Josh Gregg, an emerging UK underground talent, has released his latest single ‘Torso Twist‘ and not so long ago ‘Walk Your Way‘ on his Poles Apart imprint. Following his singles ‘Connection’ and ‘Film Noir,’ Josh’s latest track features his vocals for the first time, merging club-focused nuances with catchy, on-trend elements. In our interview, Josh speaks about the journey to where he is now, the creative process behind ‘Walk Your Way,’ and his vision for the future, specifically for Poles Apart. As Josh redefines the contours of the underground UK dance scene, ‘Walk Your Way’ exemplifies his vision, only heightening the anticipation for his fourth Poles Apart record, which will be released on August 15th.
Can you tell us about your journey into the world of electronic music? What were some of the key influences that shaped your sound and vision as an artist?
I’ve always listened to electronic music since I knew what I was listening to. I remember a conversation with my sister as a kid where she said I “loved dance music” and I was thinking “Do I?”. I just was drawn to the energy I think. It’s the opposite of why I struggle to get into ballads.
I’ve always been fascinated by the dynamics of nightlife. Early trips to Ibiza had a massive sonic impact on me, as I’d grown up around many more harsh forms of electronic music. Even now, when producing clubby bits I try to imagine the records in DC10 as a reference point. Circoloco is like the pinnacle of the clubbing experience.
Looking back at your earlier works, how has your style evolved over the past decade?
I just think I’ve got better at making what’s in my head. Until the pandemic, I was making music purely to play in sets and not trying to push myself to think about what I actually ‘want’ to write. I think the style became more melodic over time as I began to trust my ears, and now it’s going through a process of refinement. You learn at a point doing THE MOST is not the answer, and most of the records you love aren’t insanely complicated. We’ll see how it goes.
You’ve garnered recognition from major names like Pete Tong and Kerri Chandler. How have these endorsements impacted your career?
It helps. I think early on, when you start getting support from the artists you admire you gain a level of self-belief in what you’re doing. I’m anxious 80% of the time about how things are going to be received, so those stamps of approval meant a lot. When I first got a Pete spin it was also my first time on Radio 1, which is a landmark you remember forever.
The ongoing support from Skream has probably been the most impactful. To have one of your all-time heroes consistently shout about your work, means the world and the co-sign helped me kick on pre-pandemic.
What inspired you to start your label, Poles Apart?
Poles Apart is a place for me to show off all the things I’m interested in, in one place. I’ve struggled trying to get my influences across on an Instagram grid and having the space to showcase it all is important to me. More and more artists are looking for new, creative ways to connect with listeners and Poles is mine.
‘Walk Your Way’ marks a new era in your music. What was the creative process behind this track?
I’ve messed around using my vocals on tracks since my first-ever EP, but this is the first time I’ve fully sung on a track I’ve released. I’ve spent a lot of time around songwriters in the last few years and I’m trying to be led more by lyrics and melody when producing. The hook came into my head whilst I was lying in bed, I recorded it into my iPhone and started messing straight away. The whole thing came together in one freezing Friday evening in December.
I was embarrassed by how the vocal sounded at first so vocoder-d the shit out of it, but one clip I posted got a better reaction than any I’d ever posted before. After sending it around, I think I got a confidence boost on the vocal and dialed all the processing back. It just sounds like me!
With ‘Walk Your Way,’ what message or feeling did you want to convey through the track?
The lyrics are about feeling invisible when you need support from people around you. It came off the back of an awful situation that changed my worldview. It set me back a long way mentally and releasing super personal records like ‘Walk Your Way’ is part of a therapeutic process. Sad boy deep house.
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With electronic dance music being so diverse and genre-bending today, how do you approach blending underground and commercially accessible elements in your tracks?
I think interesting ideas always have the opportunity to stand alone and connect with people. The best ‘commercial’ records that come from the underground never intend to be hit. They’re just bangers which naturally progress as more people clock on. I’d never make a conscious decision to try and cross over as you can spot the attempts from a mile off.
As a DJ and producer, do you experience any challenges when creating music that resonates both on the dancefloor and with a broader audience?
Definitely. Attempting to separate the music you release from solely what’s working in clubs is hard. Part of the challenge of Poles Apart is learning how to walk this line as I’ve never really dabbled in more everyday (less obviously clubby) music. It’s a completely different way of promoting music when it’s not necessarily DJ-focused so you have to get creative. The other side is you can have a huge club record, and sell a ton on Beatport but it gets no Spotify support, and casual listeners will still barely hear it. It’s not an easy thing to balance. A work in progress for sure!
Poles Apart has had a strong start with three singles already released. What can we expect next from you and the label in terms of future projects or collaborations?
The 4th Poles Apart record will be released on 15th August. This is a more experimental, borderline cinematic track called ‘Torso Twist’. The track was inspired by being in the city, mainly Birmingham where I live but I love listening to it when walking through any new city. It’s almost calming in the chaos.
Following that I will release a collaboration record alongside Nautica called ‘ILY’. We’ve sat on this one for a couple of years now and the time feels right for all of us to release it. We made ILY after a trip to ADE in 2022 and I’ve been playing it ever since.
Looking ahead, what are your long-term goals for your music career? How do you see your sound and vision evolving in the coming years?
The dream is to continue to play records I love, in interesting places, to people who want to hear them. Poles Apart is the vessel for me to show all the different things I can do, and I want to display it in new formats. Galleries, extended DJ sets, discussions. I hope that once the catalog is big enough, the full Poles patchwork will be used as a reference point.
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