Juelz On His “Paradise Lost” Concept Album, Working With RL Grime, and the Future of Trap Music

After almost two years without playing a show in his hometown fast-rising, Vancouver-based electronic music producer Juelz threw down at the city’s beloved FVDED in The Park music festival.

EDM.com sat down with Juelz to chat about his meteoric rise and the future of trap music.

EDM.com: So how are you feeling? You just rocked your second set at FVDED.

Yeah, it was my second time playing FVDED, it’s been like three or four years since I played it last. Lots of shit has changed since. It feels good to be here, this is like my first hometown show in like a longtime.

EDM.com: Speaking of that, you’ve been playing all over the place. When was your first show back from COVID-19 and how has it been on your various tour dates?

First show back was at the Brownies & Lemonade festival at Havasu and that was really lit, it went off. And it just feels really good to be back, and not only that, I feel like I’ve had a decent come-up just over COVID. 

I feel like I kept the momentum going fortunately, so I’m seeing a lot of people showing up to the shows now who are here to see me, which is really cool. It’s just like the first time that has happened for me.

EDM.com: And how would you describe that feeling?

It’s trippy, I don’t know. This is really cool, knowing that people are paying to see you play and people asking me for pictures and like picking me out in a crowd, it’s pretty cool.

EDM.com: Which city is your favorite to play in besides Vancouver?

I haven’t played in L.A. in a long time, but I’m pretty sure they go the hardest still. So yeah, I’m gonna say LA. They just go super hard, Cali goes really hard in general. Shoutout Cali.

EDM.com: Let’s talk music and the new Paradise Lost project, which seems pretty deep. Tell us about the concept, sounds, and influences.

It’s a little bit softer than the last EP, I think that’s mostly because I made most of it during COVID when I was on lockdown. It was kinda hard to feel that energy of playing live shows, so that’s why it’s a little more low-key. I really want to get into making more tasteful and timeless kind of stuff. That was really only the beginning of it, but the EP kinda represents that and me going through that process.

I named it Paradise Lost after a really old epic poem by this guy named John Milton, and the first part of that book is about the archangel Lucifer after he gets cast out from heaven and he’s sent to hell. The quote is, “Better to reign in hell than it is to serve in heaven,” and I remember reading that in literature in grade 12 and that just always kind of stood out to me. So that’s why I named the EP after that: because that was me realizing that I don’t have to make crazy bangers all the time.

EDM.com: So you use the bangers in your live sets?

Juelz: Of course, and there’s still bangers on it, but I feel like it’s a little more tasteful. It’s not like straight fuckin’ super hard shit.

EDM.com: So what’s the next thing you’re working on? Is it another concept album or are you doing something different?

Juelz: No, the next one is gonna be less conceptual. I mean, I’ve got a bunch of singles dropping this year still, and a really exciting official remix coming out soon for a really iconic song. I’ve got a single dropping on Sable Valley, a single dropping on Proximity which is the KRANE and Heimanu collab—I know a lot of people are excited for that one.

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And then I think we’re gonna do some Paradise Lost remixes at the end of the year, and I’ve got a collab with Sober Rob. And then I’m gonna start working on my first album.

EDM.com: Sounds like you have a ton going on! Coming up next year or the year after, what are some dream collabs or shows you’re shooting for?

Juelz: I definitely want to get on more festivals for next summer. I want to hit all the big ones. EDC for sure, HARD Summer is probably my #1 that I want to do, I want to get on Wobbleland too. And then I’m trying to get another collab with RL Grime, and I think that’ll happen. We’ve got a few projects in the works.

EDM.com: What’s your relationship with him?

Juelz: Oh he’s great. We’ve been kinda like homies, he really put me on so I’m super blessed for that. He’s more or less like a mentor, he’s pretty quiet and literally the most low-key dude I’ve ever met. But if I ever have career questions or anything like that, I hit him up and he’s really good with that stuff.

I’d like to do a collab with Baauer too. I think we’re supposed to get in the studio tomorrow. We actually got a beat cooking up that we started in quarantine, so I think something will come out of that for sure. And then just trying to get features. I want to get some big rap features and stuff.

EDM.com: Where do you feel like trap and bass music is going right now? You’re a big part of it. How do you feel about it in terms of its relevance and the stuff you’re seeing from other people?

Juelz: I feel like it’s making a comeback. Trap was dead for a hot minute, but I feel like with the Sable Valley stuff, we’re really bringing it back. Sso I’m stoked to see that.

I’m really optimistic about it—I know that the genre stuff always comes and goes in waves and I feel like trap is about to have a big moment again, so I’m really excited for that. And on top of that, I’m trying to branch out into other EDM genres as well, but I’m definitely gonna be repping for trap forever.

EDM.com: Are there any artists, trap or otherwise, who you’re following and listening to and who inspire you?

Juelz: I don’t know if you call it trap but the wave shit is really dope right now. There’s this one producer called Sublab, who is super dope. He’s one of my favorite producers right now. And then of course all the Sable Valley artists like ISOxo, Knock2, Rossy, Pauline Herr and Montell2099.

EDM.com: What is your go-to late-night good spot here in Vancouver?

Juelz: I mean it’s pretty slim, there are not many options. Duffin’s is one for sure. The one time I had Hi Five I ate three chicken sandwiches and felt like shit (laughs). But yeah, Hi Five is good. Oh yeah, Breka! Breka is the best. 

EDM.com: Yeah, Vancouver staple, and there’s one like five minutes from everywhere.

Juelz: Exactly, the donuts there? Slap. And the sandwiches too.

EDM.com: Is there anything else you want to let our readers know? Any shows you want to shout out?

Juelz: Keep an eye out, I’m playing a lot of shows in the next month and a half. So just stay posted. And for music, I’ve got a Sable Valley single coming out soon called “Hideaway.”

FOLLOW JUELZ:

Facebook: facebook.com/bbjuelz
Twitter: twitter.com/bbjuelz
Instagram: instagram.com/bbjuelz
Spotify: sptfy.com/6GGe