DJ Jaspa

This is the Canadian DJ and producer DJ Jaspa's debut album. Promising an ambient blend of progressive, house and trance you can't help but be intrigued. Read on to find out about this new album...

DJ Jaspa is currently making a name for himself as one of Canada's hottest underground progressive DJs, playing a blend of his own and other progressive tracks. He started his musical career as a hip-hop artist and this, along with his passion for producing, love for mixing and gradual movement into ambient and progressive works makes for a lot of experience through several differing genres. All this has culminated in DJ Jaspa's debut album, A Long Time Coming.

A Long Time Coming

1) A Long Time Coming
(Feat. Solenne Posson)
The first track on the album, which shares its name, is a gentle introduction to whats to come. A short, airy track with smooth synth notes and some softly spoken French vocals which add mood and a touch of emotion.

2) Get Into Da Groove
(Feat. Ian Moar)
The tempo picks up here as an easy beat and percussion tap away. Theres more of the nice synth chords / ambience backing things up but this time they have a more positive feel to them and work very well to up the pace and get things moving. Some more electronic elements feature towards the end of the track, as does a coarse bass guitar which adds a different flavour of drive to the track.

3) Home Alone
Things die down to an eerie ambience in preparation for this spacey and trippy track. A quicker but very light beat carries the track with some faint strings playing high notes in the background. Soft arpeggios add an almost acid / psy-trance feel and provide underlying energy and a sense of intrigue.

4) DJ Rhapsody
(Feat. DJ Terence "Big T" Mazon)
A fade to silence is broken by some coarse bassy notes and a cool little vocal sample. Jittery backing chords and an array of sfx are kept in check by a chunky, broken beat and some gentle ambience. As the track plays, you notice the main focal point is the scratching of the initial vocal sample, which increases in technicality as the track progresses. Its very well done and fits excellently with the surrounding sounds which in turn are gradually increasing in intensity. The result is an interesting and intense track which does well in capturing your attention.

5) Love Me
(Feat. Tracy Thomas)
Track number 5 kicks right off into something far more trancey - a steady beat and hi-hats accompanied by some thick and truly lush sounding pads which dominate the sound and provide a solid base for the rest of the track to work on, with and for. Not usually one for vocal tracks, I do like this one. The vocals sung here seem to really belong to this track and sound just right. And those pads, fantastic.

6) Wonderful World
(Feat. Tracy Moar & DJ Jaspa)
We then hear the sound of rain and some mellow synths begin to bring in a slower, more emotional track. A breakbeat is the basis for this track and things are kept minimal. Dreamy female "Oohs" and "Aahs" provide the perfect backing for Jaspa's spoken vocal part. The final touch to this moving piece is the introduction of a guitar which adds to the overall melody. A really nice track.

7) Let's Dance
(Feat. Solenne Posson)
Again the pace isn't kept at one level for long because this track starts to push out a steady but soft beat and we're back into something more trance like. Lush pads back those arpeggios and the track just floats along in true progressive form. There is a long break in the middle featuring just the pads and more French spoken female vocals. The whole French aspect is an element in itself that really stands out, more so than any other language. Towards the end of the break, a melodic hook builds up and begins to play - its a great little melody and it sounds very familiar to me, but I'm not sure where from. We're also treated to a little bit more scratching here too.

8) Music For Da Soul
The penultimate track of this so far top notch album drops the pace slightly but keeps things steady, adding a chunkier, housey feel due to the more prominent percussion that gets involved. Like a lot of the other tracks, it builds in a very progressive and ambient way, blending between beats and ambience very well. This track takes you to a nice level and holds you there right until the end where it fades out into the final track...

9) Until Next Time
(Feat. Solenne Posson)
Soft dabbles of synth notes and pads bring in something similar to the initial track. Softly spoken English vocals in Solenne's great accent coax you down and finish the album off very well indeed.

Conclusion:
An excellent blend of the softer elements of electronic music, A Long Time Coming is a lovely album to listen to. After being taken in and out of the progressive, ambient and trancey sounds, it left me wanting it to go on for longer.
- i-Vibes

The following are some reviews from fellow musicians and industry professionals regarding my music:

Super club ambient

Right off, I love the panning drum voices... wonderful reverb you have...
I like how you have a light synth in the background... it really helps the layering that you've pushed... and I love the high pitched synth
That finally introduces itself... I feel like shutting my eyes and drifting away to no more... quite a nice ambient track you've created. Good
Production as well... would be good in a club.

