RS: I heard you started DJing in a roller-skating rink, and I've
just to got to ask, what's your biggest roller-skating gem of all time
Jay-J: Oh God. Well I don't know, it was so long ago - we're
talking 1986. I don't know if there's one song that Doctor Dre had
produced with this group, The World Class Wrecking Crew, in the 80s.
Before NWA, so this was 1986 I guess. It was a roller-skating song
that we used to play it a lot at the roller-skating rink. It's funny
because a lot of that stuff was the precursor to the electro sound of
today. It's hard to remember because it was just so long ago.
RS: All good. Let's go to your studio. Are you mainly using
software, are you using the outboard gear still?
Jay-J: I do use outboard gear and software, it's kind of like a
hybrid studio. I use software and plug-ins, but then I also use
outboard keyboards and outboard compressors and outboard EQs. I
utilize both approaches to maximize my creativity and make it happen.
RS: Are you using Logic, ProTools, or Cubase?
Jay-J: I'm using ProTools software and ProTools hardware. I pretty
much switch, I used to use Logic and I was using Logic for a number of
years and then when I moved to New York I switched over. I switched
over to ProTools software to better utilize my time when traveling.
It just was a little easier to go between those different environments
in ProTools software than it is in Logic, so I can be a little bit
more productive.
RS: You are also very active with satellite radio. What effect
do you think satellite radio is having on dance music here in the US?
Jay-J: I think any exposure that dance music can get in the US is
great. Dance music is a wonderful format and I think it needs to be
more exposed so more people have access to it. There's a dedicated
station to it on XM satellite that's programmed really well. It's got
good, soulful, nice, uplifting, happy dance music on it - the more
people that can hear it and possibly learn to love it, the better.
Between internet radio, satellite radio, and the independent digital
music distribution services, everything is very positive for
independent music and certainly dance music falls within that
category. The majority of the music is released on independent labels
and is not supported by the majors and is not supported by the major
radio. So the exposure when all those mediums combine is great. XM
certainly has a very, very large listener base, they've been at it for
a while. Their sound quality and implementation is good and it's
growing very rapidly. There's lots of people who have access to it
through AOL, XM Music on demand service and all that. I think it's
awesome for everybody because mainstream radio isn't playing house
music so this is great to have an avenue for it and to help continue
its momentum.
RS: How do you choose songs for a compilation, like your Connected CD?
Jay-J: It starts off with music I'm liking and then I will play it
out and see how the crowd responds. The club environment is different
from listening at home, so how does it make me feel in the club, what
does it do to the crowd, how does it make them feel, do I get, do
people come up to me and ask me what song that was? Try it and just
see which songs kind of rise to the top. I'll start putting them
together in order for the actual mix CD and then listen to that and
see how that moves and then possibly make some more changes in the
context of the CD at that point, and then kind of it's done. So it
starts with stuff that I like and then seeing how the crowd responds
and how it seems to fit in the club and then how it fits within the CD
itself. Between those three sort of checks and balances, usually the
music seems to be tested and approved by the time the CD is on the
shelves.
RS: What do you want to say to all your fans out there?
Jay-J: Well I think first off I guess, it's a real honor to know
that there's people out there that appreciate what I do, like the
music that I make, and that enjoy the music that I DJ and spin.
Ultimately, I'm right there with them because I'm a fan of this music
as well and I'm basically choosing my favorite music and playing that
for people and therefore if people like that, we have something in
common. I don't feel like it's they're just fans of me, I feel like
we're aligned in the fact that we both like the same sounds of music.
It's always nice to meet people who share the same interest, in a
sense. It's such an amazing life being able to make music for a living
and travel the world sharing my favorite music with people and
providing a night of entertainment for people to have fun, it's a
dream come true.
