Joe Kay’s ‘If Not Now, Then When?’ Gives ‘That Soulection Ethos’

Joe Kay is prepared to take his Soulection legacy to new levels. The acclaimed DJ, who has kept parties alive across the globe for more than a decade and launched the aforementioned world-renowned platform, has stepped into his own artistry.

Earlier this month, he released his debut EP If Not Now, Then When? at the perfect time, with features from Amaria, Arin Ray, Blackway, Cruza, Dylan Sinclair, Isaiah Falls, Karri, Merges, and Sinead Harnett. The six-track project is a deeply personal and collaborative body of work.

“All these artists have like a really good range of just different styles or different styles of music, but all give that ‘Soulection ethos,’ you know what I mean?” the master curator explained VIBE ahead of its release.

“And then on the production, we have D’Mile, Cruza, a producer that I’ve been playing for a long time named Budgie…Flower Child out of Atlanta. Some of these producers are really dope because I’ve played them on the show on Soulection Radio for many years, playing their edits and stuff, so for them to actually have an original body of music is super important.”

The California native continued to detail, “What I love about this is collaborative. This ain’t no ghost producing for me, and me taking all the credit. Everyone’s a part of it. Everyone’s listed. Everybody’s credited. Everybody is a part. Everybody’s eating. And that’s the best part about it. This isn’t about me taking credit or recognition for anybody’s work. This is like a team family effort and everyone having the same vision.”

Elsewhere in his conversation with VIBE, Joe Kay opened up about Soulection’s early beginnings and the current landscape of the industry.

“It’s easier to become known, but it’s harder to have longevity,” he reflected. “But what I do feel is that, and it’s not completely everyone’s fault. The internet has created a lot of fast success, and because of that, it has caused, I feel like, a lack of work ethic because it’s not to take away from people. People can’t help that their posts go viral or their clips or their ideas, but it’s a lot of shortcutting because a lot of us had to.”

“[It] has become way more accessible, which means there’s way more people on the market,” he explained. “And then what I also feel is happening is just a lot of people that are in it for the wrong reasons. Everyone loves music, we know that. But Some people are DJ-ing for the virality.”

Watch the full interview and listen to Joe Kay’s If Not Now, Then When? EP above. Read below for the If Not Now, Then When? tour schedule.