From controlling atmospheres behind a DJ booth to pioneering sounds on production boards, Detroit’s Jay Daniel has been consistently blazing his own path in electronic music. Most recently, he scored “Showing Up Showing Out”, a collaborative short-film by Carhartt WIP, DAZED, and NTSabout the past, present, and future of Motown.
StockX caught up with Jay for another installment of “That’s 5.”
The following interview has been lightly edited.
What influences you?
My mom was a singer and my dad played the drums so I was raised in a musical household. They would listen to Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Sade, P-Funk, Sting, and Stevie Wonder, which is a pretty diverse range of genres to grow up on. The first song I played drums to and performed was “Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder when I was in a summer camp. That’s what sparked my interest to keep playing instruments. As far as what inspired me to pursue a career in music, it would have to be following the careers of Pharrell and J-Dilla. Those two introduced me to the types of sounds I wanted to create.
What’s the most overrated?
That’s a hard question. I try to be unbiased and see things with an open eye, so I’m not closing myself to the potential benefits. If I had to say one thing that I feel is over-glamourized then it would have to be Instagram. There are a lot of people posting things for attention even though it isn’t true to who they are. I feel like internet culture is overrated in general. People are being influenced by the same things so as a result, they start to lack individuality.
What’s the most underrated?
90’s Benz and Beamers. And mental health, focusing on being present all the time. Having clarity and keeping a good rapport with yourself is important because it comes out in your work, whether it’s artistic or a day job. If you don’t like your life it will show in what you present to people. Mental health is underrated.
What are you most excited about right now?
I’ve been really inspired lately as a result of the feedback I’ve been getting for my recent work, so that’s encouraging me to keep going.
What’s next for you?
I’m working on a few projects and trying to be a lot more productive. To be honest, this is the most inspired I’ve been probably since 2014 as far as making music. I had a lot of success with my last album so I’m going to keep the wheel turning. More production credits, collaborations, and scoring are focuses of mine for the near future.
Bonus Question: Was that 5?
That was a question? Yes, that was 5.
Find Jay Daniel on Instagram @_jaydeezy_
