Alkmaar's Julian Glas is Our Latest Undrtone x Jake Tomas & Paul HG + Friends Guest
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
At just 21 years old, Julian Glas already sounds like an artist with a clear sense of direction. The Alkmaar producer and DJ may have only seriously fallen into house music a few years ago, but his rise since then has been quick. From his debut at Club Panama through to signing his first EP with Whoyostro and receiving support from names including Marco Carola, Syreeta and Seb Zito, things are steadily moving in the right direction.
For the latest edition of Undrtone x Jake Tomas & Paul HG + Friends Presents, Julian delivers a mix that reflects exactly where he sits musically right now. Warm grooves, garage influences, deep house textures and soulful energy all run through the set, mirroring the sound he has been steadily shaping in the studio.
His route into dance music itself feels surprisingly recent. While many artists talk about growing up surrounded by electronic music, Julian’s relationship with house started through experiences on dancefloors rather than years spent digging through records.
“I first really got into house music through some of the first events I attended, such as Elrow and Overdose by Menesix,” he explains. “I noticed that I was especially drawn to the rolling drums, although at that time I did not yet know which subgenre I was listening to. Later, when I discovered garage, everything started to make more sense.”
That discovery quickly developed into something deeper. Alongside garage, artists and labels like PIV and Prunk began opening doors into a wider world of house music.
“I really liked the sound of PIV Records and Prunk, and that is when I truly fell in love with house music.”
That warmth still sits at the centre of how Julian approaches his own records now. While his influences touch on garage, deep house and classic underground sounds, he says those ideas tend to emerge naturally rather than through a deliberate process.
“When I make music, I notice that I do not want it to sound too dark,” he says. “I really like energetic and soulful records where you can feel the warmth.”
That same feeling runs throughout his guest mix too. There is a looseness and musicality to it that avoids feeling overly calculated, leaning instead into groove and atmosphere.
A lot of that can be traced back to producers who helped shape his own understanding of house music. Names like Jeremy Sylvester and Scott Diaz continue to influence the way he hears rhythm and movement.
“With artists like Scott Diaz and Jeremy Sylvester, you can really hear those 90s garage drums, which are a big source of inspiration for me,” he says. “What I also like about Scott Diaz is the way he can move between raw underground records and warmer, more soulful tracks.”
For Julian, authenticity in house music is not about recreating the past. It is about carrying elements forward and making them feel relevant.
“For me, it is mainly about combining the old with the new,” he explains. “Artists like RUZE are a good example of what that can sound like today. Warm, soulful and groove-driven, but still fresh and modern.”
Despite still being early in his journey, important moments have already arrived. His Club Panama debut in 2023 remains one of them, although perhaps not for the reasons people might expect.
“What I remember most is that I honestly did not really know what I was doing yet,” he laughs. “I was mainly just having fun, and that is something I want to keep doing throughout the rest of my DJ career.”
Signing his first Whoyostro EP also gave him an early sense that things were moving beyond simply making tracks in his room.
“Signing my first EP felt like a small piece of recognition,” he says. “It showed me that I was not the only one who believed my music sounded good.”
Support from established artists has followed too, but one moment in particular stayed with him.
“Syreeta was very enthusiastic about the demos I sent her quite early on,” he says. “Receiving personal emails back from her meant a lot to me.”
Looking ahead, his next release ‘Dam Funkin’’ feels like a marker for where things are moving next.
“With ‘Dam Funkin’’, I wanted to present the next stage of my sound,” he says. “The warmth of the track, combined with garage drums and soulful vocals, really shows the direction I want to move in.”
And while things are building quickly, the goals themselves remain refreshingly grounded.
“In two years, I hope to have organised my own event or festival, produced and released several more tracks, and hopefully released music on a strong label such as Arqive.”
For now though, this guest mix offers a strong snapshot of an artist still at the beginning of that journey, already finding his own space somewhere between garage swing, soulful house and modern underground energy.
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