Just Joseph (real name Joseph Wilkins) is a street-loop-guitar player, who makes music, which he defines as ‘ambient soundscapes’. Currently Joseph is London-based independent artist making a living from busking. Trance feel, chill out melodies, ambient sound or some would say - music for meditation. Trying to frame his sound into a category or a genre cannot capture the essence of what it actually is. But Joseph’s growing up to this stage has its periods and influences.

 

Joseph was brought up with music since he was a child. Started with a keyboard in primary school and then private piano lessons. In secondary school he learned how to play African drums and explored the joy of being in a group of people where "everybody is in the zone". Meaning to be where nothing but playing music matters. This is where the rhythm in his music starts off.

 

 At the age of 15 he was playing drum kit as part of a band called Bye Rights. But Joseph didn’t really have an input with the political messages their music had, so halfway through secondary school he started practising guitar late at night. Playing songs like Smoke on the water (Deep Purple) or Roulette (System of a down), but mainly influenced by The Beatles and Red hot chili peppers, Joseph focused on playing the guitar.

 

“I never really wanted to be a singer/songwriter. I wanted to make music, because I think people can feel something when artists are playing music. They don’t have to sing about something. If you can make people feel warmth, affectionate towards other people through playing a sound - that is where I’m trying to go with it.”

 

Growing up in a small village called Whalley, Lancashire has its charm. But living there would be as Joseph describes it - to stay closed in ‘a bubble’. Whereas he had dreams to travel, explore the world and make music.

 

He came to a stage where he was comfortable with playing anything on the guitar. At the age of 17 he got his National Diploma in Music from Preston College. Throughout this period he met some close friends, started gigging in local pubs and discovered his passion for busking. The gigging didn’t last for too long, because Joseph felt being applauded for covering other artists’ songs was not as satisfying as when he was playing his original tunes.

 

Joseph had chosen to live a nomadic life. Finding his niche through busking around the streets of Oz, England, Thailand, carrying a car battery and a portable generator to plug his pedals in, he started off doing what he is doing now. Huge musical inspiration for Joseph was the Australian beatbox street performer Dub FX, which has led Joseph on a journey to Australia, described by him as being a life changing experience.

 

His ambient soundscape music is a true representation of art for art’s sake. What he finds fascinating about busking is people’s response and true appreciation; the shared communication that just happens without anything being arranged. Joseph considers the craft of playing an instrument as an art form in itself. He describes creating music as an experience where he just loses himself into the euphoria of creating it, almost like a meditation.