Joe Gauthreaux
Encyclopedia
Joe Gauthreaux, born Joseph Edward Gauthreaux, Jr. on 16 August 1976, in New Orleans, Louisiana
, is an American house music
DJ
and producer
. In addition to his production and DJ work, Gauthreaux is also a reporter for Billboard
magazine. He currently resides in Los Angeles
.
. Because he started out at such a young age, he experienced discrimination against some older and more established DJs and club-goers. He spent the first half of his career in his hometown in New Orleans, where he became a resident player at a club called "Oz" (a club which had been affected by the Hurricane Katrina
). He later joined Centaur Entertainment, an independent record label for other acclaimed DJs such as Tony Moran, Ultra Nate
, Boy George
and Junior Vasquez
, for his production work. In 2003, he decided to expand his career and moved to New York City
, a risk that paid off as he quickly found fame in the Big Apple
in less than a year. He was then accepted as one of 140 distinguished DJs responsible for compiling Billboard magazine's weekly Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.
Due to his increasing popularity in the club
scene and especially in the gay
community, he was hailed as the "Hottest DJ of 2005" by Out Magazine in their June issue. On November 28, 2005, Gauthreaux appeared on the now-defunct gay talk show
called On Q Live! to discuss that recognition. For his live television debut, he also talked about his music and viewers got a glimpse of his personality outside the DJ's booth.
As of 2006, he has played in numerous high-profile venues in the United States, Canada
, and the Philippines
.
infused with tribal rhythms and melodic trance
beats. Aside from labelmate Junior Vasquez, he cites Susan Morabito, Frankie Knuckles
, Lydia Prim and David Morales
as his major musical influences. He has admitted in several interviews that he always spends long hours to look for fresh beats or long-forgotten classics in record bars and music websites for his setlist.
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, is an American house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. In addition to his production and DJ work, Gauthreaux is also a reporter for Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine. He currently resides in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Background
Gauthreaux graduated from East Jefferson High School in Louisiana. He has one sister who is a year and four months younger than he. Before becoming a professional DJ in 1996, he worked as a bus boy at a local Chuck-E-Cheese.Professional DJ
Gauthreaux was introduced to the club scene at an early age of 16 and immediately fell in love with the industry. His first official DJ job was in Baton Rogue during Mardi GrasMardi Gras
The terms "Mardi Gras" , "Mardi Gras season", and "Carnival season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday...
. Because he started out at such a young age, he experienced discrimination against some older and more established DJs and club-goers. He spent the first half of his career in his hometown in New Orleans, where he became a resident player at a club called "Oz" (a club which had been affected by the Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
). He later joined Centaur Entertainment, an independent record label for other acclaimed DJs such as Tony Moran, Ultra Nate
Ultra Naté
Ultra Naté is an American house music, Dance-pop and sometimes R&B musician who has achieved a respectable amount of success on the pop charts with songs such as "Free" and "If You Could Read My Mind" as part of Stars on 54....
, Boy George
Boy George
Boy George is a British singer-songwriter who was part of the English New Romantic movement which emerged in the early 1980s. He helped give androgyny an international stage with the success of Culture Club during the 1980s. His music is often classified as blue-eyed soul, which is influenced by...
and Junior Vasquez
Junior Vasquez
Junior Vasquez, , is an American club DJ and remixer/producer.-Career:...
, for his production work. In 2003, he decided to expand his career and moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, a risk that paid off as he quickly found fame in the Big Apple
Big Apple
"The Big Apple" is a nickname for New York City. It was first popularized in the 1920s by John J. Fitz Gerald, a sports writer for the New York Morning Telegraph...
in less than a year. He was then accepted as one of 140 distinguished DJs responsible for compiling Billboard magazine's weekly Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.