Barboursville, West Virginia

Superb Sound Arrangement

Superb sound arrangement and effects giving us a little insight into what the future holds. Melody is light but full. The arrangement retains superb sound and effects throughout the mix.

Crestwood, Kentucky

Thick Production

Nice intro. Industrial sounding. Great sounds. The mood is kind of dark,
Good. Nice melodies. Arrangement is cool. Thick production.

San Diego, California

Jungleness

The beat is very nice and cool. Laid back. The bd is nice and the pads are great. Good job.

Lawrence, Kansas

MAM!!! Tum, tum, ta, tum, tum, ta

The percussion is catchy! The sequencing is good so as the mood! The melody is ok to me! The arrangement is pro so as the mix!!!

Guarda, Portugal

Wow
I'm usually, a dnb and breaks kinda guy. But I must say that was superb, I am definitely adding that to my play list. I'll just say, great sequencing, composition, and mix. I think I'm going to listen again.

Santa Clarita, California
- Garage Band

There’s electronic music in Canada, eh?
If this is a surprise, it shouldn’t be. Not only is electronica existing in the bustling metropolises of Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal,but the genre is also discovering innovative music from rising stars. DJ Jaspa is a proud member of this group: young, talented artists who are challenging
the definitions of house, progressive, trance, and
ambient.

Previously recognized for his precise, high-energy
rhythms, Jaspa made a name for himself on the underground progressive scene while playing all the
Vancouver hotspots as well as LA notables like The
Standard. Many thought they could simply categorize
him as a progressive house head, but, DJ Jaspa is not
one to be easily typecast. His debut CD, A Long Time
Coming, demonstrates this by being a polar opposite
of his previous style.

Jaspa’s new LP is a tapestry of genre-blending, mixing
trance-drenched beats with ambient, airy notes
flirting with rock, hip-hop, and progressive. To add
to the experience, the album swims in live lush elements – from the guitar arpeggios of Ian Moar to the theatrical tempo of singer/performer Tracy Thomas to the breathy French vocals of songstress
Solenne Posson.

Jaspa’s latest creation is a midtempo delicacy for any chill-out connoisseur guaranteed to ease the body, open the mind, and ignite the libido.

Since DJ Jaspa, a.k.a. Jason Hogg, began his musical
career as a hip hop artist with the Canadian group
Plaiskool, he’s obviously no stranger to re-invention.
Currently, he’s working on collaborations with other
Canadian artists and gearing up for tours of North America. Only the future can tell what this DJ/producer will do next, but his fans always enjoy the ride. - Hypaethral PR

Inspirational, soul grabbing, melodic....these are just a few of the words that can be said of this trance infused music medium. DJ Jaspa's "A Long Time Coming" is a true work of art. After many months of perfection, this powerful disc has finally arrived to grace the world of electronica. With the exception of only a few, all songs were written, produced, and arranged by Jaspa himself. All 9 tracks embrace the true essence of the trance, ambient, and progressive structure of music. Hands down this is a gifted producer/dj with an exellent release that I would recommend to any lover of trance.
- www.divisionunderground.com

By Mark Kirby

When a DJ opens his liner notes with a shout out of thanks to his mom and dad, you know he's on some different trip. In a music genre that is all about the DJ-as-God, that is about excess of sex, clubs, drugs, and power, it's unusual to find someone who seeks to uplift and feed the soul. Well, DJ Jaspa is onto some different shit.

This comes as no surprise since, hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, he comes out of the traditionally, culturally adventurous northwest and in that refined country sometimes referred to as "America, but cooler and more European." This city is racially and culturally diverse and the closest city North American city to Asia. In a place with all of these different forces bouncing off each other, it follows that rules can be broken or bent - but in a refined way, minus all the chest thumping and look-at-me-ism that plagues the ego-driven scenes of New York, London and other places.

