Going Gl0bal

CREDIT: Justin Hill

Gl0bal just released his debut album Judgement Day, but he’s still got a lot more up his sleeve for this year! He’s opening up his “COVID vault” and we get to reap the benefits. Learn more about him in our interview below!

How did you first get into making music?

I guess we'll go way back, I want to say seven years now and I got into DJing. Basically, I was looking for a job, you know, like everyone else trying to figure out my university situation. I saw posted a DJ job and was like, okay, this is kind of cool. Then I basically started learning how to DJ in a place called Edmonton, which is a city in Canada. I played some gigs there and was like, holy crap, this is kind of cool. People like to dance and all that kind of stuff. Then I went to my first music festival, which was in 2012, and was like, holy crap. Saw the stage, saw the LED wall and was like, I want to get up there immediately. I found out these people make their own music and then that was kind of the story of me going on YouTube and researching and looking at production software, and basically falling into the wormhole of trying to create music. I started doing hip hop, I started doing a bit of house music, progressive house, and was all over the place. I wasn't even called Gl0bal at the time, and then eventually found my way to bass music.

What is the music scene like in British Columbia at the moment?

It's changed. When I started, it was heavy, heavy into dubstep. Excision and I are from the same city, he actually lives close to my area. So, dubstep, bass music was heavy. Now we're shifting. Big time, like everything else into house music right now. So the scene is thriving, big time. Vancouver is mainly more of a hub of where all the big festivals and stuff are happening, but I will say the scenes’ pretty good.

How would you describe your sound to someone who hasn't heard your music yet?

I would say dark. Not to be creepy, dark, cinematic, and high energy. Yeah, that's how I describe it. For sure.

DJ Mag recently recognized you as one of their “12 Emerging Artists You Need To Hear” for February 2023 - how did it feel to get noticed by them?

I was not gonna lie, I was taken aback. I've always wanted to be in the DJ Mag conversation, so when that came out, I was like, holy shit, this is this is pretty sweet. It was nice. It was it was good to kind of have that recognition. Like okay, the new the sound that you're going for, people are noticing. This is dope, let's keep on that track. So I love that.

What inspired your debut album Judgement Day?

So pandemic, everyone went through it right? It was a pretty rough time and I wanted to basically create a story of and again, I'm gonna go back to the dark theme again, basically about somebody that doesn't take accountability for them being a quote unquote shitty person. The only way they can take accountability is when something would have to hit the fan and, honestly, I'm writing about myself because I've been through a whole bunch of crap. It took some really tough times of my life for me to be okay maybe should stop acting that way or doing certain things. I wanted to write basically a story one through eight about this character that thinks he's invincible and then all of a sudden something bad really happens to them and they're essentially running away from all their problems and they have a come to Jesus moment like okay, maybe I need to switch things up and that's essentially what the concept from the album is. If you listen to track one with that concept in mind, one through eight basically is me attempting to tell that story essentially. That’s a little subtle with like the pre drops because obviously it does not have any vocals and my songa besides the three that have full vocal appearances, but if you listen to one through five, it's literally about somebody that he starts off as I'm invincible. I'm this guy, and then all of a sudden shit starts happening and you're like, what the hell, and then your kind of looking yourself in the mirror. And then at the end track, which is Demon Hours, it’s like, okay, now it's time for me to switch things up and, you know, take a better path. So that's, that's my story there.

You recently did a guest mix for Insomniac Radio - what’s the difference in planning a radio set versus a live set for you?

I like to work out, I like to be active, I’ve play sports my whole life. So anytime I'm doing a mix, or if we're doing a set, it's got to be something I can work out to. My whole vibe is there. I'm gonna start it out, we're going to, you know, let it come in heavy because, typically, that's how I start my sets. It's going to taper off a little bit and, if you imagine me in the gym, that is literally how I DJ. It's me working through my whole workout set. So anyone again, this goes back to your original question, you want to listen to my music, that’s stuff that you can work out to. When I'm doing a set, I'm planning it, obviously having peaks and valleys to make sure I'm not just smacking you in the head the whole time. But the whole vibe is higher energy that comes down from the roller coaster a little bit. I play a little bit of a soft stuff and then we're going to turn up a bit and then bring it down. I like to go up and down the whole time and then end strong, so that's kind of how I work it.

Speaking of live performances, do you have any coming up that you’re looking forward to?

Yes, so I have a few dates that I'm locking in right now to finally do like a tour in the states. I’m planning to go to Portland, Seattle, Vermont right now, and then I'm going to do shows in Calgary, and Saskatchewan. Trying to do something a little bit different with these dates, not just show up and play a set on the stage, I want to do more of an intimate type of vibe to go with the album. Because the album is pretty dark, so are all the venues that I'm doing. My tours are going to be pretty small on purpose, they're going to be dark, and it's going to be kind of the whole global vibes, so anyone that comes to my show for the first time is like, oh, shit, it's kind of scary, but I like so that's kind of what I'm going for.

I saw you recently did an Ask Me Anything on Reddit - what’s the weirdest question a fan has asked you?

The weirdest question I got asked actually was like what type of DJs are you into? And I thought it was like, what are my preferences, but it was attraction and I was like, that was a bit odd. Typically the questions I get are what's your production process? Why do you always like to mash up genres that don't make sense? That's literally again, that's my vibe. I've listened to so many different types of music. So if you hear my songs, it's like a drill song mixed with trap. Musically, it doesn't make sense. Like no label is gonna want to sign that, but for me, it's like, that makes sense.

Now that you’ve released your debut album, what are your other goals and plans for the rest of 2023?

I have two other EPs that I'm finishing up. Dropping way more music than I've ever dropped. My COVID vault is just getting uploaded out right now. So I have two other EPs that I'm finishing and I'm really excited about both of those that I need to drop and then it's festival time so I'm just getting all the music out. And then it's like, here's all the content. Now I'm going to play it kind of thing. That's that's my game plan.

Here in Maine, our state motto is “The way life should be.” According to you, what is the way life should be?

Honestly, free. Yes, it should be free. No judgement, not to be all punny, but it should just be free. That's what I think.

Much love to Gl0bal for taking the time to let me pick his brain. Be sure to check out his debut album Judgement Day here!