Julian Gray Digs Into His Favorite Record To Date

Julian Gray reveals the production process behind his latest track “Melody” featuring the distinct vocals of 88Birds.

Over the past few years, Los Angeles-based producer Julian Gray has established himself as a pivotal figure in progressive and melodic dance music. Since the release of his debut Autonomous EP on deadmau5’s label mau5trap in 2018, he has signed tracks to prestigious imprints like Anjunabeats and Enhanced. Also in 2018, he dropped his massive hit “Touch” on the home of #REALPROG Zerothree Music, which is a subsidiary of Mark Knight’s Toolroom Records. Rekindling his relationship with Zerothree almost five years later comes his second track on the label, “Melody.” For Julian Gray, returning to Zerothree “feels like coming home in a lot of ways.”

Jamie, (the label lead at both Zerothree and its parent company Toolroom) is a friend of mine and has reached out a few times over the past few years looking to collaborate again. I loved my experience with ‘Touch’ and was looking forward to working with Jamie and the team over at Z3 again, it was just a matter of finding the right record and we thought ‘Melody’ was the perfect fit.
Julian Gray

While reflecting on the past five years since his debut release on Zerothree, one thing is for certain – he is not the same artist he was in 2018. Julian shared, “I think more than anything I’ve grown as a person significantly. Many life changes have happened to me in the past five years, and they have obviously informed my music and tastes. I’m proud of how far I’ve grown in a musical sense, but also look fondly on the memories of the past five years and personal growth I’ve experienced along the way.” He added, “Like my music, some things have changed drastically, others not at all. Life is beautiful in that way.”

Julian’s lust for producing melodic and progressive music derives from his commitment to making what he loves and not what’s popular. “I think it really boils down to a fundamental love of the sound, the culture, and the history of the genre,” he tells us. “Some of my favorite music of all time has come out of the progressive genre, and I hope to contribute to the history of this incredible genre in some way over the history of my career.”

Taking his production level to the next degree, “Melody” showcases the true progression of his authentic sound and progressive mindset. Joining melodic forces with singer/songwriter 88Birds, the track expounds on their ability to sonically tell a story. “Melody” is over a year in the making, which stands to show you can’t rush perfection. The musical seed was first planted when Julian met 88Birds through her publisher, Cloud 9, who he works with frequently to discover other artists to collaborate with. 88Birds initially sent Julian a stripped-down demo of the song, with only her vocals and an accompanying piano.

I was instantly moved by the lyrics. I found the idea of describing someone you love as a Melody that you would ‘play all day’ and all night was such beautiful imagery and something that I can relate to with my partner. Music fills the soul with joy, as someone you love does, and I thought that association was absolutely beautiful. Art to the highest degree.
Julian Gray

Being the melodic connoisseur he is, Julian was fueled by his inspiration from 88Birds’ lyrics as he established the track’s signature melody. “I tried to capture the emotions of loving someone with music and to most of all create something that could live up to the absolutely magical lyrics that 88Birds initiated the song with…88Birds was Melody. She’s the creative mind that cultivated the themes that inspired the record. I just tried to create the canvas for her to paint her story.”

It’s just a magical song through and through. The lyrics and imagery are some of my favorites of any song I’ve ever worked on, and I’m incredibly proud of how it turned out. It’s my favorite because of the beautiful collaborative work 88Birds and I put into this song, the story of the song, and most importantly how it makes me feel. I’m very pleased to finally be able to share it with you.
Julian Gray

Leading up to the release of “Melody,” Julian couldn’t contain his excitement any longer. He tweeted to his fans that it’s the “type of song you look back on in 20 years and say ‘that’s a Julian Gray staple’,” and we couldn’t agree more.

Find your melody by checking out Julian Gray’s latest release on Spotify or your favorite streaming platform!