Mark my words – Justin Jay is going to be a star. The youngest dirtybird is fresh off his college graduation, and he’s already unveiled a few secret weapons from his massive arsenal of house anthems, including his collaborative remix of Alison Wonderland’s “Take Me To Reality” featuring his college homie-turned-guitarist, Benny Bridges. Now, Jay is ready to debut his brand new project to the world, and it’s nothing like we’ve ever seen, or heard, before in dance music.
Justin Jay & Friends is the dirtybird star’s brand new project, giving him a channel to experiment with his sound. His signature style of tasteful, underground dance music is the only constant, while his friends infuse the track with elements of rock, like live instrumentation and vocals. “Karma” is the debut release from Justin Jay & Friends, and it captures the ethos of this brand new project perfectly. Jay first previewed Karma at Desert Hearts and Coachella in the spring, but now it’s finally seeing the light of day.
Jay sets the stage on “Karma” with tribal percussion and jungle noises to pull you from the city and take you on a wild ride. Benny Bridges’ guitar combines with a synth-laden groove and Josh Taylor’s silky vocals to create a track that defies traditional genres.
“Two sensitive music kids join a frat together… During my first year of college, I became friends with Josh. As a singer/songwriter, he was drawing influence from John Mayer and Jack Johnson, while I was hooked on Dirtybird and going to illegal house/techno warehouse parties. We grew a mutual respect for each other’s interests, but never even considered making music together. Back in January, with one semester before graduation, we decided to jam together, as a somewhat sarcastic joke. I’d never felt so uncomfortable making music in my life and Josh felt the same. I never had to think about lyrics, verses and choruses, while josh had never sang on top of minor chord changes and dirty bass lines. It’s really scary being pushed to do something different musically, but because I had my friends pushing and helping me, I’ve never had so much fun making music before.” – Justin Jay
