Music Is The Key

Julius Papp is one whose dedication to music has propelled his career as a DJ and Producer in the dance/club music scene. His dance music roots lie in Disco of the 70’s and New Wave of the 80’s. Presently living in San Francisco, he was born and raised in Montreal, Canada, and got tuned into dance music through the city’s flourishing club scene and diverse radio broadcasts. He started collecting vinyl records in the mid 70’s and took to the turntables in 1985, scoring his first official club gig two years later.

Hearing the non-stop flow of music and observing the booth where each DJ seamlessly blended each selection were early influences for Julius. Later influences included reading about DJ residencies that were piloted by talented club music programmers that even today, influence the youngest of aspiring DJs.

Legends like David Mancuso at The Loft & Larry Levan at the Paradise Garage in New York City to Frankie Knuckles at The Warehouse in Chicago and Tony Humphries’ weekly at Zanzibar in New Jersey. Always sparked by any music listed in those articles, Julius would shop for those titles that have become classics, worshipped by their discerning audiences. To this day, his goal is to keep expanding his foundation in music by being open-minded and eclectic in absorbing the music that truly touches him.

That open-minded attitude is what Julius uses to fine-tune his musical palette, which gives him a dominant sound that exudes a deep and soulful perspective. That dominant sound is (Soulful) House Music – which to him, is about an uplifting positive message. People coming together in unity, with no barriers or restrictions in the spirit of music, unifying everyone on the dance- floor. That being said, he blends various music styles together - including Soul, Latin, Afro, Disco, Jazz and Electronic sounds with such fluidity, that it is challenging at times to put a defining stamp on his sound. Contributing to that is his willingness to take a chance. He always tries to push the envelope by introducing music that deserves exposure, taking his audience on a musical journey with various mood and energy changes.

Not content to limiting his ambitions in the DJ booth, Julius began producing music in 1994. The studio was another outlet for Julius’ creative ideas to flow. His first release was a down-tempo project on the Acid Jazz tip. He also drew attention as part of the jazz and funk scene in San Francisco via the Mushroom Jazz parties where Mark Farina was creator and resident. Inspired by the Mushroom Jazz music format, Julius has continued that down-tempo vibe with his own branding under the ‘lazydaze’ moniker which he uses when playing a more loungey/chilled style of music.

As Julius’s production catalogue grew, so did the variety of labels he released music on including – long tenured labels like “Nervous Records” (NYC), “King Street Sounds” (NYC), “Large Music” (Chicago) and “OM” (SF), to signings on “Soulfuric Recordings” (FL) and Kenny Dope’s “Dope Wax” (NYC) label, as well as Bob Sinclar’s “Yellow Productions” (Paris) and more recently on Miguel Migs’ “Salted Music” (SF) label. He also ventured into the label arena with his own “NeoDisco Music” imprint.  Named after the sound that continues to inspire him – the label offers him an alternate outlet to release his own productions.

He also ventured into the label arena with his own “NeoDisco Music” imprint. Named after the sound that continues to inspire him – the small, independent label offers him an alternate outlet to release his own productions.

As a veteran in the club scene, Julius has refined a style of dance music that has taken him beyond the boundaries of San Francisco to global praise and recognition. Being nominated as “Most Innovative Producer” at the 2004 House Music Awards is a perfect example of that. Putting him in the company of other nominated producers like, Joey Negro, Osunlade, DJ Gregory, DJ Spinna and Ben Watt was an absolute honor for him.

In 2018, Julius introduced a new edits series simply entitled, “PappEdits.” This will be an ongoing series focusing on classics (familiar and unfamiliar), stamping them with new interpretations. “From a simple re-edit, to adding modern production elements or a refreshing re-arrangement, the goal is to make these tracks more DJ friendly for dance-floor consumption.”

2024 will bring new music releases and a YouTube channel dedicated to virtual DJ sets - Let The Music Play…