SAJAY [Interview]

Based in London (UK), SAJAY's early upbringing in Kenya and Sri Lanka sparked the inspiration of his musical quest. During his tenure in Sri Lanka, he helped develop, alongside his peers, the incredible underground dance music scene. SAJAY made his debut on Juicebox Music through his single "Subterranean" on the label's 'Elements Vol 3' release in 2021 and subsequently contributed to the label's second edition of the 'Fables' compilation with his single "Point Panic" in 2023. The powerful yet emotive style in his performances translated into his productions, landing him releases on GMJ & Matter's 'Meanwhile Horizons', Mango's 'Mango Alley', Max Freegrant's 'Freegrant Music' and more recently Cristoph's 'Consequence of Society'. He continues to explore outside the confines of genres to fully express musical expression while still staying true to his underground influences. With his latest offering for Praveen Achary's Juicebox Music, SAJAY delivers two peak-time weapons - "Hysteria" & "Reload", both gunning for the jugular.

Progressive Astronaut caught up with SAJAY to learn more about the release of 'Hysteria / Reload', 2024 highlights, growing up in Sri Lanka and Kenya, DJing, and much more. Enjoy.

Hi Sajay, thanks for talking to us today. Now that we’ve started the new year, how was 2024 for you?

Hey PA! Thanks for having me—it’s great to chat with you.

2024 was an incredible year for me, both in and outside of music. I had some big milestones, like leaving my home country of Sri Lanka and moving to the UK, along with some great releases. The last half of the year has been all about settling in, and it’s been an amazing journey. There’s plenty to be grateful for.

Let’s look back on the year, what gig of yours has stood out the most and why?

Last year was my quietest in terms of live gigs, since I moved to the UK quite early in the year, and I’m still building my network here. However, we have an amazing event coming up this February back home in Sri Lanka under THE BLUEPRINT.—a brand I co-founded with Dimuth K. We're hosting Cristoph for his debut in Sri Lanka, alongside some incredible local talent, and it's shaping up to be one for the books.

Now let’s look at tracks, what is a track or tracks which have come out this year that has impressed you the most and why?

I listen to lots of different music and find inspiration in many places. However, if I were to pick a couple of standout tracks in the Electronic sphere (released last year) I’d pick the below:

• Enamour - Zizzy
  The entire EP really stood out as it was incredibly forward thinking and a breath of fresh air in a very busy industry.
• Rufus Du Sol - Lately
  I loved the entire album, but this one was on repeat.
• Rinzen - Deja Vu
  The album he released on This Never Happened felt fresh and had impeccable production. Music that you can listen to over and over again. I loved the vocals in this track and also made an edit to play in my own sets.

What is a song/track you’ve never stopped listening to since childhood? And why has it stuck with you this long?

This is a tough one. Like I said, I listen to lots of different music but my main source of inspiration has always come from Rock Music. Linkin Park is my favourite band and has been ever since I was young. I'm going to have to pick the entire Reanimation album for this answer, because it’s so incredibly well produced, !so technically ridiculous and ahead of its time. I can’t say enough about it Every time I listen to it I feel like I hear something new, and it's been a massive source of inspiration for me.

For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you?

It took about a year for me to properly learn Ableton before I began sending any music to labels. When I first started producing, I would always listen to songs by my favourite artists and try to deconstruct how they made their tracks and what made them great—analyzing everything from the sounds they used to their arrangement and any details my own tracks might be missing. I still do this today.

At the start, I had a period of making music very freely, without worrying too much about my sound. Then, I reached a point where I became more introspective and wanted to elevate my music to a higher level, so I stopped myself from releasing too frequently until I felt my work had a certain quality to it. I think finding a balance between creative freedom and being a constructive critic of yourself is key. You don’t want to be too lax and think everything you make is amazing, releasing whatever you finish—but at the same time, you don’t want to be so hard on yourself that you never release anything. (I’m still working on this myself.)

How did your early years in Sri Lanka and Kenya affect your music taste and direction into becoming a DJ and producer?

I’m incredibly blessed to have grown up in two amazing countries. Both Kenya and Sri Lanka are beautiful, filled with vibrant culture and colours everywhere you look. From an early age, I was exposed to many different forms of art and creativity, which helped expand my own creative scope—something that naturally translated into my musical side.

Who from these countries inspired you the most early on and why were they inspirational for you?

When I was around 16 or 17 in Sri Lanka, we had a group of young, hungry DJs, all eager to prove ourselves and carve out a space in the local music scene. Sri Lanka has always had a strong underground music and DJ culture, so having a group of friends with the same mission was invaluable. We learned from each other and pushed one another to grow and improve, and I’m happy to say that everyone has done incredibly well. This group included Dimuth K, A-Jay, and Shannon Davin. The Sri Lankan scene is booming now more than ever, with lots of talented producers/DJs, and that fills me with pride.

