the press release from
Fabric...
It’s difficult to know where to begin with an artist as complex and
multifaceted as Jay Haze. On one hand, his upbringing - desolate
beginnings in the processing plant-infested lands of northeast
Pennsylvania, surrounded by drug addiction, death, group homes and jail
- is a tainted window into the complicated soul within. But on the
other hand, against all odds, nothing has overshadowed his talents, and
the family of like-minded artists he has shaped is testament to his
unshakable spirit and unerring ability.
Jay Haze stands out as a visionary in the world of techno and house, a
true nonconformist within a blinkered scene. But his work supports his
revered status as an exceedingly prolific producer, DJ, live performer,
collaborator and label owner. His wide-ranging labels ring true to
themselves and never sway, each holding on tight to their own
characteristic sound and group of artists: the house-oriented
TuningSpork; the harder hitting tech-based Contexterrior and the
downtempto dubby tones of Future Dub. Jay also brought on the explosion
of 2003’s Textone, his inventive creation of an online music magazine
and internet label, which was created years before digital stores like
Beatport or the now-prevalent online magazines/blogs had caught on.
Beyond his own labels, Jay Haze’s genre-expanding, experimental
productions have graced the catalogues of Playhouse, Kitty-Yo, Cocoon,
Get Physical, and his remixes have been on labels far and wide, from
Shitkatapult to Playhouse to BPitch Control to Soma. In 2005, he
released his debut LP on Kitty-Yo, ‘Love For a Strange World,’ an album
that challenged the world of techno further by questioning genre lines
and embracing all that’s unconventional and unpredictable. His more
dancefloor (and humour) geared moniker Fuckpony launched his career
with Get Physical, the ‘Children of Love’ album being one of the most
celebrated underground albums of 2006.
fabric 47 is the deep, wandering heartbeat of 4/4’s most bold, valiant
and versatile character; a bright, cohesive mix that is inherently Jay
Haze through and through. Deeply-rooted in his free and capricious
spirit, the flawlessly assembled collection of tracks thump with soul
and alluring eccentricities. Grooving with an airtight flow across
wide-ranging beats and styles, fabric 47 is a charismatic portrait of
Jay Haze’s musical clan: the mix not only showcases the peerless
artists he works with on his family of labels, as well as the many
monikers that comprise Jay Haze, it’s also a glimpse into the
soul-fuelled, future sound that they’ve collectively mastered. Teased
throughout with samples from his Fuckpony track ‘Lady Judy’ (a song
dedicated to our own fabric promoter, Judy Griffith – and a nod to the
Daniel Bell classic, ‘Baby Judy’), he takes things dubbier with Alex
Celler’s enchanting ‘Trapped In Dub’, trippier with the groove-laden
‘Mellow Dee’ (created with former studio partner Ricardo Villalobos in
’08), and epic with the penultimate Fuckpony track, ‘Burning’, fabric
47 is Jay Haze incarnate; deep, daring and brave. Seventy minutes in
the company of this disc leaves you feeling edified and your faith in
music’s brilliance renewed.