MIX MOGUL
Gagging for those new remixes of Kelly Clarkson or Deborah Cox or Monica?
J Records Hosh Gureli is the man who makes them all possible.
by Matt Kalkhoff
Tucked away in a cozy, dimly lit office nestled within the contemporary confines of J Records swanky Fifth Avenue headquarters sits a man whose name you might not recognize. That is, of course, unless youre intimately involved in the music business or happen to be a devoted dance music aficionado.
His employer calls him Vice President of A&R, GlobalDance.net once ranked him as the ..1 most influential person in U.S. dance music (alongside his former Arista Records colleague Danny Coniglio), and artists like Christina Aguilera, Annie Lennox and Deborah Cox rely on him to take their records to the top of Billboards dance charts. His name is Hosh Gureli, and you can thank him for helping keep dance music relevant in America. Some might even call him dance musics messiah.
IN THE BEGINNING
Born and raised in Middletown, New York, Gureli earned his first paycheck as a clerk at Record World when he was 16. While later working post-college in Boston at a stupid job putting pieces into computer chip boards, Gureli kept his sanity by DJing one night a week. Once he built up his weekly DJ gigs -- which included a coveted residency at the Metro (now Avalon) -- Gureli shed the computer geek thing and quickly became the hottest commodity on Bostons burgeoning club scene. Not believing at the time that a DJ could sustain a lucrative career (who did in the early 80s?), he moved to San Francisco where he landed a high-profile five-year stint as KMELs music director.
I feel comfortable saying that I kind of brought house music to San Francisco, boasts Gureli, referring to his impact on radio and in the club scene via his live sets at the Bay Areas largest gay dance venue, Colossus (now 1015 Folsom). Despite his professional success, though, Gureli was homesick. I felt that I really made a nice impact on San Francisco, and I had the best time, he recalls. But I grew up in the New York area, so I wanted to return home.
Back in New York, It was ultimately Arista Records guru Clive Davis (now of J Records/RCA Music Group) who recruited him into A&R in 1993, right at the beginning of Whitney Houstons I Will Always Love You madness -- an artist with whom he would later forge a mutually beneficial bond.
LET THERE BE REMIXES
My love of dance music just naturally [led] me to start doing dance mixes, Gureli remembers of his early days in A&R. I did things differently than other labels [at the time]. I looked at each remix as a regular production, and just got in there with different talents and all my energy trying to make a hit record.
His efforts paid off. When Gureli hired Chris Cox and Barry Harris of Thunderpuss to remix Its Not Right, But Its Okay in 1999, not only did he launch their careers into the stratosphere, but he also helped Houston score one of the biggest dance records of her career. (He later brought in Junior Vasquez to restyle another of her powerhouse anthems, I Learned From the Best.) And then theres the divas surprise performance at the 1998 Pier Dance on Gay Pride Weekend which Gureli coordinated (and still refers to as one of the highlights of my life)?
Speaking of divas, Gureli used to fly back to New York every couple months while living in San Francisco specifically to attend Vasquezs legendary parties at Sound Factory. When the infamous DJ approached him one night at Miamis Warsaw Ballroom to ask about doing an Annie Lennox remix, Gureli considered it an honor. No More I Love Yous resulted from the encounter, and a long-standing (albeit at times turbulent) relationship was born. Hes definitely the toughest critic, Vasquez reveals. Sometimes he drives me crazy flip-flopping with all sorts of comments and recalls, but hes definitely the best in his league.
Deborah Cox agrees (at least about the last part), adding that Gurelis incredible instincts for the feel of a record and his connection to the pulse of the music are key to his numerous accomplishments. It really is nice working with someone who is open to new ideas and setting trends, says mother-to-be Cox. Weve had incredible success together in dance music, and I know I couldnt have done it without his help.
Gureli enjoys a very close relationship with Cox that -- thanks to remixes hes commissioned from Hex Hector, Vasquez, Hani, Johnny Vicious and others -- has so far yielded seven ..1 Billboard dance hits.
THE PROPHECY
If Hosh Gurelis track record and current releases were the sole indicators, one might think that the U.S. dance music industry is thriving. But the truth is that the genre has always struggled to some degree for acceptance in America. And technology continues to far outpace the industrys response to it. Yet Gureli is optimistic.
Were going through some rough times right now, he admits. You cant stop technology. Youve just got to figure out a way to profit from it. Weve got to stick together. And dont just look at dance music as a small, narrow category. Look at the big picture. I really believe dance music has a good future.
