NATURAL SELECTION
Mar 1, 2002 12:00 PM, By Chris Gill
A year ago, Josh Gabriel was not much different than the thousands of other aspiring producers who descend upon the annual Winter Music Conference in Miami hoping to get their tracks heard by the world's top DJs. The San Francisco-based musician had brought with him a handful of 12-inch records and CDs containing “Wave 3,” a track he recorded using Emagic Logic Audio and a variety of soft synths in his home studio. Gabriel had no plan for making sure that his music would get listened to instead of thrown into the trash, but thanks to a few fortuitous encounters, Gabriel ended up getting his track into the hands of Pete Tong.
“I thought I'd just show up in Miami and see where things would take me,” recalls Gabriel. “Leon Alexander was playing at a rooftop party at the Giant Hotel, and I whipped out one of my copies and gave it to him. Dave Dresden, who is a scout for Pete Tong, saw me hand it to him and asked me what I had. I gave Dave a copy of the record and a CD, and he went right into his room and listened to it. He came back out and told me that he thought it was good and that Pete would like it. I was very polite to him but a little skeptical because people make a lot of promises, especially at a show like WMC. Dave told me to bring a copy to the Urb boat party, and I gave it to Pete there.”
Thanks to Dresden's encouragement, Tong listened to the record as soon as he returned to London and decided to play it on his radio show. Tong made “Wave 3” his Single of the Month in the June 2001 issue of Mixmag, writing the following about the track: “Josh Gabriel takes this vein of gut-rumbling, atmospheric trance to another, deeper level. It's a record that's both murderously trendy and unquestionably effective. I can see this getting played without any sign of boredom setting in for the next year, probably because it's a tune that's ahead of its time.” Tong included “Wave 3” on his Twisted Beats compilation, and hired Gabriel and Dresden to do a remix of New Order's “Someone Like You,” which the band liked so much that they released it as a B-side to the single. Since then, Gabriel has done remixes for DJ Tïesto, Way out West and Paul Oakenfold; recorded a white label Dido remix that's been played by Deep Dish, Tong and Oakenfold; and played several high-profile DJ gigs, including a recent opening slot for Sandra Collins at San Francisco's 1015 Folsom.
At this year's WMC, Gabriel plans to shop some original tracks he's recorded with his group, Andain featuring singer Mavie Marcos and guitarist David Penner, and to hook up with labels in hopes of landing more remix work. For those who hope to experience similar success, Gabriel offers the following advice: “Find the segment of the dance-music world that you fit into and find the people who are responsible for that segment. After I started buying records for DJing, it became much clearer what labels and artists would be interested in the tracks I was making. As you learn more and more about different styles of music, you get to know which DJs represent each style. Do your research beforehand and make sure that your work fits in quality-wise and musically.”
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