What are some of your best memories from first going to clubs? Were there specific nights or sets that really made you feel you wanted to pursue electronic music?

I was 17 when I got my first residency in Sri Lanka at a club called Clique. At the time, electronic music wasn’t as popular in the clubs, as the scene in Colombo was mainly focused on hip-hop and R&B. However, I was always given the freedom to play what I felt was right. Gradually, the crowd started to enjoy the music more, and my 2 AM shift began moving up earlier in the night. Eventually, we started having full-blown electronic music nights and even had our own room for special events.

I’ll always have great memories of that place—it was where I learned so much about the art of DJing and nightlife as a whole. Dimuth K was my partner here for many seasons, and we had some incredible times playing open-to-close sets on multiple occasions.

Once you moved to the UK how did this affect your electronic music journey? Was it beneficial in terms of inspiration? And what about gig opportunities?

Moving to the UK was a massive decision for me, and I’m extremely privileged and grateful for the opportunity. Of course, it’s never easy to leave a place where you’ve spent over a decade establishing yourself, playing consistent gigs, and being part of a great supportive community—only to start again in a highly competitive environment where you don’t really know anyone. But I set out with a mission to grow and challenge myself—both personally and musically.

It’s easy to stay where you’re comfortable, but I knew there was more to learn and experience. The UK is a melting pot of music, home to countless iconic bands, DJs, and emerging talent. Being here allows me to truly immerse myself in the scene, understand what’s making waves, learn, and expand my perspective.

I’ve already been to some incredible events and met some great people in the industry. It’s been amazing chatting with them and getting their perspectives on things. It’s already been a lot of fun, and I’m looking forward to building on this even more this year.

2024 was a good year for you with standout releases for Consequence Of Society, Mango Alley and Meanwhile Horizons, so what are you looking to achieve going forward? Or is the future something you think about at all?

It’s been great, and I’m very proud to have some music coming out on these amazing labels. This year, I plan to release more music and be more consistent, because, with everything that was going on last year, the music side naturally had to take a bit of a backseat. So, the main goal for 2025 is to get a lot more music out there, as well as to shift my creative approach to be a little less critical and focus on getting more of my art into the world.

You have a new EP ‘Hysteria / Reload’ which is out now via Praveen Achary’s Juicebox Music. Tell us a bit about the EP and what sort of vibe you were going for on the tracks.

I’m super happy to have this EP with Juicebox! It’s been a goal of mine for a very long time, so this feels like a personal milestone. A lot of my music is quite dancefloor-focused, and these two tracks were no different.

‘Reload’ was one of those tracks that came together in almost no time. If I remember correctly, the entire track and arrangement were structured in a single session. After that, I didn’t want to mess with it too much and risk losing the core idea, so it was just a matter of polishing it up.

‘Hysteria,’ on the other hand, went through a few different versions before I found its balance. Both tracks emulate a space in the progressive sphere that I really love—a mix of proggy, techy, and trancey elements that still sound modern and fresh. This is the sort of spectrum and realm I aim for now.

Let our readers inside your studio for a moment, what is your current setup and what studio tools are featured heavily in your recent productions and more specifically on ‘Hysteria’ and ‘Reload’?

Ah, gear—every producer's favourite topic! I wrote these tracks while I was still in Sri Lanka and had my studio setup, which consisted of a Korg Minilogue, an Arturia Minibrute, and a pair of Yamaha HS8s (plus Ableton, of course). In the two tracks, there’s a good mix of both analog and digital sounds—analog from my hardware synths and digital from soft synths like Diva and the Arturia V Collection range.

I’ll be moving to a new place in London soon and will be building up a home studio once I’m settled—and I’m very excited about it (apologies in advance to my bank account). I’m thinking of investing in a solid poly and mono synth, along with a good pair of studio speakers—currently deciding between Dynaudio and Adam Audio.

For now, I’ve been working with just a pair of Beyerdynamic 770 Pro X headphones and a Native Instruments MIDI controller.

This is your third appearance on Juicebox Music but your first artist EP for the label, how important was it for you to achieve that distinction and why was Juicebox Music a good home for ‘Hysteria’ and ‘Reload’?

Very important! As I mentioned, an EP on Juicebox was a long-term goal of mine, so it was a great feeling to finally achieve it. Juicebox has always been very forward-thinking and has consistently released great music—plenty of which I’ve regularly featured in my sets.

I previously released two tracks with them, Point Panic and Subterranean, both of which did well and received good support. Subterranean, notably, was played by Eelke Kleijn—a testament to Juicebox’s quality and strong promo pool.

