Magazine Sixty Music Feature. Magazine Sixty interviews JKriv.
JKriv has music running through his veins. From the Razor-N-Tape mega-label, he started with Aaron Dae over a decade ago, to the Greenpoint Record Shop in its third year, from his remixes on a host of starry labels to his original compositions, his work as a live musician and bass player, to his investment in the scene as a mentor developing the talents of rising stars, JKriv’s got stripes.
Asking the questions is Magazine Sixty’s guest interviewer and this week we see the Brooklyn-based artist, flex his Balearic / downtempo muscles courtesy of his solo outing on a new label, Leisure Group Recordings. To top off this warm and lovely EP, Jkriv donates all monies from the release towards relief for the people of Palestine. Read on to hear a little more about this generous soul.
You are a man of many projects. Releases, remixes, live band stuff, the label, the shop. Do you ever sleep?
Haha probably not as much as I’d like to. But sleep is so boring compared to some of the other things I’m doing. 🙄
I wonder if you think about music in your sleep?
I do actually. I’m one of those people who wakes up with musical ideas and then have to spend a while figuring out if I actually wrote it, or not. For example, the chords on the song ‘Eversweet’ on my EP came from a dream.
How do you feel about always being ‘on it’? Does it ever get to you, or is it just who you are, to be constantly active?
I’m fortunate that I just have a lot of forward-motion energy, but it certainly can be stressful at times balancing so many different things. I try to stay in the process and do each thing the best that I can and constantly remind myself how fortunate I am to get to do what I love.
Each time we hear a JKriv remix or track, the quality of the music is consistently high. Do you feel any pressure at all to continue to do better than the last record? Is that something you are conscious of?
Thank you! I’m always challenging myself to grow and improve at all the things I do, so it’s kind of an internal pressure in a sense.
How do you challenge yourself musically? How do you continue to raise the bar?
Lately, my goal has been to produce music that shows a wider cross-section of my musical interests. I think I’ve been kind of associated with disco, and while it is a big part of my musical identity, my taste is much broader than just one genre. I think that might be more apparent in my DJ sets than my production output, so it’s something I’m focusing on for new output.
Where are you at the moment and what are you doing today?
I’m home in Brooklyn, having a pretty relaxing day working in the studio on my next EP for Razor-N-Tape.
What are the different projects that you are working on currently and how do you manage your time with multiple projects? Are you quite systematic and focused, or does it happen all at once?
It kind of feels like a game of whack-a-mole sometimes, but I like having different projects running concurrently because you can always shift gears as soon as you feel a little blocked.
My main focus right now is finishing up the EP for RNT I mentioned above, but I’m also working on collabs with The Illustrious Blacks, Horse Meat Disco, and a bunch of remixes. Of course, we always have the label going, and the shop, and events…
You have started a new label, Leisure Group Recordings. Do you have a plan for the label, or will you take it at a leisurely pace?
I think we’re gonna be real leisurely about it haha. I started it primarily to get this Within EP out quickly, but I like the idea of having another outlet to release music that might not fit neatly on Razor-N-Tape. We’ll see where it goes.
Your new EP is a sweet sonic surprise. Balearic, electronic, introspective. What part of you does the mood of this EP come from? What inspired the sound and the mood?
I’ve always made music like this but I haven’t released too much of it. During lockdown I was doing a monthly radio show for Palestine-based Radio Alhara called “Living Sounds” and I was discovering and consuming a lot of music in this style. I also began pulling together some of the projects I had made over the years, and writing some new ones like this.
Cover art by Suok Joo
When were the tracks made? Was anyone else involved in the project that you’d like to shout out?
Elements of some of these tracks are actually really old – from projects that were begun over a decade ago – and some are more recent, but they were all finalized around the end of last year. I wrote, produced, and performed it all myself with the exception of The Disturbance Stays, which features synthesizer wizardry by Jason Lindner, and the record was mixed and mastered by Jim Orso.
Are we likely to see more of JKriv in this melancholic mode?
Sure! I’ve actually got a lot more where this came from. I’d be happy to continue to release music like this out into the world.
What are you most proud of with the Within EP?
I’m happy with the cohesion of the different songs…it feels like a focused sound and statement to me. And I’m proud of the association with the Gaza aid organizations.
You are donating all monies from this release to aid charities in Palestine. It’s hard to sit back and watch what’s going on. If you were in charge, what single thing do think that the Western world and politicians could do/ should do to help this situation?
I wish I had an answer for that, but the issue is there is no single thing that can resolve this situation. I hope that the world can find empathy for the absolute horror that the people of Palestine are living through right now. And I hope that I can make a small impact with this project.
What is your big focus in 2024?
This spring is all about the studio for me, finishing up some new music. Then I will have a good bit of touring for DJ gigs this summer. We’ve got a great schedule of releases with Razor-N-Tape this year that I’m quite excited about, and I’ll also have music out on Glitterbox, Gator Boots, and some other labels.
Our A Joyful Noise night that we do at Public Records in Brooklyn has become a big focus for me as well…I lead a live band that has really started to come into its sound. I’m planning to get in the studio with the band this year as well.
What is important for you to do when you have downtime?
I love chill time with family and friends… parks, movies, shows…normal stuff. But there’s always a musical soundtrack 🙂
We are thrilled to hear we have the pleasure of having you in London soon. Tell us what you’re up to and where we can find you?
Yes! Very excited for our first-ever Razor-N-Tape event in London. We’ll be at Night Tales on March 15th and at the BBE Store the day before for a little RNT takeover. I’ll be hanging through the weekend and doing some work in the Defected studio as well as recording a set for My Analog Journal as well…gonna be a fun few days!
Buy Within EP by JKriv on Bandcamp Here
JKriv on Facebook Here
JKriv on Instagram Here
JKriv on Spotify Here
JKriv on X Here
Website Here
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