Preview
JON DELERIOUS
Thursday, February 19
Night Gallery
While he’s been a long-serving local DJ, few, himself included, could have imagined how one Calgary kid would have been able to make the long climb from the basement up into the global DJ booth.
Jon Delerious is about to embark on another leg of his tour in support of his freshly minted album on Vancouver’s Nordic Trax records, No Warning. While he has previously toured Europe and Eastern Canada, the difference this time ‘round is that he’s on the move to promote what is being heralded as one of Canada’s strongest electronic releases in quite some time.
His new album is one that many, from DJ magazine to Exclaim, have exalted as a solid if not stellar first release. "Basically, the album (is) two years of my life, so it really is an album of where my head has been for the past couple of years," says Delerious.
No Warning pays homage to his inspiration, funk-fried house, and is much more groove oriented than bangin’, but to Delerious that’s precisely what he’s wanted to produce – something moodier than your average hook-laden, get-up-and-shake-it floor-jam. The album also includes a very strong appearance from local vocalist Jadeine Veda on the title track, who comes on subtly and stays without howling to get the listener’s attention. All told it’s also one of Nordic Trax’s strongest releases since Bostonian Gavin Froome released his last album on the label.
"The support I’ve received from the label has been incredible. It’s really thanks to them that this album is going to be in everywhere and that much of this is happening for me at the moment" says Delerious, referring to the distribution deal that Nordic Trax has inked with EMI. It’s a deal that will place his album on the shelves of every major music chain in North America, which bodes well for Delerious as distribution seems the key necessary to unlock the wallets of music enthusiasts in North American centres.. It’s often the challenge that small labels like Nordic Trax need to overcome just to get their music heard, let alone purchased.
The positive reception for No Warning is just part of the good news for Delerious of late. He’ll also be featured on MuchMusic’s much ballyhooed Going Coastal series as the feature DJ. It’s a feather that Delerious is proud to place in his cap.
"They (MuchMusic) seem really down with presenting Calgary and it’s the first time they’ll feature a Calgary DJ. It’s really a good opportunity for Calgary to reach a larger audience."
While it’s certainly not a career maker, it’s an opportunity for Canada to pay attention to this much underrated, oft neglected corner of the Canadian music scene. "I think any opportunity for Calgary to be seen and heard is good for everyone, not just DJ’s," he says.
Despite all the recent acclaim and attention, Delerious is still quite modest about the spike his career is currently receiving. "It’s all good, I mean, the really good thing is I get to make music that I love and play music that I love, still pay the bills and look after my boy," says Delerious whose son Oliver is fast approaching his first birthday. "I’m very, very lucky. There aren’t many people who can say they get to do what they love and actually make a decent living at it."
As for the future, Delerious just plans to keep on. He’s just returned from playing a couple of dates in Mexico and he will hit the U.S. East Coast and the Miami Music Conference in March. It’s another leg of his tour that will no doubt be a leg up for an incredibly talented kid from Calgary.
Jon Delerious’s CD release party will be held in conjunction with the stalwart Hai Karate. He can also be found Fridays at the Bamboo and Saturdays at Manhattans. |
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