Photo by Lila Simone
Newark producer Jayhood today shared a delightfully infectious new track called "Jersey Anthem," the second single off his long-awaited debut album King. The tune features his regular collaborator and fellow Jersey club torchbearer Adolf Joker, finding them trading verses and issuing an indelible party directive as fun as it is compositionally inventive. While the synth and drum samples of "Jersey Anthem" sound playful and lighthearted, there's a complex geometry internal to the way Jayhood and Joker marshall them about with nimbleness and acuity.Jayhood is widely recognized as one of the key DJs and producers of the Jersey club scene—known for remixes like "Show Me Love" and originals such as "Hands On ya Hips"—a practice he maintains alongside rapping (as he does on "Jersey Anthem") and singing, for instance on 2016's Too Busy In The Trap mixtape.Ahead of King's release on March 24, THUMP caught up with Jayhood over email to talk about the future of Jersey club, his singular sound, and more.THUMP: What were you going for with the track we're premiering today? What was the production process like?
Jayhood: My brother and partner in Jersey, DJ Joker, actually produced the track. We were looking to create a original track with a dope tone to build multiple feelings. We ran across a weird sound and put some dope sounds around it, added some dope verses to it, and the track came out pretty dope.King is your debut album, but you've been producing tracks for years now, and have an undeniably huge influence in the world of Jersey club. What kind of statement did you want to make with this record?
I wanted to show that Jersey club can be elevated beyond just chops and bass kicks. It can actually be a whole song, now we're just waiting for the industry to accept us.Is there anything you would like to see happen in or for the Jersey club scene as a whole in 2017?
I would like to see Jersey club elevate more and to see some huge artists in the game just on some of our instrumentals. That would be dope!For people that maybe aren't familiar with your work, how would you describe the Jayhood sound?
For those who don't know me I would describe my sound as unique, bouncy, and fun. I just love to see people reactions when they hear my music.King will be released by UK imprint Local Action and is available for pre-order.
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Jayhood: My brother and partner in Jersey, DJ Joker, actually produced the track. We were looking to create a original track with a dope tone to build multiple feelings. We ran across a weird sound and put some dope sounds around it, added some dope verses to it, and the track came out pretty dope.King is your debut album, but you've been producing tracks for years now, and have an undeniably huge influence in the world of Jersey club. What kind of statement did you want to make with this record?
I wanted to show that Jersey club can be elevated beyond just chops and bass kicks. It can actually be a whole song, now we're just waiting for the industry to accept us.Is there anything you would like to see happen in or for the Jersey club scene as a whole in 2017?
I would like to see Jersey club elevate more and to see some huge artists in the game just on some of our instrumentals. That would be dope!For people that maybe aren't familiar with your work, how would you describe the Jayhood sound?
For those who don't know me I would describe my sound as unique, bouncy, and fun. I just love to see people reactions when they hear my music.King will be released by UK imprint Local Action and is available for pre-order.
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