To some, Jason 'JPEG' Shields is known as a lanky, mustache fronting and long banger hair coiffed character. But those who know him personally will be able to attest that a certain artistic fire burns inside of him. For a few years now, Jason's been passing around small tracks he had been working on, or edits and remixes of certain tracks he found interesting. He recently completed a full length dubbed "Unreleased Unmastered Unfinished". It is a collection of electronic musics, spanning many genres and influences. Here is an interview JPEG answered for me earlier today, to answer some pressing questions I had about this new milestone, as an upcoming producer.
In "Unreleased Unmastered Unfinished", you explore a wide variety of sounds. From oldschool house, to heavy electro, to hip hop, and even experimental ground. What made you want to explore all of these musical contexts without sticking to one specifically?
I have been experimenting with DAW production for many years as a personal hobby. I think the first DAWS I had encountered as a teen were Sonic Foundry (Not SONY) Acid / Sound Forge as well as Cool Edit, years and years ago (wow how things have changed for me). Initially, when I had started producing, most of my productions had what I would call a “hip-hop vibe”, it was soon after I had begun to incorporate aspects of minimal electronica.
Many subtle inspirations can be found within the work, occasional samples, symphonic video game synth lines, and much more are found within the walls of UUU.
Within the recent years, heavier electro and experimental work has been incorporated into my productions, mainly influenced by what I had been listening too at the time. Many of the musical contexts I choose to explore come from what I am currently listening too. A perfect example is some of the latter tracks (the some what more experimental hip-hop tracks in the UUU album), I had recently listened to some older hip-hop vinyl's, reliving some favourite music, and was then quickly inspired to work out some new productions that would follow a glitchy electro hip-hop feel. In all honesty about seven songs were done in a mere few days, but it was this inspiration from relived music that helped fuel that fire.
Sticking to one genre simply feels too confining for me. Music production today allows for experimentation, and this is something that intrigues me most. New additions of hardware or software applications are something I enjoy tinkering with, and sometimes the result is terrific, and sometimes it is a horrific disaster. For example, the song The Magic of Being Fucked, I personally think sounds like fucking shit, why did I include it? Because it was an experimental piece that deserves some merit. I remember the raw energy that was involved in the creation of that song, then I remember listening to it and thinking ... Wow this is shit. Then I remember putting it on UUU.
What kind of equipment and software did you use to uncomplete this unfinished collection of tracks? Can you describe your creative process?
Equipment wise things vary on this “release”, as it is really a mix of random material from different projects. A MPD32 USB MIDI does most of the drum work, while a drum loop or sample is used here or there. An EDIROL PCR-M30 which was purchased years ago from an unbelievable underground hip-hop producer named Maki, does piano/synth/effect triggers/a million other things on this release. The Korg KP3 does a variety of effects and is pretty evident in the glitch hip-hop tracks, definitely a fun tool to produce with. All this is brought together using Logic for MAC, Sound Forge for PC, Adobe Audition for PC, as well as AudioMulch for MAC, which I have most recently been experimenting with. Phatmatik Pro has recently come into the arsenal of tools that I enjoy playing with. This AU combined with the MPD32 has garnished some interesting results. To be honest, I have already begun slicing tracks within the AU for live remixing purposes. Of course there are a few more tools used to create UUU, but something has to be left to the imagination.
Could you clarify exactly what "Unreleased Unmastered Unfinished" is and means to you?
To me it means material which literally is not polished. This “release” is not a cohesive piece at all. All the songs are taken from different projects which are most likely, never to see the light of day. Going over some of the tracks, many of the levels are not properly mastered, tracks end suddenly, things sound bad, and some songs do not even start when they were intended too (Ex. Battery).
Unreleased is now a flagrant lie.
When compiling these tracks I felt as though some of the tracks were fragmentary and not at all personal favourites, but I soon came to the realization that I should not let them simply collect hard drive space, only to disappear forever after the next reformat.
What's next for Jpeg?
Currently I am working on a few random project’s, a new sample/break based project spanning a variety of genres and musicians is in the works (currently 8 tracks are in progress). The final track on UUU is a very early demo rendering from the sessions. Material with Hip-Hop artists/crews Carpe Diem Records, Radioactive Productions, and Grubbs are in the works. Some new electro stuff with the talented and up and coming local DJ Ohh My James (James Mcnabb) has already begun. Together the two of us form the Mobile Hypeness Unit (MHU), and currently are working on some “tropical electro jams” as well as a variety of other original productions and a new Wolfgang Gartner remix
What else is next... Probably more random productions, possibly more treble. I hope to incorporate a “live set” soon involving a variety of the equipment spoken of earlier. The framework for live sets has been made for most of my projects within the DAW, so keep an eye out in 2010 !
Enlightening words, those are! Download link for the UUU album plus Bonus tracks below! DIG IT FOO!!!
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