Interview: Galactus Jack
Award winning British DJ and Evangelist, Galactus Jack, talks to LTTM about his brand new album 'Universal', his love for Daft Punk, and explains why he sees success as being faithful to God.
Tell us a little bit about this new album of yours
I've been working on a few other projects over the last couple years and I reached a point where I got really passionate and excited about making some new GJ music made. I’d been writing for about a year and trying stuff out at shows and was starting to think that there could be the beginnings of a new record. Fortunately, my ministry family at The Message Trust were up for me taking the time to focus on getting something new done and so I worked pretty solidly for a month to bring it all together, and UNIVERSAL was created.
I’m really happy with it, it’s the strongest set of songs I’ve released, and I like that between the pop and harder edged stuff, it represents the GJ sound and live show better than anything else I’ve done. More importantly than any of that though, the album is designed to help people connect to the gospel. The title is reflective of the fact that Jesus is for all people, in all situations, at all times - the record is an attempt to help people connect to that reality whilst enjoying some great EDM!
Which is your favourite track on the album and why?
I don’t have a favourite particularly, and I’m proud of them all in their own way. That being said, I’ve been closing the shows recently with Initiate and it has been going off big time! Captured is also special to me because lyrically it is a mini-explanation of the gospel, and I’ve even used the lyrics as a jumping off point for explaining what the gospel is during recent shows.
Daft Punk. Daft Punk. Daft Punk. Daft Punk. Daft Punk. And again Daft Punk! Because they’re Daft Punk.
Do you prefer playing live or working in the studio?
100% live for me. The studio is cool and it’s amazing when you feel like you make something great, but there’s often a lot of struggle to get there, and I’m a bit of a perfectionist so finishing stuff off is always hard! But live is where I feel like I’m at my best, and I also think its the best platform for finding the perfect synergy between music and message.
How would you describe your style of music and what are your influences?
EDM is the catch-all term that has been adopted for this style of music, but a little more specifically this is in the realms of electro house. Influence wise, the already mentioned Daft Punk can’t be ignored, they have had more influence over my music making than anyone or anything else. Mainstream acts like Calvin Harris, Alesso, Zedd, Skrillex, Diplo, and Steve Aoki are influences in the sense that they know how to work in a range of dance genres whilst still connecting to a large audience. Creativity wise, acts like Justice, Nero, Deadmau5, Porter Robinson and Madeon are all great. I also love film scores, everything from big orchestral John Williams type stuff, to more experimental Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross, and Cliff Martinez type sounds.
Oh, and I think that Rob Swire (Pendulum/Knife Party) is a genius and I often ask myself in the studio - "what would Rob Swire do?"
How would you define success in your career?
People hearing and responding to the gospel, then going on to live fully for Jesus. At the end of it all that is the only thing that matters. The music and the shows are tools for the gospel, and success is only found in being faithful to what God has called me to, which is to be an evangelist - to preach the good news.
What is your favorite album of all time?
Not sure I could pick just one... but a some favourites that have inspired me and that I’m always happy to listen to are: Discovery by Daft Punk (I know, predictable!), Welcome Reality by Nero, AirDrawnDagger by Sasha, Room For Squares by John Mayer, Music For The Jilted Generation by The Prodigy, Off The Wall by Michael Jackson, In Silico by Pendulum, Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park, Rocking the Suburbs by Ben Folds, and of course - Jesus Freak by DC Talk!
You're stuck on an island, it's hot, you only have enough battery life left to listen to one song on your mp3 player. What track is it?
Tough question, I can’t answer this definitively so I’ll just go with a song that I’m vibing on right now which is Kill ‘Em With The Love by Galantis. Actually, their whole record Pharmacy is pretty great if you like fun, poppy EDM.
What does the next year hold for Galactus Jack?
Lots of live shows and touring - I’m planning on being out and about as much as possible to share the gospel through the gigs and the music as far and wide as possible. I’m already working on some new tunes so there won’t be another 3 year wait for new music this time. I also oversee a project for The Message called “Advance" which is all about the multiplication of preaching evangelists in the UK and beyond, and I’m massively excited about seeing that develop and expand over the coming year - find out more at www.message.org.uk. I think the next 12 months are going to be the best yet!
