Jozio

I got into music at quite a young age, I got a classical guitar when I was 7 or 8 and started having lessons. I moved to electric a couple of years later, played in a few bands (I kind of miss the metal band I was in!) before starting to produce my own music around the time I went to uni. I’ve only started to take it more seriously in the past year however, after taking a few years off from music with a full-time job taking over.

I make mostly dark, electronic music influenced by pop, R&B and various other genres.

I guess the music I make has been influenced by my changing tastes in music - i started off listening to rock and metal, then got into dance music, then hip hop and r&b... I use influences from all these different genres, but the common theme is the dark moods and mostly electronic production. I find it easiest to create and find inspiration for this kind of music.

I guess the music I make has been influenced by my changing tastes in music - i started off listening to rock and metal, then got into dance music, then hip hop and r&b... I use influences from all these different genres, but the common theme is the dark moods and mostly electronic production. I find it easiest to create and find inspiration for this kind of music.

I’m inspired by the artists I’ve been listening to from a young age, though I can’t really remember a time where I ever didn’t want to make music. I knew it was what i wanted to do ever since i got my first guitar, and probably even before that.

It’s hard to say exactly how it’s evolved, but I suppose it has, as if I listen to music I made years ago.... It is not much good. Not at all...

Over time I’ve become better at producing, which has coincided with me writing less music for live instruments and more for synths and electronic drum machines, samples... it’s a constant learning process though, I’ve still got a long way to go.

As i mentioned, I used to play in a metal band, a few

of the other members of that band went on to form ‘Enslavement’ - i remember we once played at a battle of the bands at our local school, when light indie rock/pop music was pretty popular. All the other bands played tracks like that, then we came out and played a couple ‘Lamb of God’ songs - the change in tone was pretty funny, i think we did alright though, we came second or third in the end!

Passion - making music doesn’t always bring pride and joy, a lot of the time I feel pretty frustrated with my work and I’m not always happy with what I make. And emotions like anger can only drive motivation for a short time. In the end, passion is something that’s long lasting.

I suppose I don’t like bigging myself up too much, there’s lots of new artists out there that are more special than I am. But if I’d say anything, I’d say I’m not afraid to experiment in my music. Because I take inspiration from a wide range of sources, I can’t think of any artist that sounds exactly like I do.. I think what I’m making is new.

The biggest challenge I’m facing right now is just the absence of performing in general. We’ve been dealing with the pandemic for nearly a year now, it has allowed me some time to produce new music, but there’s been no real opportunity to play anything live or perform. I’m hoping that I can play some tracks to an audience sooner rather than later.

I wouldn’t consider it to be a requirement, but depending on the type of art you want to make.. perhaps. To give an example as an extreme, look up the story behind Mount Eerie’s “A Crow Looked At Me” - I don’t think an album as emotional and powerful as that could be made without the suffering behind it. Some of my songs are kind of dark, and have themes of depression, anxiety, these are things I have experienced - so perhaps it is needed for this kind of art.

The internet has allowed many, many more people to start making music and get their voices heard by the world. This is of course a good thing, but it has also made it easy to be forgotten, or never even discovered in the first place. I think most music is likely to be lost in the mass of content that is released every day, which is quite sad. Anything that could be changed to make music more discoverable, beyond the level it already is might help.

1 Gorillaz - Demon Days. This was one of the first albums I bought - there;s such a range of different styles and genres mixed together on it, while still remaining accessible and cohesive throughout.

2 Sufjan Stevens - Illinois. This is a classic. This album demonstrates what just one guy can do on his own without a band, I think he played nearly every instrument on this record.. the songwriting is outstanding as well, it brings out so much emotion particularly on songs like “The Seer’s Tower”.

3 2 8 1 4 - Rain Temple. Listening to this for the first time in a dark room, alone, and pretty hungover was a real journey.

4 Muse - Origin of Symmetry. I’ll be honest and say there was a time I was a bit of a Muse fanboy for a time growing up, pretty sure I wanted to be Matt Bellamy briefly. Got to say sorry to the rest of the members of the band I was in back then...

5 The Weeknd - House of Balloons. The dark electronic r&b-style music The Weeknd makes has probably had the biggest influence on my own musical style, mixed with the other genres I listen to. This album is probably the best example of that.

I’m currently working on an album which should be

ready to go by the end of 2021, this is looking like it’ll be 12 tracks or so. I’ve got a few more singles planned before then, I’ll be releasing some tracks soon in the lead up to the album, so stay tuned - the follow-up single to “Lost” should be out in February.

The best advice I’ve received has been from a friend of mine - we used to be in a band together. Since then, over time, I’ve had periods where I haven’t been able to fully concentrate on music or haven’t been able to find the motivation in myself, due to personal or mental barriers. My friend has always been focused on music though, and he makes great stuff (he puts music out under the name ‘Rapt’, check him out on Spotify). A couple of years ago, I suppose he just made me realise... What’s stopping me? The only person that can make things happen, and get music made that I’m happy with, is me - it’s up to me to find the time and motivation to do it.

My music’s available on both Spotify and Bandcamp (jozio.bandcamp.com) - I’m aiming to get some physical releases ready for mid to late-2021.

I’m from Brighton, on the south coast of England, United Kingdom.

I do - my account tags are below.

Instagram & Twitter: @oziojozio Facebook: JozioMusic

Photos by Joe McCall