Home
Music
Forum
Log in
Sign up
Contact us
Dark mode
 
Dj FM
DJ FM has been a part of the southeast US EDM scene for close to 20 years. As a DJ hes played from Baltimore to Burning Man. As a musician he's performed his original electronic music with a live band and frequently incorporates live instruments into his DJ sets. He's produced over 90 tracks and remixes, and had his original tracks used on MTVs Real World, Road Rules, The Hills and Making The Band. His latest single "Halo (feat. Julia Vo) was featured and shared on EDM Blog Dancing Astronaut.
Tell me about your history? How did you get where you are now?
Jon Gerlers musical existence as DJ FM is a journey that began almost 20 years ago. Following the dissolution of his band S.G.O. in 1997, Gerler and producer Tom Mohbat began work on DJ FMs debut EP breakup. The album introduced FMs signature blend of danceable beats, world percussion, live instrumentation and the haunting vocals of singer/actress Elizabeth Fountain. Tracks from the album were featured on MTVs Real World, Road Rules, and the Abercrombie & Fitch website. The song Baranquilla appeared on the Record Exchanges 1999 Notes from Home compilation CD which led to significant regional airplay on college radio, as well as a mention in CMJ (College Music Journal). FM then began his most ambitious plan to date: moving his music out of the clubs and assembling a group of musicians to help him perform in a live setting - The FM Initiative. Enlisting the aid of S.G.O.s drummer Jason Clevenger and Mohbats alter-ego Ravi on percussion, FM played a series of local live dates, including a benefit performance at Club Metro in Asheville and the Freakadelic Records Freak-for-All in 2000 at Local 506, Chapel Hill. The group took a hiatus following FMs move to Baltimore, Maryland, where he began focusing on honing his DJ-ing skills, as well as the completion of his second EP, conversion.factor. He DJ-ed at small clubs in and around Washington D.C., including the Galaxy Hut and Clarendon Ballroom in Arlington, VA. Conversion.factor was released online in early 2001 through a fledgling website called mp3.com, and 2AM Artist Managements Keith Haas invited FMs live group to perform at 2AMs Showcase in Springfield, MA with a crowd of over 2,000. Back in North Carolina, FM began work on his 3rd release, the Land on your Feet EP. Tracks from all three of his releases continued to be used by MTV as well as various PBS programs including In The Mix, and online indie retailer The Orchard helped the breakup EP see distribution through Apples hugely successful iTunes Music Store. Along with former Resonance Project DJ Tom Foolery, HiJinx Records was founded and FM began a year-long Friday night residency at Rush Lounge, formerly the center of Raleighs up-and-coming South Glenwood district beginning in 2004 (now the Pourch and The Bassment). After concluding his residency at Rush in early 2005, guest appearances at Aries Lounge, Oliver Twist, Talullas, and a high-profile gig opening for the Backstreet Boys at the Progress Energy Center followed. For this he was voted as Best DJ in the Triangle for 2006 by the Independent Weekly. From 2006-2007 he then played bass/keys for local Raleigh rock heroes Left Outlet, whom Grammy-nominated producer John Custer (DAG, Corrosion of Conformity) called the best band to come around in a long time...great vocals...great song writing. FM then returned to DJ-ing in 2007, where he held down a summer-long residency at Glenwood South wine bar April & George and a 2-month residency at Chapel Hills Mansion 462. Countless guest appearances at Chapel Hills Vespa, Raleighs Mosquito and Ess Lounge (as opening act for Fools Gold Records Treausre Fingers), GruvGlus EmergeNC 2008, Transformus 2009 and even a gig at AutoSub at Burning Man 2009(!) followed. In 2010 FM began his residency for Lincoln Theatres REVOLUTION Raleigh dance party, averaging 400+ attendees in a notoriously difficult market for electronic dance music. Yet for all the publicity, DJ FMs first priority was the release of his 2014 album Last Man Standing. Last Man Standing is a genre-bending tour-de-force of electronic mayhem, blending elements of rock and metal with different styles of EDM. In the words of online music blog BeatsandBeyond.com, Last Man Standing is a diverse and atmospheric piece of work remarked by nifty sound layering and a solid overall composition, and a solid pick if youre looking for deeply melodic and hypnotizing cuts. RATING: 8.0/10 2015 saw the formation of DJ FMs new band ROXABOXEN, featuring former Left Outlet collaborators Brandon Lewis and Eric Peace, as well as Julia Vo - a local drum&bass DJ celeb - on vocals. FM also brought her on to do vocals for his latest solo effort Halo (Confession), a funky vocal house jam. The saga continues!
Have you performed live in front of an audience? Any special memories?
While I love DJ-ing and rocking the crowd, I also enjoy opening for rock/alternative acts because I want to have a broad audience. In 1999 I formed a band called The FM Initiative to perform my music live, and we played at a rave in Asheville NC in March of that year, and then again in 2000 at Local 506 in Chapel Hill. It was great - I love live performances, and I love to throw people off. They were all expecting a DJ, but what they got was something else entirely! I just recently returned to Local 506 and played my first live show in over 10 years!
Your musical influences
Anything and everything. My favorite bands/artists (regardless of genre) are Hybrid Soundsystem, Moby, BT, Sunscreem, Machines of Loving Grace, BT, Stabbing Westward, Rush...and the list goes on!
What equipment do you use?
MacPro Tower for the Studio, MacBook Pro for Live/DJ applications, Alesis QS6.1, M-Audio Axiom 61, MOTU Digital Performer, Reason 5.0, Ableton Live 8.2, Fender Precision Bass, Ibanez S-Series guitar, Pioneer Pro DJ gear, Tech21 pedals (live and studio), etc...
Anything else?
Music is life...
About us/Contact DMCA/Copyrights Privacy Legal
1997-2024 SoundClick Inc, all rights reserved. SoundClick and The SoundClick Logo are registered trademarks.
PLAY
FOLLOW
SHARE
free
Buy
Playlist