Joe Gauthreaux

DJ and remixing/producer dynamo Joe Gauthreaux is adding record mogul and artist to his resume, with the launch of his own music label, Prop D Recordings, and its first single release, “Bye Felicia.”  A throwback to nineties house, the song features vocals by Mitch Amtr@ck, an artist best known for his recordings with late house music great, Peter Rauhofer.  GED caught up with Gauthreaux for a quick Q and A.

GED:  When did you start DJing – and what or who were your early passions and influences?

JG:  I actually started out making mixed tapes in my teen years for a few friends.  I didn’t have the best childhood, so music was the one thing that I would run to that made me feel safe and not so alone.  I would sit in my room after being teased at school all day and listen to Madonna, Janet Jackson, George Michael, Debbie Gibson, Cyndi Lauper.  Music has always made me feel better about whatever situation I had to deal with.  So like any other kid in the late 80’s, I started to make mixed tapes of all my favorite songs, but I really thought about the order of the songs and how they should flow.  Mind you, I was 14 in 1990 where there were no personal computers, internet, social media or anything.  All I had were cassette tapes and a dual cassette deck that I had worked all summer cutting grass to buy.  I didn’t even know what a DJ was then.  But looking back on that whole experience, I can see how I got here.

GED:  What do you personally consider to be the incisive moments in your artistic career?

JG:  Honestly, probably right now is the clearest I’ve ever thought of things.  When you’re a DJ in the gay scene, you’re sort of at the mercy of a lot of other people – club owners, party promoters, record labels.  They all have their own vision and you kind of just have to adapt to what their needs are.  But now with my own record label, I’m able to put out the music I want to put out, in the way I feel like would benefit club goers the best.  I have no clue if I’m right or wrong but I have to give this a go and see if all these ideas in my head will work.

GED:  With launching your own label, Prop D Recordings, what are your plans for the label and what types of dance music will we hear?

JG:  Well, for now it’s going to just be my music because I’m only one person and that’s all I can really focus on at the moment. Depending on the success of the label, I would love to bring on other artists who share the same vision I do.  And that vision is pretty much original music that comes from the artist.  I write or co-write all of the songs that will be coming out on my label.  It’s going to be a mix of club bangers, to real songs that you’d hopefully want to hear in your daily spotify playlist.  Basically, I want to make quality music that you would want to listen to over and over again, no matter what the specific genre might be.

GED:  What are currently your main challenges as a DJ? What is it about DJing, compared to, say, producing your own music, that makes it interesting for you?

JG:  Getting people to know me and understand what I’m about is the biggest challenge.  There are so many DJ’s out there and the whole “mystery” aspect of DJing is no longer there.  It’s hard to tell who is in this for the music or who just wants their name in lights.  Anybody can make a podcast these days, and anybody with a laptop can technically become a DJ.  So trying to cut through the noise that technology has afforded us has been probably one of the most challenging things.

GED:  Do you remember the first record you ever bought?

JG:  Yea, it was Blondie, “The Tide Is High.”  I don’t’ know how young I was, but I remember playing it over & over in my bedroom as a little kid.  I think my mother was confused as to why I would just play that 45 over & over again.

GED:  Everyone has a hidden talent – what’s yours?

JG:  I don’t know if it’s hidden or a talent, but I love to write.  If I wasn’t a DJ, I wanted to be a writer in some way.  I wrote screenplays and poetry as a teen and for a little while I thought I’d go to Hollywood and be a film maker.  But music always pulled me back.  That’s been the really cool thing about having my own label is that I’m able to blend together my two passions – writing and making music.

GED:  What do you listen to in your “spare” time or while in the car?

JG:  I’m loving Ed Sheeran’s new album.  And Ellie Ghoulding, Ingrid Michaelson, Pink.  I love all kinds of music. 

GED:  Where can our readers find you?

JG:  At my website www.djjoeg.com or on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Soundcloud or Instagram.  Just type in my name.  I’m still the only Gauthreaux.  😉

“Bye Felicia” from Prop D Recordings is available on iTunes and all major online retailers now.