‘Back In The Days’ – already one of the tunes of 2014, killing it old skool stylee
Interview : Dan Prince
Joyce welcome to DMCWORLD – you have had such a fabulous career yet it seems the best is yet to come! Superb remixes for the likes of Maya Jane Coles, Blaze and Robert Owens…scooping an Amadeus for your vocal work with Skero…numerous solo and joint productions supported by all of the playaz…and of course your DJing which fills dancefloors everywhere you go. You are back in the news again thanks to ‘Back In The Days’, a great nod to the old skool of house and techno which had everyone scampering for it when Richie Hawtin featured it in his Boiler Room set, a collaboration of rapper Baby Bam from The Jungle Brothers. But let’s kick back for a minute and see where this wonderful journey began. You arrived in Vienna from Sao Paulo, Brazil in 1983 aged 12. What is the story there?
“Well the story is very short actually Dan! My mum and my stepfather decided to move back to Europe in the mid 90´s, as I was still a child I had to move with them.”
How much of an influence was your Great Uncle who was also a musician? Nice sounds to grow up to!
“My uncle’s influence was definitely very important for me. He was the head of a samba school and I had the chance to be around all those great musicians and visit live concerts. Unfortunately he died at a young age so I was very sad because he was the funniest person I ever met.”
I love the story of how you started DJing at the age of 16. Once in Austria you couldn’t speak German very well so all you had was your music! After learning on a friend’s turntables you saved up for your own set…what was it about DJing that you loved so much back then?
“While some guys took guitar courses, I went to my neighbour’s studio to play music. DJing was definitely my favorite hobby because it was indeed the only way to communicate my feelings with people as I didn’t speak German. So I started as a private party DJ. I also spent hours in record stores and as a result all my money went on buying records.”
What did you think of Kemistry and Storm’s skills when you saw them back then in Vienna?
“Wow. I will never forget that night! My first d&b open air…and K&S killed it!! That was the first I time I saw girls with such skills. It was sick! I still have goosebumps when I think about it.”
Who are some of the producers you are giving high fives right now?
“There are a lot of artists I really like. For example the last album of David August which was a dope production. I also like Amine Edge & Dance, Karmon, Tales of Us, Huxley, Deetron and Tom Budden a lot…but then again there are so many good producers out there so it’s really hard to tell.”
What is the current top 10 you are spinning?
Huxley, Sam Russo – Don’t Undastand (Honey Dijon’s NYC Mix)
Dario D’Attis – Life`s A B (Original Mix)
Joyce Muniz Feat. Bam – Back in The Days
Eric D. Clark, Julian Ganzer – Besides Feat. Eric D. Clark (Original Mix)
Rodriguez Jr. – Muppet Anthem (Original Mix)
Christoph – Shelter
Adana Twins – Schiwago
Simion-Jack-Ur Body
Marc Romboy, Bajka – Reciprocity (Original Mix)
Tom Budden & Forrest – Some Kind of Friend (Dub)
Who has been the biggest influence on your life?
“The biggest influence for me in electronic music was The Dub Club. The Dub Club was a weekly club night back in the days in Vienna at the Flex Club. Not only because I started my career there, but also because of the different music genres the club hosts brought to Vienna. Every Monday it was a surprise as they booked artists of different genres but always brought a great line up with house, d&b, breaks, techno or hip hop. To cut a long story short: dope beats. I saw so many great artists there, those nights definitely broadened my music horizon.”
Away from dance music, who are some of the artists you are listening to at the moment?
“At the moment I am really in love with Lucas Santtana. He is a contemporary Brazilian musician. What I really like about his music are the lyrics and the arrangement! His music always brings good vibes.”
Not many people know this, but Joyce Muniz is really good at?
“Cooking. I love to cook for the people I love. This is my biggest hobby and high quality food is very important for me.”
What was the last record that stopped you in your tracks…
“This one here…Eric D. Clark, Julian Ganzer – ‘Besides’ feat. Eric D. Clark (Original Mix). I love the analog sounds, it’s huge.”
A quote from you; “Sicily is my home. It is the Brazil of Europe.” Discuss…
“Haha!! Well I like the humor and the vibes of the Sicilian people. Especially during the summer when it feels like somewhere in the north of Brazil. Sicilian people have a similar temperament.”
What is coming out next from you studio wise…?
“I have a new EP coming out on 2020Vision and a remix for Smash TV on Get Physical.”
Where are some of the big DJ shows coming up you’re really looking forward to?
“I am really looking forward to the Exploited showcase in Miami during WMC. It’s always nice to play with the crew…it feels good.”
And finally, do you think your neighbour whose car you were washing in Brazil when you were 11 years old had any idea what he was doing when he gave you a tape of Aly Us ‘Follow Me’. An old skool house trip that helped carve your life…?
“Haha no, I don’t think he knows that I became an electronic music producer and DJ in the end. But I have to say I’m really sad I lost that one tape. It was a great mix of old skool house tunes…his tape opened my ears for house music even when I did not know what house music was.”
http://www.myspace.com/joycemuniz
http://soundcloud.com/joytoy
http://twitter.com/#!/djmcjoycemuniz
http://residentadvisor.net/profile/joyce…
http://www.discogs.com/joyce
http://www.exploitedghetto.de/
