Having shared the decks with everyone from Cubicolor to Martin Roth, and having a debut EP on Bedrock earlier this year, Canada’s juSt b is swiftly becoming a name too hard to ignore. Her debut release on Balance delivers an exceptionally cerebral track that will sit flush in many sets. Also featured are four quality remixes that take in everything from deep techno to breaks, and more…
EG caught up with juSt b to learn more about the drop of her ‘Light Sweeper’ EP on Balance and release party, her background in the music industry, origins, and more.
EG: Hi Bonnie! Welcome to EG. It’s an absolute pleasure to have you here with us today. Where are you based right now? How have you been?
juSt b: Hi guys! Thanks so much for having me. I’m doing quite well, pushing through the intense heat wave here. I’ve been in Toronto, Canada for the last 8 years but just recently flew to London, England for the summer.
EG: First of all, congratulations on the release of ‘Light Sweeper’, your debut EP for Balance! What has the initial reception been like?
juSt b: Thank you, I really appreciate it, it’s an incredibly special one for me as you can imagine. The feedback on the promo which went out June 15th has been pretty amazing, particularly for the original version which is really nice to see. Some lovely comments from the likes of Hernan Cattaneo, Lonya, Eelke Kleijn, Nhar, GMJ, and even one of my biggest inspirations, Henry Saiz, had some nice words when I sent him the original over a year ago. Huge thanks to all those who’ve supported the release thus far!
EG: So, what’s ‘Light Sweeper’ all about? What’s the inspiration behind this one?
juSt b: It began with the turn of the new year in 2019 when I was determined to get back to production after having put it aside for a few years while playing a lot of gigs and trying to manage many other things at the same time. I wanted badly to finally finish a project that would be worthy of sharing. I’m a serious night owl so my music time usually goes deep into the wee hours, like many of us, often after sunset when the light is fading and many times, up to sunrise when the light is just starting to peak back through. And there’s this glistening pad – a synth patch in Diva, my main VST that I use with Ableton, called ‘Sweeping Light’, which became a major component of the track. When it came time to brainstorm titles, I played around with the light concept and a bunch of other ideas, and ‘Light Sweeper’ really stuck with me. It sort of represents a bit of a transformative period, one of many in my life over the last decade, both in its conception and, musically, where I wanted to go next.
EG: By the way, the EP also comes with remixes by Audioglider, James Welsh, Mattr, and ev3rsun. Could we say there’s something for everyone on this EP?
juSt b: Absolutely! That was my intention from the beginning when I first sought out the initial remix as my musical tastes are extremely diverse – I play everything under the sun from breaks to techno and trance to drum & bass. I knew I wanted an emotive breaks version using my vocal and a more club-driven mix which Roberto & James delivered. ev3rsun, a good friend from Toronto, was top of my list for a dreamy melodic vibe, and Mattr, having been a big inspiration, I knew would create something uniquely visceral that would easily pull at all the heart strings. I couldn’t be more pleased with how they all turned out and how well they complement each other.
“I’d love to see more open-mindedness, more risk-taking, and more out-of-the-box thinking when it comes to artist representation, events, label signing, and bookings…”
EG: Production-wise, you’ve had quite the year with releases on brands like Balance and Bedrock. So, what’s the secret? What advice can you give to emerging producers trying to get their foot in labels like these?
juSt b: Thank you for the kind words, it’s been a special year thus far and after several extremely challenging years, I made a promise to myself that 2022 would be a turning point, starting with the Bedrock release with NorB. It takes a great deal of time, energy, and dedication to truly develop yourself as an artist. For me a large part of that over the last 9 years, in addition to building a strong social profile, has been spent listening to, engaging with, learning from, and supporting a ton of other artists along the way. Developing trust & relationships with artists & labels around the world combined with endless perseverance to keep growing, to keep evolving, and to walk your own path, not being afraid to take risks or to be different…as that’s where the magic really happens.
EG: Let’s go back a bit…How did you first get started in the electronic music scene? Was there a record or show that pushed you down the rabbit hole?
juSt b: I first fell in love with electronic music when I lived in the capital city of Ottawa. Two friends whisked me away one night to Stereo in Montreal, the legendary after-hours, and my life literally transformed overnight. Records like 16 Bit Lolitas’ ‘Murder Weapon’, Andrea Britton’s ‘Am I on Your Mind’, & James Holden’s remix of ‘Breathe’ are big ones for me. It was quite a few years later when I realized I was destined to pursue the artist path and leave Ottawa for Toronto to see what could come of it all.
EG: Apart from juSt b, you’re also heavily involved in the electronic music circuit, right? What’s your role at Getting Deeper?
juSt b: Yes indeed, in addition to DJ-ing, production, writing, and doing vocals, I’ve been quite involved with other facets of the industry for a number of years. I used to manage the large promo channel Melodic Deep then moved on to Getting Deeper where I volunteer as Content Manager, A&R, Social Media Manager, and Label Liaison, supporting diverse music & artists through exclusive premieres, guest mixes, and special features. It’s helped me to develop many great connections & friendships as well as to deepen my understanding of the industry on a whole different level.
EG: These past few years gave us all a chance to slow down and reassess. What would you like to see more and less of in our scene?
juSt b: I’d love to see more open-mindedness, more risk-taking, and more out-of-the-box thinking when it comes to artist representation, events, label signing, and bookings, with a bigger focus on quality over marketability or numbers. And less ego, less image-boosting events & activities, and instead more substance-driven music, audiences, and venues.
“It takes a great deal of time, energy, and dedication to truly develop yourself as an artist. For me a large part of that over the last 9 years, in addition to building a strong social profile, has been spent listening to, engaging with, learning from, and supporting a ton of other artists along the way”
EG: What else can we expect from juSt b in the next few months? What new milestones are you looking forward to?
juSt b: July 15th marks the release date for my Balance EP, definitely my biggest milestone to date as it’s my first solo project with a label and family of artists I could only have dreamt to be a part of. On the 22nd, I’m hosting a release party in London alongside 3 of the 4 remixers, then I’m off to play in Scotland and my Balance Series mix & interview hits on August, 19th. I have a few more European gigs then I head to India in mid-November for a tour, and end the year with another really special release. I’ve also got a bunch more collaborations on the go, so there’s plenty to keep busy with!
EG: Thank you for your time, Bonnie! We wish you all the best for the future!
juSt b: It’s been a pleasure, thank you for the support and for having me today 🙂
juSt b’s’ new ‘Light Sweeper’ EP is out now via Balance. Purchase your copy here.
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