jules on three decades of dominating the airwaves and decks

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Master of the decks, ruler of the airwaves and a legend on the White Isle for almost 30 years, Judge Jules heads to The Factory in Barnstaple. The Ibiza favourite and former BBC Radio 1 presenter told Rosanna Rothery just why the Judge won't budge.

What can we expect from your new material?

One thing I've learnt is to avoid getting too hung up about genres, because musical trends in dance music come and go with the seasons. My sole barometer of good and bad is how tunes work at my gigs.

While you could certainly point in the direction of the influences that my music falls under, which would be trance/EDM with a bit of house, I'd like to think that my unique style avoids the stigma of genres, which ultimately makes things more timeless.

What is signature Judge Jules, would you say?

I guess as a DJ it's a combination of factors, rather than there being one individual facet of me as a performer. My mixing is strong, my track selection fast and furious and I play lots of my own mash ups and versions of things. I'd love to say something a little bit more outlandish but that's about the most accurate assessment.

What's given you such staying power?

I don't think you can fool anybody, you can't fake it. I absolutely love what I do and pour everything into it my heart and soul. These days I might be a music lawyer during the week and just DJ at weekends but it's still a job that takes a massive amount of background work. For every two-hour performance, there are multiple hours of preparation and it's that hard work in the background and that genuine, impossible-to-fake enthusiasm during my performances that have given me longevity.

How do you judge a successful set? What gets you buzzing?

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INTERVIEW: DJ Judge Jules on three decades of dominating the airwaves and decks