FORM 005: AJ Fresh
A two-hour exercise in groove…
Any discussions about underrated local DJs should feature the name of AJ Fresh. You could talk about his technical prowess or confidence to command a dancefloor, but it's his track selection that should receive extra attention. Like words in a coherent sentence, he displays an innate ability to pick tracks that make sense next to each other. His tastes are wide-ranging, dabbling in tripped-out and dubby downtempo to more upbeat 90s tech and progressive house. The latter especially has caught his imagination of late; a sound you might hear at his new night Beige at venues like Colour and Gasometer (notable Beige bookings already include selectors like Pjenne, Adriana and Ryan Berkeley). That's also the main musical dish he serves on Flip Flopping, his new show on Area 3000 radio. In short, he is worthy of your attention, and we are thrilled to have him on board with a Form mix. Across 120 minutes, he proves his credentials with an old-school flavoured exploration of start-of-millennium tech via acid synths, progressive layers and a whole lot of groove.
Hey. Since clubs have been back it’s been pretty hectic busy. What’s been your favourite event that you played at (or attended) since the start of this year?
Hi and thanks for having me! Regrettably, I’ve been a bit of a Grandpa of late so my weekends have been quiet lol. But without a doubt, the best gig I’ve been to was the Sleep D All Night Long show at Colour back in March. Those guys never cease to amaze me. The event happened during some tight COVID restrictions so there were only about 50 people allowed on the dancefloor so it felt intimate. They had everyone in the crowd wrapped around their fingers the whole night long. They’re by far the best techno act I’ve seen live. Melbourne is lucky to have them.
Who is AJ and what is so fresh about him? (And is there a story behind that moniker?)
AJ Fresh: Double the freshness…
I wish I had a better story to tell about the AJ Fresh name! To be honest, it was actually just a rip-off of one of my favourite basketballer’s Twitter handle, Alex Caruso AKA AC Fresh. So, I just changed to my initials for Abe and James (which is my middle name). It started as a bit of an Instagram joke and then I just ran with it on booking cards and it’s stuck.
In terms of who I am as a DJ, I would like to think I’m pretty well-rounded, I enjoy and collect a lot of different music. I find it so hard to stick to one genre because I really just love everything. I envision myself as a consumer/fan of the music first and foremost. DJing is just a platform to share the tracks I love with a crowd who are willing to listen!
You have a new show on Area3000 Radio called Flip Flopping. Is it a show about not making up your mind about what to play - or are we reading that wrong? (Also, what can we expect to hear when we tune in?)
So, the ‘Flip Flopping’ name is, of course, another rip off haha – named after the Mr G banger ‘Lex (Flip Flopping)’. If you know me then you’ll find I’m not very creative with naming things. I thought the name just sounded cool and obviously, the song slaps so just went with it.
In terms of the meaning, I’ve never thought about it that way but you’re kind of right. The show is not confined to one genre necessarily, although I’ve been particularly searching for late 90s/early 2000s tech house lately. So far, we’ve had some classic tech-house and progressive house, some downtempo trance, hip hop and Italo house.
I’m also focusing on trying to compile mixes from artists who value the flow, map and journey of a mix – rather than just a bunch of songs that are being rinsed lately. The diggers are being prioritised! Got a couple of very exciting guest mixes coming up in the next couple of weeks from some really talented people so pls keep your eyes and ears peeled!
Your Form mix is fire. What is your favourite track on the mix that we should all look out for? (And what about that track that catches your attention?)
Why, thank you! It’s too hard to nail it down to just one, so I’ll take the cowardly path and name a few haha. There are some awesome local productions in there. ‘Lost Mystic’ by DJ Seen, recently released on Eucalyptus Discs, is the perfect, hypnotic trance roller to keep momentum between tracks. Also, ‘Hydra’ by Reflex Blue on Espace Noir needs a mention – the whole EP fkn slaps.
And for more of a classic, the opening track ‘XTRK’ by Eddie Richards released on SOCON Audio wayyyy back in 2001. The repetitive drum loops, the sizzling hats, the groovy bassline and the spooky vocals are literally hypnotising. He is the king of tech-house, after all.
Where can we catch you live in the coming weeks?
At this stage, you can catch me at the Bourke Street Courtyard supporting Boogs for Novel on Friday, July the 30th and I’ll also be playing at one of my new projects called ‘Beige’ at Colour on the 6th of August. It’s our third party following shows at Thankyou Bar and the Gaso. I’ll be supporting Hame DJ and DJ Jnett there. 🙂
And if COVID comes along and decides to fuck this up for us you can listen to me and friends on Area3000 every second Wednesday afternoon from 3-5pm AEST 🙂