Josh Harrell

Josh Harrell (Chicago, IL) Jeuce, Bunchlox, Photo, q007Josh Harrell’s rise on Orlando’s underground house scene set the tone for a music career that spans more than 15 years. As a DJ, producer and remixer, Harrell melds influences of funk, soul and tech to craft chunky, bass-driven house tracks that pop. Since arriving to Chicago in 2004, Harrell has become a seminal player on the city’s new-school house scene, releasing tracks as a solo producer and under his collaborative production moniker, Jeuce.A native of Orlando, Fl., Harrell launched his DJ career in 1994. As Florida’s electronic music scene flourished in the early ’90s, Harrell grew with it, establishing residences at trailblazing venues including Go Lounge and Blue Room. Here he defined his deep house sound as part of The Azure Project (Harrell, Dante Stefan, Scott Shapiro), which featured rotating guests along with a monthly residency by Jimmy Van M. Soon Harrell entered the studio under his first collaborative project, Digalow. Together, he, Mike Bass and Joel Barbieri formed a DJ/production collective that brought their deep house sound to New York (Jet Lounge) and Miami’s Winter Music Conference (Zanzibar) in the late 1990’s.Harrell brought his music career north to St. Louis shortly after. Here, he quickly infiltrated the core of the city’s underground house scene, collaborating with Don Tinsley, ION and Trevor Matthews to launch Sweet Spot. The weekly night showcased premiere national talents including Rithma, Justin Long, Kenny Hawkes and Jason Hodges, to name a few. It became one of the longest running—and most widely attended— underground house weeklies of its time.In 2004, Harrell relocated to the house music epicenter of Chicago, where he launched a new phase of his production and professional career. Riding the success of his track, “Metal Funk,” released on Marky Star’s own q007 Music, Harrell reentered the studio, bringing techier edge to his deep house sound. In 2005, he joined forces with fellow DJ/producer Jolby (Jack Junkies) to form Jeuce. The creative collaboration sparked a string of several releases, including the “Dig Em Out” EP (Photo Records), with remixes by Sound Navigators.Harrell currently holds residency at B-Side, a Chicago-based monthly conceptualized by he and Bunchlox label helm, Karl Almaria. Originally launched as a weekly event in 2005, B-Side continues to showcase an array of underground house talent from Chicago and beyond. Recently, Harrell has channeled his creative efforts into a graphic design career, which is further defined by clean lines and a minimal approach to style.“Whether I’m designing music or graphics, the process is similar,” said the DJ/producer/designer. “Style is about creating soulful congruency, whether it’s through sight or sound. When I achieve this, I’m creating balance … I know I’m doing my job.”Harrell regularly spins for Guess? clothing, which recruited him to be its in-store DJ at a rotating list of Chicago locations for the past two years. Bunchlox also recently tapped Harrell to remix Tinsley’s “Swing it Down.” Listen for the forthcoming release in 2007.written by Jenn Danko for BeatBlend Media