DJ Jaspa's record A Long Time Coming is a mix of ambient, trance, and jazzy house grooves, with dollops of hip hop and rock. The opening track, "A Long Time Coming", is like the opening dream sequence of a French film, replete with subliminal voices, thick droning synthesizer, and breathy, French-spoken words. This is ambient music at it's best.

The next cut "Get Into The Groove," evokes trance music, but the groove is heavier and has more swing than usual, and has a warmth more evocative of late eighties, early ninety's electronica, especially with the drum machine hand claps, and the jagged wash of Ian Moar's guitar. This is the beginning of the action of his imaginary film of which this CD is the soundtrack. While most electronica worships the machine, DJ Jaspa comes from the heart, the ghost in the machine.

How and when did you first start getting into music, both as a passionate listener and as a performer?

"Music has always been such a big part of my life. Even as a child I would be the first to get up and shake my booty on the dance floor, in a shopping mall or wherever music was playing. I got my start in music many years ago as a hip hop dancer for a rapper named Craig Crush. That's where I met Jheric and my now best friend, Tony. We formed the hip hop group Plaiskool.

"We performed all over the place and had a total blast but, as happens to a lot of artists, we got caught up in the hype, the dream, and forgot that music is a business. Even though we just did it for the props, we still had fun and the experience and friendships with the guys, especially Tony (now a lawyer), really laid the foundation for me today."

That foundation lead to his reinvention as an eclectic artist who has made a name for himself as a progressive house DJ, and has played in some of the premier clubs on the continent. In this CD, however, he flies in the face of expectations based on his recent past and takes a personal approach that varies from cut to cut, yet comprises a whole narrative.

The song "Home Alone" takes a trance-like beat and adds hip hop scratching and transformer-vocals to the musical melange. "Love Me" is the love scene in DJ Jaspa's movie, with urgent, romantic (in the emotional and classical sense) music and vocals by singer Tracy Thomas. This piece reminds one of Enya, though not as cheesy and overwrought. Hip hop pokes through again on the track "Wonderful World" with Jaspa's mack daddy rap flowing against the ambient atmospherics and electronica hip hop beat.

What led you to move from hip hop to progressive house and it's various off shoots?

"After Plaiskool came to an end, I was seeking something else. I actually gave up music for a couple of years, then ended up getting back to it but in a different way. I messed around on the computer producing some stuff here and there. I then met up with Zorastra, a trance DJ. He introduced me to the world of trance and electronic music. I had always wanted to be a DJ, so he lent me his Technics and a bunch of records and away I went. As I got more into DJ-ing and electronic music, I started producing more.

"As my studio and knowledge of trance grew and the nights became longer and the insomnia started to kick in, that's when the real creativity began. Zorastra really opened my eyes and ears and without his support and constant "Dude, do it again, add a crash, that bass line needs to be fatter," I would not have gotten to this point. Thanks, bro. I also would like to say a special thank you to Matthew 1626, who pushed me and taught me to be a better person, DJ and producer."

It becomes clear that DJ Jaspa is an artist who is inspired. I mean in the original sense of the word meaning "with spirit," infused with the spirit. This is what makes his music warm and devoid of the detached cool of so much music today. It's also why his reaches beyond musical ghettos and is generous with the props he gives others.

Who are some of your favorite artists? What is it about them that inspires and influences you?

"Well I would have to start of with one of the most influential artists who has had the biggest impact and that would be Andy Hunter. He is a Christian DJ and electronica producer out of the UK and from the moment I first heard his music, my life changed. He is an inspiration and a very talented artist, but not only that, he is a really nice guy.

"I also have such an appreciation for Paul Van Dyk. The guy is amazing and his music moves me. I have not had the chance to meet him yet, but hope to one day and maybe even work with him at some point. I could go on for days. I have a huge respect for DJ's and electronic producers world wide for following their hearts and dreams and for laying the foundation for today's electronic artists."

What are the other artists you are currently collaborating with or projects you are involved in?

"I recently licensed out a number of tracks to a New X-Box game (Greg Hastings' Tournament Paintball), developed by the folks over at WXP3D. I look forward to seeing where this will lead. It would be nice to see the gaming industry give independent artists an opportunity that the record companies seem to be capitalizing on.

