Jess Jubilee is something of a genre-busting powerhouse. Not only did she grow up on the sounds of Miami Bass, Breaks and Grime, but as one of New York’s most eclectic, exciting and ear-splitting DJs, she’s channeled it into a new genre all of her own. You could call it “jump up and down like you’ve never partied before when you hear it” music, you could call it what you get when you put bass heavy electro and happy hardcore into a blender and mix it with a forty of malt liquor. Now, in addition to serving as part of the explosive Flashing Lights party coming out of NY, a blogger for Trash Menagerie, Production Manager at famed nightclub Studio B, Jess has also just put out the straight-fire “Paypur EP” with colleague Udachi, which you can and absolutely should support on Beatport HERE. I talked to Jess a bit about booty bass, where the hell the music industry is going, bad advice, badmovies, and whether or not aliens are going to stop stealing her weed anytime soon. Read on!
Jubilee & Udachi – Paypur (320, direct link)
Interview – Brendan Arnott (my text in bold)
Mixpak: You’ve got an amazing new release on Nightshifters, and I was wondering if you could break down the backstory to the “Smoke Rings” video for us, whether aliens stealing your weed has been a big problem in your personal life?
Jubilee: I think we are addressing a common problem that no one ever wants to speak up about. After the video and song came out we received several messages saying “that happens to YOU too?”. Our whole lives we thought it was just us.
There’s a bit of a serious dancehall influence on that chorus, did dancehall serve as any kind of inspiration for this track?
Totally. It definitelly started out as more of a dancehall track that evolved into a rave monster.
Nightshifters, like Mixpak, is an independent label that although growing really fast, also seems to be the kind of thing very easily squashed by the rampant piracy that’s absolutely everywhere these days. What are your thoughts on making music in a time when file sharing is so commonplace?
The music industry is all over the place right now. There is not a lot of money in record/mp3 sales. Artists big and small have to look to licensing, ring tones, touring and other ways to make money. It is totally different than it used to be. It is definitely frustrating but there is nothing you can do about it and it’s just going to get worse. The way I look at it is you have to really LOVE what you are doing these days if you are going to make music for a living. And that isn’t really a bad thing is it? It’s just crazy that you have to give out your songs for free to up your sales. How that makes sense who knows.
You grew up in South Florida, and it seems like there’s also a big Miami Bass/Booty Bass tip in a lot of your work – what was your introduction to booty bass like?
I grew up listening to Power 96 down there like everyone else did. The radio was always on in my room when I was young. So basically I was listening to Felix Sama and Dj Laz playing Freestyle, “booty music,” Miami Bass and then maybe a tiny bit of pop music thrown in there. The city lived and breathed that music. I remember buying the “Poison Clan-Dance All Night” record and listening to it over and over and over again in elementary school. Kids were doing dances to it in the school talent show. People were also really into their cars there. Dropped low, with neon in the bottom and Bass…and they played Bass tapes made specifically for car systems. You could actually get in trouble with the police if your bass was too loud coming out of your car. It was common popular music there. When I moved to New York I couldn’t believe that people didn’t grow up to these songs. Especially people that were DJs. Like Miami Bass was new to them and I have this insane library that I thought were classics for the world. I wouldn’t be doing this if I lived somewhere else growing up. Luke, Shy D, DJ Laz and Magic Mike are heroes of mine. My Rockford 10 inch speakers are now a decoration in my room because I don’t have a car here. Yah I was that girl.
Did you notice a big shift in culture, (musical or otherwise) from Southern Florida to New York?
Well first of all in Miami its fuckin’ HOT and girls wear WAY less clothes. I mean like almost nothing. So the music is way sexier (or in some cases more vulgar). It also has a huge Latin influence. Pitbull for president. I was into the Miami rave scene that was basically all Electro and Breaks. DynamixII, DJ Icey, Baby Anne, and R-Fresh were all over the place and super popular. If they got booked here in NY there would be 10 people there. I’ve seen it happen. I never got into house music until I moved to NY. It was too boring for me. I needed that boom. Now I am older and my taste has expanded and I have grown to like it. But I still pick favorites such as Dirtybird tunes and Uk Funky songs because they have that extra kick that I need.
Also the Ed Hardy wearing terrible people are 10000000x worse in Miami than In New York…yes it’s possible. Believe me.
Favourite Mixpak release?
That new Vybz is fire.
What kind of shifts have you noticed in dance music since you’ve started DJing?
