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Ahead of Red Rocks, Hayden James Discusses His Emotive House Music

Hayden James's electronic music is about more than a perfect beat drop.
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Musician and producer Hayden James plays Red Rocks Friday, October 27. Grant Spanier

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The bouncing electronic pop-house music of L.A. producer and DJ Hayden James is an intoxicating invitation to dance. My living room is transformed by his records: The shag beige carpet morphs into a multi-colored dance floor and the ceiling fan is suddenly a glittering, vibrant disco ball. At first glance, the Australian-born musician's upbeat mixes scream club dance music, but there's more to his tracks than perfectly timed beat drops.

"I don't really write dance music, per se," James says, explaining that his songs are actually lyrically driven tracks that tell emotive stories. The repetitive melodies and addictive beats overlay emotional pieces that are built on narratives of heartbreak, love and life.

"For me, records are always pretty personal," he reflects. "I make up stories about people...or things a friend has told me. I use that as inspiration — so real-life things that have happened, either to me or close people around me, as a reference for writing."

"It's the classic cry-on-the-dance-floor kind of thing," he continues. "I want you to be excited about the music and really vibe to it, but also have that really emotive connection to it as well."

James's goal is to make tracks that are flexible and fluid, able to be played in almost any environment. Yes, at the club, but also on a Sunday afternoon while picnicking with family, or early on a Tuesday morning while ironing your clothes for work.

His songwriting process is as intricate as his music, and unique, to say the least. He's a very visual person: He often mutes a favorite YouTube clip or music video or even a 4K shot of a rainforest and experiments on his piano or synthesizer, acting as if he's composing a score for that moment. James thinks of it as a music-writing hack: Whatever emotion he wants the song to convey, there's a video that can help him express it.

Even when he's not composing to a video, the scenery of his life is woven into his music. "I think if you listen to all my first releases, something about "Permission to Love," "Just a Lover" — it has been kind of like...sexy summer, because I live on the beach, and I would swim every day and then write that music," he muses.

For his most recent single, "We Could Be Love," which dropped on August 31, James collaborated with electronic duo AR/CO. After resolving the structure of the track, he says it took about twenty minutes to write the whole song. Musically, the trio instantly clicked.

Around fifteen layers of vocals were recorded to get the "gang-style" vocals, or the choir effect that regularly appears in AR/CO records. James says the song was inspired by the Australian alt-electronic band Empire of the Sun, which, like James, is known for music that toes the line between lyricism and house.

Although the single was the product of multiple artists, pieces of James's life still made their way into the track. "We were living down in L.A., a place called Manhattan Beach, so we were literally on the beach again. I try to find as much beach as I can in my life," James says, chuckling. "It was during summer, so it was definitely just that vibe."

The surf-loving musician will trade his beaches for mountains when he heads to Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Friday, October 27. James, Ewan McVicar and Devault will be opening for house-music star, English DJ and producer Duke Dumont.

James has been writing all year, working on his third album (which he says will be more dance and house than his previous two) and a couple of new songs that will be released before the New Year. His Red Rocks set will consist of a lot of energetic, unreleased music demos and a little musical experimentation.

Even though he'll have to spend some time landlocked, he's looking forward to the show. He's already played at Red Rocks twice — most recently in November 2022, with ZHU (he's hoping for warmer weather this year) — and like many visiting musicians, he's never found another venue quite like it.

"I think Red Rocks is obviously one of the most beautiful venues I think I've ever played in my life," he says. "It's such a pleasure to play, and it's just amazing. So I really make the most of it and just try to push myself and play those demos. It might not be ready, but I just want to feel it out there. It's a very special place."

Hayden James, Ewan McVicar, Devault and Duke Dumont, 7 p.m. Friday, October 27, Red Rocks, 18300 West Alameda Parkway, Morrison. Tickets start at $49.