Jay-J is bringing it all back home. After growing up and living in San Francisco for most of his life, Jay “Jay-J” Hernandez is moving back to New York City, bringing with him a prolific DJ reputation, his world-class Moulton Studios and plans to expand his involvement in the music industry. Before hopping a plane to Ibiza for Defected's In The House party, Jay-J spoke by phone about his ten-plus years working in the music industry, the state of House music today and what has prompted his cross-country relocation. “I've been ready for a change, having lived in San Francisco for so long,” Jay-J explains. “I was born in New Jersey , and I've always loved New York . There's also a significant amount of the music industry in New York . I'm DJing and making House records now, but as a producer and engineer and studio owner, I'm thinking about what I'm going to be doing ten years from now in the music industry. This will give me the chance to continue to do what I'm doing now and at the same time allow me more opportunities for the future.” At a time when the New York scene seems to be favoring migration to Miami and, in some cases, Europe , Jay-J is looking beyond the House scene to the music industry as a whole and considering other genres to which he can apply his skills. “One of the things that I think I'm good at is mixing and making records sound good. So, I've been thinking about possibly working as a mix engineer, working on finishing albums and mixing stuff for other people. Also as a producer, working on other styles of music like hip hop and R&B.”
A child of the MTV generation, Jay-J's early musical interests included Bon Jovi, Def Leppard and Judas Priest. He even picked up a guitar and bass in high school bands. It wasn't until the late 80s when Jay-J went to see Doc Martin spin (in one of those San Francisco clubs that has gone down in historical documents such as the movie Groove ) that his love for House music was truly sparked . “It was a really dark, grungy club, a very eclectic crowd, half-gay, half-straight crowd but really interesting people,” Jay-J explains. “I think that was my first experience hearing a full House set and I remember thinking ‘Wow, I love this music. What is it?' That was when I really began searching out House music.”
“I've been really consistent with what I've done through the years,” Jay-J says of his style. “The first records I produced in 1994 and 1995 brought in keyboard players and guitar players and bass players and that's still what I do today; working with singers and musicians. I'm basically doing R&B music at a faster tempo.” “When I'm in the studio, I'm producing stuff that I want to play and basically drawing upon the sound that I like, which is very musically oriented,” he explains. “I like to use musicians on the recordings. When I'm spinning, I play some of my favorite records and when I'm in the studio I'm producing stuff that is inspired by my favorite records and something that would fit in my set.” Jay-J continues to push the envelope with his production work, striving for high quality instrumentation and song writing. “That's where I've seen myself growing; trying to compete with interesting lyrics that are on par with major label productions and upping the ante of the quality of singers and musicians that I work with. Along the way I think was a part of creating the San Francisco sound; which is really good sounding, major label quality music with a very soulful nature and a laid back style. Although, I never really set out to do anything like that. I just wanted to be a good engineer and work with musicians and make good music.”
As a producer, Jay-J has worked alongside many of House's heavy hitters including Julius Papp, Marques Wyatt, (Moulton Studios co-owner) Chris Lum and Miguel Migs, with whom Jay-J collaborated on the first in Defected's highly successful In the House series. Jay-J looks back at that project as “a great opportunity. Miguel and I are great friends and collaborators so it was great to work on the CD together and come up with the songs we wanted to use, and even fight over a couple of them for who wanted to use it!” In The House is not your typical record label mix compilation, which is why the series has continued to be so successful; the artists enjoy full creative control. “We weren't really given direction. It was basically a situation where [label boss Simon Dunmore] had hired us because of the work we had done. He wasn't trying to make it a Defected CD, he wanted a Jay-J & Miguel CD on Defected. There's something really freeing about that which makes you want to work harder to get a better track listing, pick better music and make something that really stands out.” A self-described student of music engineering, Jay-J constantly strives for the very best in his production work, hence his impressive resume, which includes work for Interscope Records, J Records and Naked Music. “The most valuable experience as a producer and DJ has been all of the engineering work I have done through the years for different people. Especially working with people who were new to the world of producing, [they] would ask me to do things that were out of the norm. They would ask me to make something sound a certain way and I had to figure out how to make that happen. The work that I've done for other people as clients has made me a better producer because those people think about things differently and ask to do things differently and it expands my horizons as a producer. It's one of the things I tell new producers all the time. I say, ‘Buy yourself some gear, learn how to use it and then start doing studio time with friends. It will expand your horizons.'”
So, how can House music stay vital in the future? Jay-J explains that there has to be quality control to prevent an over-saturation of the new release market. “Records are only selling 1500 copies because there's so many releases on a weekly basis, they don't get a long shelf-life. If it stays with the astronomical numbers of new releases that have been seen recently, it's going to be difficult for it to continue to be a viable medium. When there's no quality control, anybody can put out a record. It's great for someone to be able to have access to press a record and get it distributed. But at the same time, it really waters down the industry as a whole. When there's hundreds of mediocre records out there, it can be frustrating to walk into a record shop. I understand why record sales are lower.” Along those same lines, Jay-J does not define “vital” as being strictly underground. While labels such as Defected and Soulfuric are sometimes criticized for being too hit-driven or mainstream, Jay-J sees things in a broader perspective. “Well, certainly [those labels] can be hit-driven, but at the same time they have always been able to satisfy the underground as well. They might have a very commercial sounding mix, but they will also include one for the heads. You know, I don't think there's anything wrong with doing things that allow you to make money in order to continue to do the stuff that you like. I know that Simon Dunmore is a big fan of soulful music and he has a business to run. He can definitely continue to do soulful music if he signs hits. I mean, “Back Together” is an amazingly well crafted, soulful record and it happens to have been a hit that caught on in a commercial way.” No more immune than any other artist, Jay-J has also felt the effects of file sharing. While record sales and money is at the heart of the issue, just as central to the argument for Jay-J is what he views as the end of a music buying era. “The average music consumer who used to buy and enjoy House music is now trading it and getting it for free and copying it. They're not going to the store to buy records. Where they used to have one turntable at home to listen to stuff, now they have an iPod and access to everybody else's CD collection.” He continues, “Records sales have been quite a bit lower than usual and that takes a toll on everything. I run two record labels that three years were selling four thousand copies minimum. Now, I sell two thousand copies and people say, “That's great.” I've definitely been affected by it.” At the same time, Jay-J is looking to embrace the new technology and commerce that has come with the file sharing revolution. “I think that is a wave of the future, utilizing digital distribution services, as well as standard vinyl distribution. Maybe you can still sell four thousand copies, but a thousand will be on line.” Through challenging time an amid a constantly evolving music industry, Jay-J has persisted and continues to find success. “I go through cycles,” he says. “There's definitely times where it's frustrating. I always seem to get to a point on almost every track where I'm dissatisfied with the direction or the vibe of things and I think that I've lost it as a producer. But I usually come out the other end and I'm able to be happy with the production and enjoy it.” “I just try to remember that I'm still living the dream. I make music for a living and I get to travel the world by night.”
Words by Alex Mayer, Pictures used courtesy of Moulton Studios, www.moultonstudios.com
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