Due to his increasing popularity in the club
Club
A club is an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal. A service club, for example, exists for voluntary or charitable activities; there are clubs devoted to hobbies and sports, social activities clubs, political and religious clubs, and so forth.- History...
scene and especially in the gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
community, he was hailed as the "Hottest DJ of 2005" by Out Magazine in their June issue. On November 28, 2005, Gauthreaux appeared on the now-defunct gay talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
called On Q Live! to discuss that recognition. For his live television debut, he also talked about his music and viewers got a glimpse of his personality outside the DJ's booth.
As of 2006, he has played in numerous high-profile venues in the United States, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
Music
He describes his musical selections as the "music you're more likely to hear during peak hours of the night." His style is primarily vocal house musicHouse music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
infused with tribal rhythms and melodic trance
Trance music
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
beats. Aside from labelmate Junior Vasquez, he cites Susan Morabito, Frankie Knuckles
Frankie Knuckles
Frankie Knuckles is an American DJ, record producer and remix artist. He played an important role in developing house music as a Chicago DJ in the 1980s and he helped to popularize house music in the 1990s, with his work as a producer and remixer...
, Lydia Prim and David Morales
David Morales
David Morales is an internationally acclaimed Grammy-winning house music DJ and producer. In addition to his production and DJ work, Morales is one of the most prolific remixers of all time, transforming many pop music songs into club-friendly dance tracks...
as his major musical influences. He has admitted in several interviews that he always spends long hours to look for fresh beats or long-forgotten classics in record bars and music websites for his setlist.
Discography
For his two compilation albums released in 2002 and 2005 under Centaur Music, the tracks begin with a "bright joyful feeling, with lots of vocals, pianos and instrumentation," and in the latter half, the sounds pick up the pace "with a more tribal and progressive house sound."PartyGroove: Blueball (2002)
- Love Is Gonna Save The Day - Georgie Porgie
- We're Going Up - Donna Washington
- Cream E.P. - Ellepi
- I Got This Feeling - Prospect Park
- Ride The Rhythm - Z Factor
- Imagination - Ceevox
- Dutch Drum Attack - E. Craig
- Saturday - Joey Negro
- Drums 4 Better Daze - Lovesky
- Such Is Life - Rank 1 featuring Shanokee
PartyGroove: Cherry Volume 2 (2005)
- Can I Hear The Drum - Scott Wozniak
- It's Gotta Be - Sucker DJ's
- Set Your Body Free - Gordon
- Drama - DJ Rhythm presents Soul Theory
- Stand Up - Loleatta Holloway
- Music's Gotta Jumpin - Groove Junkies feat. Indeya vs. Hornetz - King Master
- On The Drum - Peter Presta & Little Carlos
- Psycho - DJ Fist
- I Feel Love - Antoine ClamaranAntoine ClamaranAntoine Clamaran is a French house music artist and music remixer. Clamaran was born in Villeurbanne. In the early 90's, his local fame interested Maximum FM, the leading parisian dance radio station at that time. Impressed by his mixing gift, Clamaran gained a huge audience and started to be...
pres. Different Drums - Let There Be Light - Eric Entrena vs. David Amo and Julio Navas
- Emperor - Anthony Class
- Thru - Kings of Tomorrow
Trivia
- He is 5'9" tall.
- He can play the guitar.
- One of his guilty pleasures is listening to Avril LavigneAvril LavigneAvril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
's music when he's at home.
External links
- http://djjoeg.com - Official website
- http://www.myspace.com/djjoeg - Joe Gauthreaux on MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- http://www.live365.com/stations/djjoeg?play - Joe's radio broadcast on Live365Live365Live365 is an Internet radio network where members can create their own online radio station or listen to other Live365 broadcasters' online stations. As of October 2006, there were about 6,500 active stations, some of which play niche genres seldom heard on AM/FM radio...
- http://www.centaurmusic.com/ - Centaur Music's homepage
- http://www.atlantaboy.com/gay_atlanta/2005/07/joe_gauthreaux_.html Joe Gauthreaux Interview