I recently had some time to sit down with Dave Joseph a DJ on the rise from Kingston, Ontario. Dave who is known for creating more of a pop electronic mashup took the time to discuss some hot topics with us in this Daily-Beat.com exclusive interview and first look. Enjoy!

SG: So Dave what inspired you to start out with music at such a young age?

DJ: There was always music playing in our house from as early as I can remember; classical, pop and disco were the kinds of music I remember hearing the most. It always made me feel good to have music on and at the age of 4, one of our family friends gave us an old guitar which I played around on for a while until I got a keyboard a year later. I remember trying to imitate the melodies and music I was hearing on the radio, then when I was about 12, I was lucky enough to get a hardware sequencer with 16 tracks on it and that’s when I started to learn how to compose and arrange entire songs together; with a bassline, drums, percussion, melodies, backing chords and so on. Now I use Logic Pro with a few select plugins that I’m particularly fond of. (Sylenth, iZotope, Massive and Glitch).  I am also still sharpening and honing my technical skills with production classes as well.

SG: Do you feel that having learned the piano at such a young age helped you to grow to who you are today? What is your favourite program of choice when producing?

DJ: I think it absolutely did. Music was almost all I spent my spare time on as a child. I expressed emotions through it, I got through tough times with it and I shared happiness through it. In high school, I was simultaneously in a music class and a piano class, while taking piano lessons outside of school and in both the junior and senior stage bands, talent shows, and Dj-ing in the cafeteria and for special school events. It’s a huge part of my identity so much so that a lot of people know me because of my music.

SG: Do you feel you have developed a personal sound? I know that's the one problem most producers run into.

DJ: I think I have started to. My upcoming original album definitely has a sound that I hope people will like. My remixes have taken on a variety of different sounds and styles from Trap to Hardstyle, Progressive and Electro partly because I let my creativity be inspired by the song itself and then I set my imagination free on my interpretation of it. I like to be unbounded by genre and style when creating music – music to me can be everything and anything.

SG: Who would you classify as your biggest musical influence? Doesn't have to be EDM related.

DJ: Michael Jackson will always be my #1 musical influence. There are so many other artists I admire like Justin Timberlake, Beyonce and Rihanna because, like MJ, they all have an unbridled passion for the music, and they never stay within one particular mold. They work so hard with such creative genius that their music can make you cry, make you dance, make you happy or make you think. That’s what music is to me; it’s more than just a combination of notes and words; it’s a powerful force that unites people; whether at a bar, a restaurant, a sports game, or in an elevator. From the EDM side of things, my earliest influences were artists like Faithless, ATB, Chicane, Real McCoy, C+C Music factory and the euro-house sound that came up in the mid-nineties.

SG: How would you describe your sound in three words.

DJ: Happy, Uplifting, Summery

SG: I noticed on your SC, most of the songs are remixes to pop songs. Have you always been into mixing the pop side of music? (Miley Cyrus, Mumford Suns, Rihanna)

DJ: I do have a huge soft spot for pop. I think it’s incredible that you can be in any part of the world and see people bond over a Beatles tune or a Michael Jackson track. Pop music brings people together and I’m happy to see EDM producers nowadays introducing more pop elements into their music and collaborating with pop stars; but I’m still a hard-core EDM fan so I don’t necessarily like pop trying to become EDM. I think that spoils the genre.

SG: How long have you held your residency at Stages?

DJ: Almost 2.5 years.

SG: Whats the biggest crowd you have played for? Any festivals?

DJ: I was really fortunate to have played the Official Avicii After-Party at Stages when he came to Kingston on the Levels tour. There was probably close to a thousand people there that night and I had an absolute blast. I’ll never forget it. I hope to be able to play some festivals this year. It’s my goal and my dream to play at all of the big ones at some point. I know I have a lot of hard work; blood, sweat and tears to put in to get there but that’s a dream that is a fundamental part of me and I will put everything I have into until I achieve it. Outside of my friends and family, music is everything to me.

Look out for Dave throughout 2014 as he is rapidly on the rise!