J£ZUS MILLION

19 year old DJ/producer J£ZUS MILLION, since steering the production for Charli XCX’s lauded debut True Romance, has been boinging around the blogs, gathering steam and inciting lofty praise with every outing.

Comparisons have been drawn between JM, AKA Joseph Zucco, and Scottish beat-merchant Hudson Mohawke, and in a way there’s some semblance of truth, but Zucco’s M.O. leans more heavily on fusing the bitter with the sweet. Sure, its sound feels lashed, eviscerated, gored and threshed, jittering and glitching all over the shop, but there’s more often than not a syrupy bunch of vocals reigning in the experimentals. It’s a conscious blend of his two main influences: classical and hip-hop. The result is a sort of chamber-rap that hones a tonne of anxiety.

You can stream his new Cold Shoulder mixtape now on his Soundcloud page. It offers a scope of electronic, hip-hop and pop pangs. Tracks like ‘Memo’, featuring YADi, lurk in the sonic undergrowth, synths squawking with a robotic stutter; the bass is thundering, the percussion rickety. YADi’s voice however simply floats across the top – it’s chopped’n’screwed, but retains a delicacy. ‘Bottles’, this time with Chicago rapper Sasha Go Hard at the forefront, is a beautiful contrast of hard bite in the lyrics, and smooth, chilled neo-dance. It’s much more energised, probably due in part to Sasha’s flow, and wouldn’t be out of place in any dingy basement club.

We grabbed a chance to talk to the reticent teenager, who laments a lack of fake ID and explains his work process.

How did you begin producing? What led you to creating music?

I began producing a few years ago. I don’t know what led me to create music. I just started when I was 10 and never stopped.

Do you have any major musical inspirations?

Philip Glass. Nicolas Jaar. Flying Lotus. Those are a few major ones I’d say.

How about influences from life in general?

People. Interactions with people. Experiences, new and old. Sounds.

You’ve got a new mixtape. How are you feeling about it?

I feel good about it. Not as great as I felt when I had just finished it in April or May. But good. I’m already on to something else. For me, a different sound and process of creating and recording music.

What’s it been like working with people like Sasha Go Hard and YADi?

It was cool. We exchanged stems over email so I wasn’t really working with either of them. I got vocal parts from both artists and was happy with them. Especially Sasha’s. She’s so good.

How did those collaborations come about?

Essentially from me wanting to work with Sasha and reaching out to her through email. YADi’s parts kinda fell in my lap one day and I fucked with them.

How did you write and record the songs on the mixtape?

I’m just working with my computer, some mics (including my phone’s microphone), a shitty old Behringer mixer, instruments, live and midi, and Ableton.

What about ‘Illusions Of’ in particular? Is there a story behind it?

Not really. It was a beat I made last year that Charli ended up featuring on.

Did you enjoy working with Charli XCX again?

Yeah, she’s great. Again, it was more of an email process. But, yes, she’s really cool.

How did you end up producing for her album?

I sent some beats to her and she liked them. It was pretty much that simple.

What’s the next step after the mixtape?

My EP. I’m focusing everything on this EP I’m debuting with Double Denim.

Do you have any other projects in the works?

I’m starting to work a little with my friend Connor. Not really sure where that’s going yet. I’m also going to hopefully be doing more production work with other artists.

Who would be your dream collaboration?

Probably something with Flying Lotus. Or R Kelly. Or both.

What’s your take on the NYC music scenes?

I haven’t been in New York long enough to really know. All the really good shit seems to be coming out of Brooklyn. The music is a million times better than Boston’s local scene.

Anyone we should keep an eye out for?

Arca.

Where’s your favourite place to party in the city?

When I’m there, in the street. Or in an apartment or something. Maybe a dorm room. I don’t have a fake ID so I don’t know much about the clubs. Even if I had one I don’t think I’d frequent clubs. New York has the best live music though, from what I’ve seen.

How about your favourite place to unwind?

Bed.

What have you got planned for autumn/winter?

More music.

To hear more, head to J£ZUS’s Soundcloud page here.