Jats (@jats_ofc) makes his Stereo Productions debut with “Power,” a new single arriving August 6 on Chus & Ceballos’ long-running imprint. The release places the French producer inside a label orbit that has helped shape percussive, groove-led house for decades, and it gives him a natural next step after records on DAYS like NIGHTS, VIVa MUSIC, Mektoub Records, REDOLENT, and Purified.
For extra context on the label’s world, my older Dennis Cruz interview around a Stereo Productions release is a good reminder of how long that house lineage has been feeding club rooms across different scenes.
“Power” is built around a playful call-and-response vocal, rolling percussion, funk-leaning groove work, and the kind of hook that invites the crowd to participate instead of simply listen. Early support from Solomun and DJ Chus has already helped put the record in front of the right rooms, while broader backing from names like Black Coffee, Pablo Fierro, Francis Mercier, Bob Sinclar, Joezi, and Mëstiza points to the growing reach around Jats’ catalog.
In the interview below, Jats talks about presence behind the decks, the exchange between DJ and audience, and why a great set depends on more than song selection alone. His answers fit the idea behind “Power,” because the record is built around the same principle he keeps returning to here: the best club moments happen when the crowd becomes part of the performance.
Interview With Jats
What does presence behind the decks mean to you in actual terms?
Presence behind the decks can mean completely different things depending on the artist’s personality, the music they play, and the emotions, energy, or message they want to share.
To me, presence is first and foremost about communication between the DJ and the audience. It’s that connection that allows you to create something unique, something that only exists in that very moment.
How do you stay mentally and physically engaged while everything moves quickly around you?
As soon as I start playing, it’s like I enter a bubble where space and time feel different. I’m completely carried by the music, almost as if it flows through me before reflecting onto the crowd. That energy then comes back from the audience, even stronger, feeding my focus and my passion. It’s a constant exchange that makes every moment more intense. Even if I’m tired before stepping on stage, that feeling usually disappears as soon as I play the first track. It’s an incredible sense of well-being, almost something miraculous.
What are the usual signs you notice in yourself that tell you you’re locked into a set on the decks?
The biggest sign is when my body and the music become one. I enter a state where time almost disappears. I feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be, at the right place, at the right moment, fully living the present with the people in front of me.
What helps you return to focus if your attention starts to move away from what’s really important while playing?
Emotion always brings me back. My sensitivity reconnects me with the present moment. I also look to the crowd and draw energy from them, feeling the chemistry that exists between us. That connection instantly reminds me of what really matters.
Do you think audiences sense when a DJ is fully present and focused on content, promotion or anything other than the floor?
Absolutely.
I believe audiences can feel it. As someone who also spends time on the dancefloor, I’m very sensitive to it myself. I need to feel what an artist is trying to communicate. For me, it’s essential that there are no barriers between the DJ and the crowd. Emotions and energy have to flow freely in both directions. Those moments are created together, the DJ leads the journey, but the audience is just as much a part of it.
How has your understanding of presence changed over time?
My understanding of presence has evolved tremendously over the past twenty years.
When I first started, that sense of presence wasn’t really there. I was simply playing records that I loved, hoping the audience would love them too. I think music production completely changed my perspective. Creating music taught me how to express emotions, understand them more deeply, and communicate them through sound. It also taught me how to read a crowd. When I play my own music, or tracks that genuinely move me, something powerful happens. Presence is no longer just about what I do behind the decks. It’s about the whole experience.
It comes from intention, from the music itself, from listening to the audience, and from sharing the desire to create a unique moment that can never be repeated in exactly the same way. To me, being present isn’t about putting on a show or trying to draw attention to yourself. It’s about fully living the moment, being in complete harmony with the audience, and acting as the conductor who guides everyone through the journey.
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
