Melbourne-based talent Jozef Conor has earned a strong reputation amongst Australia’s house scene and abroad. His previous releases have seen the multi-faceted talent land on labels like Recovery Collective, Valiant Records and Circa Tracks, as well as his very own Jozzman Trax imprint.

Following the release of his ‘It’s What Ya Feelin’ album, he now takes some time out here to discuss his music, label duties and more.

Hi Jozef, thanks for chatting to us. Let’s start by talking about where you are in the world right now. What’s it currently like in Melbourne and do you have any gigs in the pipeline you’d like to mention?

I’m based in Melbourne, Australia. Originally from Sydney but have called Melbourne home for the past 5 years. I feel so grateful to live in such a beautiful city. The house music scene here is slowly growing & there are some amazing producers popping up.

Your debut album ‘It’s What Ya Feelin’ is inspired by hip-hop and house. Can you talk us through your inspirations & writing processes in the studio?

I’ve always been a massive fan of 90’s & early 2000’s hip hop. That’s all I was listening to when I was growing up and in high school. Hip hop was the only sound that interested me until I turned 18 and learnt about house music. Since that point I predominately write house beats but occasionally make hip hop beats too.

Since releasing the album I’ve only been making hip hop beats. I put myself into a beginners mindset and try to forget what I already know. Starting from the beginning again I have been writing a collection of beats using all 12 major & 12 minor scales. This is a great experiment as I am re-teaching myself new production & music techniques. At the end of writing all 24 ideas I will pick out the best ones and finish accordingly. I would like to get some singers involved too maybe. 

You’ve been contributing to Australia’s electronic music scene and abroad for quite some time now. What are your most memorable performance highlights and are there any favourite venues you can recommend to our readers?

We have a thriving bush party scene here in Australia. Over the years I’ve been fortunate enough to play some decent slots at these party’s. Most memorable would be playing on the ‘Bush Techno’ stage at ‘Strawberry Fields’ festival. I played Friday night to roughly 1500 people. Still to this day probably the biggest gig I have played. I was very nervous before but was fine once I played my first track. 

As for night clubs, I’m super grateful to be a monthly resident at ‘Tramp Saturdays’ in Melbourne. Think low ceilings, low lighting basement club with a 24h license and subwoofers taller than me… I’m very grateful for this opportunity to play here as it’s my first regular booking and I have grown so much as a DJ playing here. I can play music here that I would not be comfortable playing anywhere else. I think that’s pretty special. 

I would also recommend Bloom Nightclub in Geelong & The Breakfast Club Melbourne for  amazing weekly party’s to check out if you’re in town. 

Can you give us some of your personal most celebrated successes in your career?

I’m forever grateful to have an opportunity to work on music & share it with the world. I’m constantly learning and working on expanding my knowledge on all areas of the industry. Piano lessons, video editing or Youtube channel management. These are all factors I never thought I would be involved in when I started making music but these are all part of being an independent music producer in 2021. 

If I had to share one thing I’m super proud of is the labels ‘Jozzman Trax King Size Spliff Papers’. Haha these were a fun little project. You can check them out at www.jozzmantrax.com 

Have you faced any difficulties A&Ring your label Jozzman Tracks?

100%, at the time of starting the label 3 years ago the only thing I was worried about was seeing my name up on Beatport… There has been so many lessons learnt since that point. Distribution, revenues, royalties, rights & licensing are all things I’m learning along the way. There is a fair bit more to running a label than just having masters & some artwork.

Can you tell us about the concept behind the label and what a day in the life of a label boss entails?

Jozzman Trax was established as an imprint to predominately release my own original music. It has served as a great platform for just that with some special releases over the years. Moving forward I’m looking at opening up the label to a few very specific artist’s here in Melbourne. I have 2 gentlemen in mind that I would like to support and bring on board to create a Jozzman family. 

I would love to sit here and say I spend hours each day writing music but as of late that is not the case. I’m constantly busy doing administration jobs for myself as an artist & the label. I understand that this is mostly due to the album recently being released. Prior to the albums release I was making music 9am – 5pm, Monday – Friday. I will get back into this routine I’m sure. 

Other than being an artist, are there any other interests or passions you have in life?

I’ve recently found a new hobby with graffiti. I was never a drawer as a child but I have always been very interested in this form of art. I’m only just starting out but I have been loving the escape to doing something creative that’s not music related. 

What are your plans for the year ahead? And are there any upcoming releases you’d like to mention?

Just keep my head down working away on music. I have so many idea’s for what I want to do with my music but there are only so many hours in the day and I need my rest. Next up after the album is a two track EP on local label ‘Milk Crate’ that will be released mid May. After that there is a few more releases from myself on Jozzman Trax. 

I have recently signed a record deal with one of my favourite Australian dance music labels too. Super excited to finally share that music!

Apart from that just staying happy and healthy and enjoying my time on this lovely planet

‘It’s What Ya Feelin’ by Jozef Conor is out now on Jozzman Trax.

Purchase here.