When did you both first become involved in music?
Greg: We started music at 5 or 6 years old. I was playing guitar and he [Julius] was on piano, we were 15 or 16 when we started on the computer and DJing, there was a hip-hop phase, and he [Julius] was doing turntables and scratching, then I got into dance music when I was 17 and I’m 25 now.
Julius: Be patient you have time, you don’t have to make your big track at age 17. Take your time!
Who are your biggest inspirations when creating music?
Julius: That’s always tough to answer because there are so many great artists and everyone brings their own stuff to the table. For him [Greg] it was Fedde Le Grand, for me it was Fatboy Slim and The Prodigy. Also some scratcher guys but they are not so well known.
You are a DJ & Production duo from Germany. How did each of you get in touch with electronic dance music in the first place, how did you meet, what made you team up, and how did you get into DJing and music production?
We’ve both been producing for quite some time now and had releases before “Jewelz & Sparks” with our solo synonyms. We met at the university we both go to and immediately knew there was a special vibe building between us through the music we made. It was rather a long shot when we produced the first track together, but we were amazed by how well it turned out and how successful it got in the end. We knew we had to keep this momentum going and so we decided to become a duo.
Do you think that Social media is a powerful tool in marketing new music?
Greg: It plays a huge role, definitely, in all the marketing strategies because a lot of guys who are upcoming still don’t have big budgets. Everyone has access to these platforms and it’s a really beneficial way to spread your music and for even the customer to learn about your own tastes because there’s a wide range of artists and you can follow anybody and every niche of the music is there.
Julius: Advice for every newcomer: Before you start going all in with that [marketing] get your music right, because if your music is good then you can go start marketing it. Don’t start too early, a lot of young guys start going out with their music way too early and their tracks aren’t ready yet.
You play and produce hard-hitting Big Room House. How would you describe your music in a few words, what is distinct about it?
Hard-hitting, minimalistic, progressive.
Your breakthrough came with the tracks “Toxic Rush” and “Flashbang” in late 2012. Looking back on the past 3 highly eventful and successful years, what were the best and the worst gigs you ever played, and what were the funniest things that occurred during any of your performances?
Generally, we never really experienced a bad gig. We try not to get hung up on stuff that goes wrong, if it does. One of our favourite shows definitely was TomorrowWorld in September last year. We played the Revealed Stage, and it was absolutely insane. Some of the highest energy in crowds that we have seen to this day. Our tours in Asia are always full of positive surprises as well. We like to keep those positive memories in our minds. It makes the whole thing so much more fun!
You are best known for your tracks “Kingdom”, “Robotic” (with Fedde Le Grand) and “I Can Fly”. What other tracks, remixes or mix-sets would you recommend to someone that is not yet familiar with your music?
“Motor” and “Phantom” were definitely some of our own favourites. They also got some serious support out there and shouldn’t be missed. So check them out and become part of the #jswarriors
You have shown that you’re successful at creating a crazy amount of energy in festival crowds, TomorrowWorld being an example. How do you create this energy and keep it going?
Julius: One thing is that its very simple to get, so a lot of people who haven’t heard our tunes can relate, also it’s a reward for ourselves as well. We are standing there at TomorrowWorld and we started in our little rooms making music and it’s the biggest reward you can get to give the music to people.
Greg: I think the social aspect is very important too, interacting with people like shaking hands and taking pictures with the people in the crowd, the J&S warriors idea has really taken off, it’s so much fun to meet all these people and put a smile on their face and that’s really what its all about in this industry. It’s not about having the biggest car or being VIP or having the best party. The people who are out there for us are what matter and that’s where we get our energy. It’s like a ping-pong thing, it goes back and forth and we feed off each other’s energy.