We are pleased to introduce you to the proficient Glasgow-based sound sculptor Calum MacRae, who is better known under his moniker O’Jay Boulevard. The producer caught our eye not too long ago after previews of his precious songs Scarlett and Cerulean House came forth. His output is staggering: it’s melodious and soulful but still keeps its fortitude. He was kind enough to answer a couple of  questions about who he is, his musical history (and future), the All Caps collective he’s a part of and his sources of inspiration. We will undoubtedly be hearing more from this producer next year so take this time to familiarise yourself with him and his craft.

Hello Calum! How are you? Could you please introduce yourself ? Also, what’s the story behind your artist name? I’m real good, thanks. So I’m O’Jay Boulevard. I make electronic music from my bedroom in Glasgow and co-run a label and artist collective called All Caps. My artist name comes from having obscure recurring lucid dreams where I find myself walking through streets lined with orange trees, like an orange grove boulevard. Aside from that I think it sounds cool and is quite individual and memorable.

Name two things that make up the O’Jay Boulevard sound. I’d like to think I haven’t established my own sound as such just yet. At the moment I seem to be making House and Garage oriented music with a strong emphasis on two things; melody and feeling.

What are you working on at the moment? Could you tell us a little about your forthcoming releases and the All Caps collective? At the moment I’m taking a lot of time over my production. It’s early days for me so I’m not shooting for anything too big. I want to spend more time learning and developing my music. I feel like I have a lot to learn and a lot more undeveloped ideas to get out there. Hopefully things will surface early next year though. As All Caps, we are a collection of young DJs and producers based in Glasgow. We started off a couple of years ago doing a show on Glasgow University’s Subcity Radio network – we still do it. The show then progressed into what we have now established as our label. Our first release is due in April, it’s an EP from Alex Coulton. He’s a young producer from Manchester, he makes modern House with older House influences, he’s real real good. I’m working on a release on All Caps that should be out later next year and I have a few remixes in the pipeline but I don’t want to give away too much in case things don’t work out for one reason or another.

What were you listening to growing up? What are the musical inspirations behind your productions? Growing up I basically started off listening to whatever my parents listened to which was quite an eclectic mix of Jazz, Funk, Disco, House, Punk and Reggae to name a bundle. My dad has been collecting Disco and Funk vinyl his whole life so that’s probably worked its way into my production in some way. I think the first record that inspired me to make electronic music was Moby’s Play album. I think it was the first electronic record that really got to me. I still regard it as one of my favourite records ever. I’ve been producing for 2/3 years so a lot of what inspired me into producing is still fairly recent. I especially feel like I owe the artists at LuckyMe a lot, like Hudson Mohawke, Rustie, Mike Slott etc. I’ve been aware of LuckyMe since I was 11 or 12 as the collective is based so close to home. As individual artists and a collective, they’ve been my biggest influence. It’s comforting to know that they do what they do from my home city, really inspirational. Most of my inspiration comes from whatever is around me. I try to compose music that reflects the way I’m looking at the world or the way someone else that I know is. Musically I think I’m growing up at a time where electronic music is growing into something really spectacular, so my influences are constantly changing.

“Scarlett” and “Blanched” are lovely tracks. What sort of setup do you use to make your music? Just a Midi Keyboard, Reason 4 and my thoughts, haha. Though I really want to branch out into hardware real soon.

You mentioned that you’d like to do live sets in the near future. What can we expect from that? I’d like to do live sets that involve triggering and maybe some live keyboard. I’ve always played instruments and I hope to carry that through into what I’m doing now. I stand in awe at shows where the musician uses launch pads and triggering, I’d love to play shows like that. I enjoy DJing as well but I don’t get the same excitement out of mixing that I get from creating sounds and building music. I think the most impressive and powerful live sets are born out of great music and great visuals in unison. The best live sets come from people doing something completely new and different. At the moment I don’t think anyone is doing it as well as Nosaj Thing is. His visuals are so intense and going to see him is like a strange optical experience as well as a showcase for his music. I love Dorian Concept’s live sets as well, the guy can really play, he’s mind blowing.

How healthy is the scene in Glasgow at the moment? There always seems to be a steady influx of music from Scotland on a whole, especially in this genre. It’s very healthy. In Glasgow you’re always spoilt for choice with club nights and I think there is a lot of young talent here. I also think Glasgow’s place in electronic music has been really pushed forward lately by labels like LuckyMe and Numbers. Those guys are extremely influential to a lot of people here.

If you could work with any artist outside the electronic music world who would you like to work with and why? I’ve always wanted to work with a female vocalist. I’m a massive fan of Scottish/Gaelic folk music as it strongly rooted in melody and emotion and have always liked the idea of mixing up the traditional with modern electronic music. I would love to work with someone like Karen Matheson. She has an incredible voice. Doubt it would happen though, haha.

What’s your claim to fame outside of music? I’m a pretty good cook? Haha.

What is the best piece of advice anyone has ever given to you? It might sound shit to you, but it doesn’t to me, so finish it.

soundcloud.com/ojayboulevard
twitter.com/ohjayboulevard