Twenty-three year old Jenaux (Eugene Veltman) has been producing and DJ’ing for six years now, having made a name for himself in the New York EDM scene with residencies at Pacha and Finale. With support from artists like Porter Robinson, Zedd and Laidback Luke, the young producer has been making significant waves as of late and doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon.
Recently, he supported Audien on his Audacity tour and his remixes of tracks like Ariana Grande’s “Love Me Harder” and Cazzette’s “Sleepless” have attracted tons of attention in the blogosphere. Just this week, the NYC producer got people talking again when he made his Enhanced Recordings debut with “Renegades,” an excellent song featuring Pia Toscano on vocals.
The future certainly looks extremely bright for Jenaux, and with big things in store for him in 2015, we decided to catch up with Eugene for a quick but enjoyable interview. During our discussion, he spoke about how he got into EDM, what’s coming up next, the best moment of his career so far and much more.
Check it out below, and enjoy!
What/who in particular sparked your interest in EDM?
Jenaux: I was actually one of the few people in high school and junior high who were listening to, what everyone else was calling back then, “techno.” I absolutely loved trance and melodic music. I was a huge fan of Tiesto, too. When he came out with his Kaleidoscope album it was magical. I guess my interest and love draws from my upbeat family as well. My cousins loved dance music and introduced me to Chocolate Puma in the early 2000s, and my dad was buying Ultimate Dance Party CDs in 1996, so my roots and love for the sound definitely go far back.
What’s your favorite track that you’ve made so far and why?
Jenaux: I’ll tell you when I make it [laughs]. I’m proud of all my music, but everyday I’m improving upon my sound, so each release to me is indicative of that.
Where do you find your vocalists, and when you’re producing a track, do you go into it knowing that it will have vocals?
Jenaux: This always varies. Sometimes I start with a vocal and work under it, other times – like with “Renegades” – I made the instrumental and sent it to a buddy, who showed it to Pia, and voila!
Where can fans see you play in the near future? Do you have any shows/festival appearances coming up?
Jenaux: I’ll be playing Electro Beach Festival during the first week of March, and headlining and supporting Arty another night. I’ve also got many more shows coming up. I just can’t quite announce them yet.
What’s been the best moment of your career so far?
Jenaux: It’s hard to hone in on one defining moment. I love positive responses to music and I love live performances, so it’s hard to choose. If I had to pick one though, it would be the final stop for the Audacity Tour which was Irving Plaza in NYC. I live only a few blocks away and pass the venue daily. So to be able to walk downstairs and walk down the street to a legendary venue, it was incredible. Walking up and seeing my name on the marquee was indeed a heartfelt moment and a dream come true. All my friends and family were there, it was the perfect night.
Which DJ would you like to collaborate with most?
Jenaux: I would have to say Zedd or Tritonal. I’ve always been a huge fan of both, everything from their production quality to melody writing has always shined through for me.
Tell us how you got involved with Tritonal’s Enhanced Recordings for your new track, “Renegades.” And will you have any more releases on the label?
Jenaux: My managers were shopping the track around and we had a ton of interest. They were beyond passionate about it though and it just all felt right. And I’m not sure about future releases, but I sure hope so!
What does the rest of 2015 hold for Jenaux?
Jenaux: Oh man, I don’t even know where to begin. I have a collab with Tiesto….just kidding [laughs]. I have a bunch of exciting originals and official remixes, so stay tuned!
What tips would you give to young producers trying to break into the current EDM scene?
Jenaux: Work your asses off, day and night, be persistent, take criticism well and never be satisfied, shoot for the stars!
Back in the fall you toured with Audien for a bit. Tell us about that experience and what you learnt from it.
Jenaux: Absolutely life-changing. An experience that I am truly so grateful for! Nate is a great soul – him and I get along really well, so it was nice working together. He’s definitely given me a lot of good advice musically. And to have the ability to play these legendary venues with such incredible talent was something I could’ve only dreamed of.
How has studying classical music theory at a young age impacted/aided you in making the songs you make now?
Jenaux: I think it has been key to my success and it’s clearly becoming more and more apart of my sound. All the melodic nature and writing of my songs stems back to all my musical training.
Where is your favorite place to play in NYC?
Jenaux:Pacha, most definitely.
That concludes our interview, but we’d like to thank Jenaux very much for his time. Be sure to follow him on SoundCloud as he’s got a bunch of great music in store for 2015.