session #075 – Jason Rault

More Jason Rault:
https://soundcloud.com/jasonrault
https://facebook.com/jasonraultdj
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Mauritius-based DJ and producer, Jason Rault, features on our anniversary podcast and he’s down with some serious grips. With this house & techno oriented podcast, he sets the pace to get you movin’ n groovin’ your day off with some new old gems… so better take off your slippers and let the tunes flow your way.

When, Where and How was this mix recorded?

This mix was recorded on a Sunday afternoon in the comfort of my home in Florida. I used my home setup with 2 CDJ 2000s, 2 Technics turntables and a Xone:92, no effect units or anything crazy, just wanted to share some of my favorite records, old and new.

How will you describe it to us?

It’s a compilation of some of my favorite songs, some of them older, some more recent, some darker and others more melodic. I did not want to restrict myself to one specific genre or style of music. The mix is a good representation of how I like to play live, not sticking to one style of music for an hour, two or more, but instead taking the listener on a journey through different sounds, emotions and atmospheres.

How did you emancipate and carve your way through the Mauritian scene?

I started very young with one of my best friends, Fabrice David, who goes by the name “Ken Zo” today. At the time, I was probably around 14-15yrs old, my first opportunity came at a club named “Shout”, I got to play in the side room (Dark Room) which was focused on Minimal/Techno and Psy-Trance later in the night. I still remember that night very clearly, I was so nervous but at the same time very prepared, I had prepared the entire hour and half ahead of time and had a paper with me with the step by step tracklist for the night, something I soon found out was not very efficient, but overall, the party went well and I was very happy with my performance. More opportunities followed from there and slowly but surely, I started to play more and more around the island.

You’ve played on various venues up to now, what are your highlights?

I definitely have been blessed to have seen so much in the last 10 years or so of pursuing music. Over the last 2-3 years is when things have started to get serious. I was fortunate to have been selected as 1 of the 20 finalists from around the world to be flown out to Ibiza for the burnResidency DJ competition in 2015. I got the opportunity to play in some very beautiful and special settings on a very magical island. In 2015 and 16 I attended Burning Man, which in its self is something very special, I was able to share some of my favorite music on the night of my birthday which was a beautiful moment. Not to forget the magical island of Mauritius, home and where it all began for me. Playing here is always very special, and I feel a sense of responsibility to play to the best of my ability here, so many unforgettable memories, it’s hard to pick. In overall, got to share the decks with some of my favorite artists and idols, my favorite ones so far being “Dubfire“.

Your set seems to be telling a story, is there anything you want the world to know?

There was not necessarily a conscious message I was trying to pass through this set. The idea behind it was really exploring various sounds and emotions that have influenced and had an impact on me throughout my journey so far. The main message is really not being confined to one genre or style, artistic freedom really something that somethings is not so prevalent in DJ sets.

Could you share your music influences with us, internationally / locally?

This is a very hard question to answer, I really have so many influences, it’s hard to pick a few. When it comes to bigger names, artists that inspire me a lot at the moment are Solomun, Dj Tennis & Joseph Capriati all for very different reasons. My earlier influences came mostly from artists such as Sasha, Dubfire and Maetrik. On a local level, there really is so much talent in Mauritius right now that as a whole it’s encouraging to see how the underground scene is growing and thriving here. My local influences and artists that helped forge my sound today have been Kevin O’Keefe (Mutecell), Bernard Desmarais (Ramik 17) and K.A.N.

Is there anything apart from music that inspired you to be, a musician?

All the cool stuff around us really, if you take a second to appreciate the beauty around us and everything we have today. It easy to take things for granted but someone just like you and I had an idea, was inspired and created the iPhone you use everyday, or the speakers/headphones you’re listening to this mix on. That to me is inspiring, our ability to create and influence the world around us. Something we should never take for granted.