Naturally, releasing music with a solid label is always great, but putting out your own EP is a special moment. It gives the tracks more of the limelight they need, especially in such a competitive market. I look forward to continuing to release music with them in the future.

Shifting to DJing for a moment, you’ve played alongside some international greats including Guy J, Jeremy Olander and Sahar Z, please tell us your approach to programming a set with the dancefloor in mind.

I’m very privileged to have shared the stage with some truly amazing artists and to get to know what great people they are as well.

My approach is a mix of planning and intuitive DJing on the night. It’s about balancing well-organized music with the flexibility to let some spontaneous magic happen.

I feel it’s important to have your music well-organized and to really know the tracks in your arsenal. I arrange a lot of different music into multiple playlists (warm-up, sundowner, peak, etc.) and then pick out tunes based on the time I’m playing and the vibe in the moment. This way, whether I’m playing peak time or setting up the stage for another DJ, I know exactly where to find my music and can get the crowd in tune with the night.

Doing this helps me make decisions and DJ more freely, staying in sync with the crowd rather than just playing a bunch of pre-selected tracks. On many nights, there have been moments where tracks come together really well, feeding off the crowd’s energy, and everyone is just connected in that moment of magic. You can’t pre-plan that. But yes, structured organization goes a long way in helping you select the right tracks and build out your set for a better progression.

What is it about DJing, compared to producing your own music, that makes it interesting for you?

I started as a DJ before becoming a producer, so it will always be something deeply rooted in me. DJing gives you a direct connection with people and your community—and that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? There’s nothing quite like being in the middle of that experience, fully in sync with everyone. It’s absolute magic.

Can you tell me a bit about how your work as a DJ has influenced your view of music, your way of listening to tracks and perhaps also, your work as a producer?

Being able to DJ and experience the vibe of a night—the crowd, the setting, whether it’s a club, lounge, rave, or rooftop—gives you a broad perspective on how different music works in different spaces at different times. This has always played a big role in my production process. A lot of my music is dancefloor-focused, and DJing allows me to assess whether what I’m making will translate well into a set (mine or another DJ’s) when in a set it would work, if the arrangement is effective, and make decisions accordingly.

When it comes to listening to music or going to events, I think all artists can laugh at themselves for how analytical and overly serious they tend to be. We’re often guilty of listening too intently, breaking down how a track was made, and analyzing every detail. Sometimes, this can take away from just sitting back and enjoying it, but it also deepens your appreciation for the music, the process behind it, and the artist playing it.

Current Top five tracks in your sets?

• Dimuth K & SAJAY - Gravity
• Mike Gannu - Shinka
• OIO - Momentum
• Township Rebellion - Leave no trace
• Matador - Jiggleho

If you are not DJing, producing or socializing at clubs, where do we find you? And doing what?

Balancing work life and music life is a tricky act, and I’m sure many can relate. But I try to stay as active as possible—getting regular workouts in, and playing some sports—and the rest of the time, you’ll probably find me in the kitchen because I love to cook.

If you could set up an event with a line-up of five artists of your choice, who would you book and what set times would you ascribe to the artists? (Do not include yourself)

 Tough one! I’m going for the dream line-up here. It's all quite high energy so I wouldn't worry too much about the timings!

• Eric Prydz (Close)
• Deadmau5
• Above & Beyond
• Sasha & John Digweed
• Bob Moses (Open)

If you were not a DJ/Producer what do you think you’d be doing with your life? (Something not music related)

Hospitality is something I’ve always loved and have worked in before, so opening a bar or restaurant is something I’d love to do in the future.

What’s something people do not know about you?

I'm a twin! I’m the older twin by just 2 minutes. Unfortunately, he is the cooler kid.

What TV series have you been enjoying recently and what are some of your all time favourites?

I Just binged the entire first season of Severance and absolutely loved it! Can't wait to watch season 2!

Some all time favourites are: Peaky Blinders, Breaking Bad, True Detective (the first season), Avatar - The Last Airbender (always on repeat).

Apart from music, what makes you happiest?

I am incredibly blessed to have the most supportive family, siblings, and the best circle of friends. I always find happiness in this even in the hardest of times.

What can we look forward to from you in 2025? Any releases or gigs you are looking forward to?

I don’t want to give away too much on the music front, but I’ve got a couple of remixes coming out soon, along with some original music I’ve been polishing up. I’ll definitely be a lot more active on the release front this year.

As for gigs, as I mentioned earlier, we’ve got a big one coming up in Colombo with Cristoph under our brand THE BLUEPRINT.and that's happening this February, so it’s right around the corner!

Thanks for chatting guys! Cheers, and all the best.

'Hysteria / Reload' is available now via Juicebox Music: https://tinyurl.com/35v989uv