There has been a bit of a conveyor belt of talent coming from Australian shores in the last few years, and one such product of that line is Jono Fernandez. After early experiences with instruments such as the piano and violin, it wasn’t too long before Jono went digital and entered the world of Electronic music, making a strong impact early on labels such as Zero Tolerance, and more recently imprints such as Electrofly, M Theory & Baroque to name just a few. Like many good producers nowadays, Jono is also more then capable behind the decks as well as behind the monitor. He has been always well received everytime he has played in his hometown of Melbourne, or indeed around Australia and perhaps and hopefully around the world in years to come. In the meantime, and in the countdown towards his return to Sydney to play at the Stay In Touch party, we had a quick word to Jono to see what’s been going down of late!

Well Jono, 2003 and 2004 so far have been fantastic for you in the Production world. How have you seen the last 2 years?
The last 2 years have been great. They have involved a lot of hard work but I’ve also seen a lot of good things come from that hard work. I’ve had a fair few releases come out and this has really helped my profile along. It has never really been about seeing a light at the end of the tunnel but more just taking steps forward. I’m the sort of guy that gets bored quite easily so I feel like I always need to be working on something and I feel that has been the key to getting where I have over the past 2 years.

What upcoming material can we expect from Mr. Fernandez?
Deliver Me – Jono Fernandez – Institution Recordings
Directions In Groove – Jono Fernandez & Vance Musgrove – Pangea
Northern Lights – Jono Fernandez – Erase Recordings
Bounce / Out Of Place – Jono Fernandez - Fingerlickin’

You obviously spend a lot of time both on DJ'ing and production. Do you try to find a good balance of the two or would you prefer to focus on one of them?
I love doing both but I am definitely a producer first and foremost. The two do go hand in hand though and I would like to incorporate more of my productions into a live performance on laptop over the next year. I love Djing and my gigs are really picking up big time at the moment so it keeps me on my toes also. It’s great being able to play half finished productions to a live audience and seeing how they respond to it. I suppose it’s almost a bit of an advantage over the studio.

In a production sense, what quality producers would you like to work with if you had the chance and why?
I think Timberland who produces for Missy Elliot would be great to work with. He’s one of those guys that really think outside the square and every tune he does has a completely different and original sound. A lot of the local producers are still doing it for me and I’d really like to collaborate with guys like Phil K and Infusion at some stage.

Growing up, was it certain producers or DJ's that inspired you to get into this music?
The night that we used to run in Canberra was based on Sunny Side Up down here in Melbourne and we used to bring guys like Phil K, Gab Olivier, Ozzie La and Gavin Keitel up as guests. They would always rock up with their latest productions on cdr and drop them in the club. So these guys inspired me not only in a DJ sense but a production sense also and it was this crew that I first hooked up with when I came to Melbourne.

Do you have any aspirations to travel overseas to pursue your career, or is Melbourne just as good a place as anywhere right now?
I think I will end up living somewhere else for at least a few years but I’m in no rush to do so. I love New York and could see myself living there but I’ve got too much going on here to think about leaving at any time soon. Melbourne has a lot going for it and this network of producers that we have here has just led to stronger and stronger releases coming from down under.

What other hobbies outside music do you find time for?
Not a great deal unfortunately. A lot of what I get up to relates back to my music in one way or another. I drink a lot of beer? Is that a hobbie? When I need to get out of the studio and unwind I might take my dog for a walk or go for a coffee in a nice café or something like that. I love hanging out with my friends and always make sure I have plenty of time for getting up to mischief with them.

Jono Fernandez will be playing at Stay In Touch in Sydney on Saturday, 31 July @ 33 Oxford Street.