"I am also presently co-writing a CD with Tracy Moar, a very talented singer in Vancouver, who I had the pleasure to work with on my CD. I am very excited about this project as Tracy is a great artist. I have had the fortune to be involved with a number of different people and projects over the years that I have enjoyed immensely and thank god for allowing me to do what I love.

"I feel very fortunate to be able to do what I do in a way that is positive, inspirational, and thought provoking. No matter what I do, I always try to do the right thing and with the right people. I get emotionally attached to the music and people I work with. My love and passion for music and keeping it clean, safe and fun for everyone involved really gives me that edge. So whether I'm droppin beats at a club or a party, producing music, or working with a charity, I just want to make people happy and inspire myself and others."

Get inspired, y'all. Run, don't walk, to his web site and get the music and the 411, pronto: www.djjaspa.com.

Provided by the http://www.musicdish.net" MusicDish Network. Copyright © 2005 - Republished with Permission. - Music Dish Network

Debuting his self produced album "A Long Time Coming" DJ Jaspa blends an assortment of progressive, downtempo, and even electro breaks beats. One of the major strengths that shows through the music when one produces his own songs is the clearity and refined outcome present throughout. Jaspa starts the compilation with ethereal sounding vocals that moves into swaying high tones and dark bass lines. Mid way through he introduces a chemical brothers type of sound and he finishes off the cd with progressive tracks that are pretty impressive for a Vancouverite. - The Fresh Page

Oh superstar DJ, where hath you gone? Okay, so Big Beat was hardly the rock-killing juggernaut the promotional literature claimed, but for a while there in the pre-Strokes universe of 1999, the bold new sound of the future was disturbingly guitar-free. To arrhythmic indie-rockers like me, the days when Oakey, Fatboy and the Chems stalked the earth were music's Dark Ages. To Vancouver-based knob-twiddler Jason Hogg -- aka DJ Jaspa -- them were the days of plenty. It takes diff'rent strokes to move the world, y'see.

Jaspa tweaked his material for a few years while working the west coast club circuit, so his studio debut is a sturdy slab of road-tested progressive trance. Echoes of Oakenfold, DJ Tiesto and Xpander-era Sasha dominate A Long Time Coming's aqueous ambient explorations and glittery techno embellishments. All the standard electro-body elements circa mid-'90s Berlin are present and accounted for: Sparkling Moroder-lite synthwork, thudding beats, disembodied female voices and repetitive, brain-damaging hooks. It's like Robert Miles's Dreamland, but with more bump and a higher BPM count.

While Jaspa can be accused of partying like it's 1995, he has a definite aptitude for strip-mining the musty club favorites of yesteryear for inspiration and rejigging them for modern dancefloors. There's a breezy simplicity to much of the stuff here, and although the disc is hopelessly stuck in the past, it rarely sounds stale or dated. Track after track, Jaspa spins antiquated house clichés into textures that are sometimes retro-chic, sometimes retro-kitsch, sometimes both. Everything hits at once on the opening title cut, a two-minute compendium of twinkling techno sprinkles and femme fatale murmuring over a warm swath of gooey ethereal ambience. It takes some time for Long Time to warm up and take off with a solid all-around tune like "DJ Rhapsody", the first legitimate floor-filler, but once Jaspa finds his groove, he diligently stays in it. Rumps begin to move once the hypnotic pulse of the album's seven-minute centerpiece, the fluid "Love Me", kicks into overdrive on the back of watery low-end rumbles, crisp bleached-white squelches and the sweet-sounding trills and emotionally-bankrupt lyrics of guest vocalist Tracy Thomas. This, plus the lazy, acid-drenched shimmer of "Wonderful World", are worth sticking around for. "Let's Dance" and "Music for Da Soul" are tumultuous cloudbursts of skittering cymbals and scratching that forms the beginning of the record's comedown phase, the final gasp of glow-stick twirl-a-thon frenzy before the first shards of daylight begin to creep in to the set. A Long Time Coming may be a record out of time, but as an aural time capsule of clubland's glory days, it's a far better memento than a drawerful of crusty soothers and cheesy fractal flyers. - Splendid E-zine