Thanks, Dad! How Joshwa’s Father’s Intro to Trance Led him to House Music
Whether U.K. DJ and producer Joshwa knows it or not, his father is easily in the running for coolest dad ever. You see, prior to becoming a house music mainstay, Joshwa’s dad introduced him to a compact disc that would see him dive headfirst into the world of dance music.
It was during a car ride that his dad would pop in the aptly titled Rush Hour CD, enrapturing Joshwa into the ethereal, synth-laden soundscapes of trance music. Prominent records in the two-disc compilation like Faithless’ “Insomnia,” Delirium’s “Silence,” and Darude’s “Sandstorm” all converged in a nearly 40-track mix.
Spellbound by the hypnotic melodies, Joshwa fell in love with the sounds of trance. In his Spotlight interview with Gray Area, Joshwa recalled his dad’s indoctrination into dance music saying, “I used to pester him to listen to it whenever we went anywhere.”
Later fascinated by the emerging sounds of EDM, Joshwa hustled as a teenager. With his hard-earned money, he purchased his first set of Gemini CDJs at age 14. It was also at this age that artists like Laidback Luke, Avicii, Swedish House Mafia, and Afrojack all influenced Joshwa’s developing ear.
A natural go-getter, a juvenile Joshwa began reading music production forums and watched YouTube tutorials to further advance his mastery of the craft. And although he pursued a career in football, his admiration for music persisted. Eventually, Joshwa’s devotion to music production took center stage, and he began to develop his own unique sound.
That sound, as varied as it’s been, has always remained highly accessible. Joshwa’s love for the ‘90s and early 2000s makes his records approachable as he samples artists ranging from hip-hop acts like Snoop Dogg and Eminem to dance groups like the Black Eyed Peas and Madison Avenue.
As Joshwa’s catalog expands, it’s safe to assume his productions will continue to be easily digested. And although his projects currently place him in the tech house bubble, let us not forget that it was trance that started it all. Thanks, Dad!
