Who is Jon Gurd?

Jon Gurd

With a CV that already boasts its own record label, radio show, world class productions and DJ appearances alongside many of the DJ greats, it’s evident that at the age of just 22 Jon Gurd has already matured into a highly respected artist. He pushes an intelligent, underground sound that encompasses house and electro, delivered in a very distinctive fashion. As a former resident at Slinky in Bournemouth, Jon has starred alongside the likes of Dave Clarke, Billy Nasty and Mauro Picotto, whilst his latest residency for Portsmouth based Punchfunk has resulted in sets alongside Justin Robertson, Phil Kieran and Trevor Rockliffe.

Gurd picked up that nasty well known disease (the ‘house bug’ to me and you) back in 1995 when he was sitting at home listening to the likes of Kenny Ken, Prodigy, Dougal and Slipmat on his brother’s old rave tapes.

“My brother used to have this old set of decks, one was a 1210 and the other was a Sound Lab” elaborates Jon. “He said I wasn’t aloud to go on them, but I did when he was out and that’s when the DJing started.”

It was 3 years later and after a long summer labouring that Jon had saved up enough money to buy himself his first set of 1210’s. He started to practice religiously, locking himself away learning those all-important skills and at the tender age of just 15 he managed to obtain his first residency at Frisco’s in Portsmouth. It was here that Jon first witnessed how his skills could devastate dancefloors and from here he was truly hooked…

Jon continued to play the Portsmouth club for another year, before trying his hand at promoting. A few house parties down the line Jon decided that it was his DJing that should really take priority. It wasn’t before long that Jon’s music was to come to the attention of the promoters of Slinky, the Bournemouth based club night, when aged just 19 he entered a DJ competition via their website. He wowed the judges, blew away the competition and was instantly installed as Slinky resident.

This residency gave Jon the opportunity to play alongside some of his mentors, who were all drafted into Slinky’s home, the magnificent Opera House, to complement Jon’s sound. Such sets led Gurd to being tipped as a future hero by Fergie following another of his brilliant warm-ups and Fergie continues to support Jon’s music to this very day.

Needless to say with such performances getting national recognition, the name Gurd started to spread like wild fire. Godskitchen booked him immediately as did the Red Room Sessions at The Emporium, where Jon was on warm up duty for Lottie. Gurd has also played the Canal Club in Wolverhampton, Creation and Lakota in Bristol and Tremor nightclub in Salisbury.

In the summer of 2005 Jon left his Slinky residency to pursue a new one for Punchfunk, following some fantastic appearances for the Portsmouth and Bournemouth based underground house and techno night. This residency has given Jon yet further exposure and a fan base willing to support him at gigs the length and breadth of the country. In 2006 Jon has been showcasing his talents at Jambossa in Liverpool, New Mix in Maidstone and Drift in Portsmouth and looks forward to future gigs for ClubClass at the Ministry Of Sound and proposed tours of Mexico, Ukraine and Russia, whilst I-DJ Magazine have earmarked Jon as one to watch in an article published in their April edition.

As a producer Gurd’s music has been rocking the world’s greatest dancefloors courtesy of support from DJ talent such as James Zabiela, Hernan Cattaneo, Lee Burridge, Nic Fanciulli, Desyn Masiello and Paul Woolford. ‘Future’ received Radio One airplay from Fergie, whilst the massive ‘Lemon Sherbert’ found its way onto Sander Kleinenberg's ‘Everybody Part 3’ mix and again with ‘Mind Control’ on Paul Woolford’s October 2005 Essential Mix. Remix wise Jon has also been prolific. His remix of Random House Project’s ‘Freakin Me’ for Cr2 reached number 1 on the DJ download chart and number 4 in the Beatport chart, whilst his latest effort, a remix of Superbass ‘Go To Pieces’ again on Cr2, has already reached the heights of number 3 in the Beatport house chart. And with further work for Toolroom and Bomb Squad Records on the horizon it’s evident that Jon is already recognised as one of house music’s finest up-and-coming producers. Gurd also owns and runs the ‘Bass for Breakfast’ and the new ‘Kill A Watt’ record labels and hosts his own radio show on Proton radio (www.protonradio.com). Kill A Watt’s first release is Dave Robertson & Jon Gurd ‘Camel / Thai Chilli’.

Jon’s notable rise is down to sheer dedication and professionalism, which is captivated in his unique, fresh sound that offers a cutting edge tip in an ever-evolving scene.