I think it is way more acceptable (and affordable) to go all over the place and mix genres now. years ago for financial and social reasons you were pigeonholed into being a “breaks dj” or a “house dj” and you stuck to your thing. Now you have all sorts of genres at your fingertips when buying and playing music. And I like that. Because really the same thing for too long is SO boring. Back in the days you would usually have more than one room. Like a breaks room, drum and bass room and a house room. So if you got sick of one thing you can go into another room for an hour. You don’t really see that anymore (at least in NY) so you gotta switch it up to keep people into it. I also think Serato and mp3s have definitely helped to broaden Djs and listeners tastes. Back in the day a producer/DJ would make a certain number of promo copies of their new record, and pass it on to other DJs that played their “style”, but their promo list was very limited. Now you can “press up” as many mp3’s that you want and give it to all kinds of DJs and it doesn’t cost anyone any money. And as my friend Roctakon says “every Dj in the World is 3 degrees of Email seperation away”. It’s so true. The way things are going if we wanted to get something over to Tiesto it would be super easy. I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard Dj AM (RIP) playing Rusko-Cockney Thug. That would have never happened even a few years ago. I think it’s so great. But then again mp3s are the reason record sales are down. We can’t win right?
Who’s one person the world should be paying more attention to?
Kingdom. His record that is about to come out could be described as “OMG”
Alternately, what do people need to stop talking about?
I could easily live the rest of my life without ever hearing the word “fidget” ever again…
What’s the best and worst reaction to a DJ set that you’ve had?
Let’s Start with Worst!!!! Oh Man. I don’t wanna say where I was because it’s just not nice. But over the summer I was on tour and I got booked in a club where I definitely did not belong. I knew that because I kept getting requests for Lady GaGa and Birthday Sex. My set started at Midnight and literally the SECOND I got on the ENTIRE club just cleared….like went from kinda full to empty after the first song I played, which was Chelly-Took the Night and I LOVE that song come onnnnnn. I was so bummed. I mean I have definitely lost crowds before but I usually can redeem myself. I had never experienced anything like that. It was bothering me for days. Then a few days later a friend told me that the reason that happened was because they opened the back room at midnight, which was the exact time I went on, and everyone rushed into the back room right then. So I definitely felt a little better.
Best reaction would have to be at Dre Skull‘s party, Supernature. I played That old Speedracer song from that Keoki Disco Death Race mix in the 90s and Bitch Ass Darius literally started screaming and bouncing off of walls and jumping up and down. I was just excited because #1 I really look up to that guy and #2 I feel the EXACT same way about that song.
Worst advice you’ve ever received?
“You’re a girl…you can get away with it if you play a bad set. It’s way easier for you”
I’m going to bring gender into this conversation, which kind of sucks because I don’t want to turn this into a “oh, you’re a woman, now speak on behalf of ALL THE PLANET” type of discussion. But I do feel like female DJs are still a minority in almost every scene of music – what are your feelings on it? Has sexism ever played a part in the music scenes you’re in? Should people just shut up about what gender someone is and listen to the music? Is dance music still somewhat of a boy’s club?
Oh yeah it’s definitely a boys club but we can handle it. All of us ladies can. It is definitely a little weirder for a chick when you are on tour by yourself and a guy promoter that you don’t know picks you up and then you are hanging out with a bunch of guys you don’t know drinking with them in a place you aren’t familiar with. And I also think every so often people try to take advantage of you a little more with money and other business things, but that’s when you use your excuse to act like a bitch…cause you’re a girl. Right? I feel like when people first hear about you they always say “but can she actually dj?”. And it’s good when you can prove yourself immediately. Also I used to get a lot of so called “promoters” that ask for my contact info so they can “book me” and then I will never wind up getting booked but I would get a text at 1:30AM that says “sup?”. So weird. But the people that know me and get to know me really well and work with me don’t treat me any differently. At the end of the day if your music is good, it’s good and if it sucks it sucks. If people are dancing to your DJ set it doesn’t matter what gender you are. They are feelin it and they are happy and that’s all that matters.
What’re your plans for the rest of 2009 and 2010?
I am really excited to be playing the Brooklyn stage of the New Yorker festival in a few weeks. It’s a really big deal to me. And it is something that my mom likes that will make up for a song about aliens stealing my weed. I have a small Canada tour coming up and a little midwest adventure with DJ Star Eyes aka the Dark Princess of Bass (T&B), and some remixes coming out that I did with Jon from Proper Villains. I have few side projects I am working on with other artists that you probably know of. It’s a secret but I am really excited. I also plan to work on a new record by myself.
Your DJ name apparently takes some inspiration from the most amazing X-Men character of the 90s, how do you feel about the comic book re-deuxs that Hollywood’s been churning out lately? Wolverine: Origins pretty much just came short of giving me a tumor.
I can’t believe Disney bought Marvel Comics. it seriously makes me cringe. I didn’t see Wolverine and I probably never will because I haven’t heard anything good. I don’t care what anybody says… I loved the first 3 X Men movies. Just sad that Nightcrawler wasn’t in the 3rd one. Lame. And really where the hell is Jubilee? Fantastic Four was whatever I didn’t care for it at all. Iron man was ill. That was probably the best one for sure. So good. I am honestly way more concerned about Where the Wild Things Are.
Apparently you’re roommates with Mixpak founder Dre Skull – any embarrassing stories you’d like to share?
I think he has a Twizzler addiction. Also sometimes he doesn’t come out of his room for a month and when he finally does he has an incredible single with a dancehall legend.
