Picture: Jack & Track "A Deer In Headlights"
Jack Davey (J*Davey) “Valley of Love”
Real recognize real. As I write this, I think about how much the landscape of music is rapidly changing. Right now, on the business side, no one seems to know what is going to happen to in the midst of declined record sales, music piracy and all the other side effects of a technologically literate society. Labels continue to take more and do less. Myspace is giving voice to anyone willing to listen. And in some instances, music careers have been created as nothing more than promotional branding tools for other “more lucrative” ventures.
With that said, I met Jack and Brook of J*Davey in the spring of 05. I was already in full swing with my brand of WesternSlapademickTenderSmobbinCosmicMusic, but after hearing what they were bringing to the table, I felt like it was only a matter of time before the Fre$hCoast lifestyle and sound would once again permeate the pop soundscape. With 2008 in full swing, there has definitely change since then. Hip-Hop has changed. For proof, all one has to do is look at the lineups for Rock The Bells or The Roots’ Picnic. Hip-hop has undoubtedly been plugged in the socket.
After meeting the duo at a house party at Jack’s house, we hit it off and started linking whenever we were in each other’s cities. We always talked about doing something, but never could quite make it happen.
Eventually in mid ‘06 I moved into my first studio, the now defunct Band Room (prior to that everything was made in my bedroom). One of the first beats I made in there was the track to “Valley of Love”. I remember it vividly. The room had no windows or furniture. It was sweltering hot. I had no shirt on. The only light in the room was from the purple screen of the Ensoniq ASR-88. This shit was electric. Originally, I had planned to keep this beat for my album, as I had fallen in love with it. So when Jack finally came around to as for a beat, I wasn’t sure I had anything fitting. So unsure, in fact, that I only burned a CD with one beat. I had never given just one beat to anyone. Three maybe. Not one. Luckily, she fell in love with it and banged it out. It’s a wonderful statement about her “Valley of Love”.
Fast forward. Mike and I are down in LA at Brook’s old studio. Jack plays us what she laid down. It was fresh. So, before the song is even finished playing, Pro Tools gives us some weird status message. The session is frozen. Jack’s hard drive had crashed. We sat there for an hour trying to revive it but it wasn’t happening. I’m sure many music addicts can relate when I say that only hearing the song once was hell. Needless to say, I wasn’t able to hear the song for about another six months until I went down to work with them in the studio.
J*Davey is one of the dopest groups to arrive on the scene in the last few years, and definitely my favorite. This song can also be found on the J*Davey’s Land of the Lost EPisode. If you aren’t up on them, you’re ears aren’t as happy as they could be! Be on the look out for more J*Davey/Trackademicks/Honor Roll collabs...
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