Originally involved in hip-hop/turntablism and experimental genres, Joe Bugz brings an interesting twist to dance music. Joe recalls making his own tracks out of parts of his favorite songs using nothing but a dual tape deck and a record button at the age of 10, before he had even heard of electronic music. When Joe was 13 years old, and already a guitar, drums and bass player, he bought his first set of turntables and an old-school Roland sampler and began obsessively practicing his scratching, mixing, and producing hip-hop, electronica, and experimental tracks with every waking hour of free time he had. A few years later, he found his love for true house music while he practiced with his friend and brother-in-law, who had been a long-time Chicago-native house DJ.
Around the same time, Joe teamed up with a reputed local hip-hop crew, Filth & Foul, and began DJ'ing and producing for their live shows. During this time, he traveled out of state to Idaho and Washington state to play larger venues and opening performances for artists such as: Afroman, Ying Yang Twins, Tech N9ne, Paul Wall, Everlast, DJ Quest, Ill Bill, Paperboy, Skee-Lo and more.
In 2009, Joe and an audio engineer built their own two room studio dubbed Crows Nest Recordings where he further honed his studio skills, including recording live and studio performances, mixing, and mastering final product. It was there that Joe collaborated with Reno, Nevada native, Mr. E (Myster?Enigma) to create their own hip-hop release from scratch that was named Double Life. And currently, they have begun production on their second release entitled, Successful Struggles.
In 2010, Joe had his first original solo release, Why Be A Fan When You Can Be A Player? Since 2011, Joe has been honing his production skills, playing many shows, growing a fan base, and becoming more intimate with his audiences. His style today is becoming more and more distinct, and remains to be the passion of his life.
