Berry Juice Talks About Creative Process For “Messin Around”

Berry Juice, the Amsterdam native DJ, talks about his latest single Messin’ Around in this exclusive interview. The funky and electronic track features catchy hooks and lyrics from Josh Tobias. The song is sensational in its own right. Be sure to give it a listen down below and learn more about Berry Juice’s creative music process from our conversation. You can follow along on his Instagram for all the latest music releases and updates!

Listen To Berry Juice Ft. Josh Tobias – Messin’ Around

Exclusive Interview With Berry Juice

(This interview was edited for clarity)

RMR: Thanks for taking the time to talk to chat with us here at Respect My Region. How are you?

Berry Juice: Juicy!

RMR: Before we begin, please can you introduce yourself for our readers?

BJ: I’m a producer and DJ from Amsterdam. My hair is red and my funk is strong.

RMR: Congratulations on your new release “Messin’ Around!” Can you tell us a bit more about this record?

BJ: Thank you and thanks for having me! It all started out with a chord progression. I quickly added some drums and bass and sent the track to Josh, who then did some of his hook magic and came up with these lyrics about infidelity; which somehow matched the feeling of the chords very nicely.

At first, the track got a completely different vibe to it, almost Ben Khan-like. But along the way, I felt it wasn’t really my style and I moved the production into a more mellow and soulful direction. I think I tried dozens of basslines before I found the one it has now. For me, it’s important that the lyrics and music support each other and I think we did that. You can feel the sadness in the music, followed by anger about his girl cheating on him. I like the fact that the lyrics are about hurt pride. In some way, that’s funky.

RMR: It’s such an awesome and funky song, how was it working with Josh Tobias?

BJ: It was great! I’ve known Josh for quite some time now and he’s great to work with. He’s a genuinely nice guy, very relaxed, extremely musical and passionate about his music. And you gotta love that voice.

RMR: Have you guys worked together before? If so, how did you meet?

BJ: Yes we have! At some point Josh just sent me a message on Soundcloud with the idea to make something together. That became the Creature Of The Night EP, which did really well, especially for the amount of effort we put into marketing it. We realized us working together works. So we just had to come up with a new track. And I’m positive that it won’t be the last one, too.

RMR: Where did the inspiration come from?

BJ: The inspiration of this track undeniably comes from late 70s funk. In general, I listen to a lot of old funk, soul and also classic rock. That background is always there when I’m making music. I just like the honest musical approach of music from the 70s and 80s. But also a lot of modern artists inspire me like: Anderson Paak, Franc Moody, Pomo, Jungle, Yuksek, Thundercat, The Kount, Mark Ronson, Tom Misch and everything Ed Banger and Roche Musique. I can go on, but you catch my drift.

RMR: Typically when you’re making a new track, what does your creative process look like?

BJ: Usually, I start out with chords and build around that. When the chords have the right feel, the melody and the rest comes naturally. However, I recently discovered that when I start with the drums it’s way easier to get the groove right. Depends on the track I guess.

My creativity is best when I really don’t have time to make music or I’m hungover. I don’t know why.

RMR: Where could we expect from you in the next several months to come? Any new music releases?

BJ: I am working on a lot of new stuff actually, some of it is already finished. Some things very funky, others more mellow, and even some classic French house stuff. But all juicy!

Because I do have a daytime job, it can be hard for me to find the time to actually finish tracks. I’m slowly getting better at mixing and planning, so the coming months there will be coming a LOT of good stuff coming your way.

RMR: Where would you love to be in the future with your music career?

BJ: I have some ideas for an epic music video…

RMR: Do you have any final words?

BJ: Keep it juicy fam.