Jaekim
Houston, Texas, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2010 | SELF
Music
Press
Jaekim had JUST delivered “Buildin’ Blox” and I was still bangin’ that in my iPhone then this dude drops a single for his NEXT beat tape “Buildin’ Blox Vol. 2? a few days ago. The wait is now over. It’s here! It’s here! It’s here! © Common - FWMJ's Producers I Know [http://producersiknow.com/]
Throwback beat tape making for when Diggler wasnt on your computer screen…A Houston Dig….It will forever be one of the most compelling rock-n-roll stories ever told. Jaekim’s GREEN GRITS pays homage to such a legacy, through slicing-and-dicing the ‘Rev’s greatest moments into the ultimate sample-fest!
…WIB WE DROP HEAT! - Word Is Bond magazine [http://www.thewordisbond.com/]
The composer “Jaekim” hits his craft hard on the newly released instrumental project..Builidin’ Blox Vol.2 He uses drum machines, synth/keys, effects, turntables, additional programming to complete a 20 track heater of a project.. Don’t sleep and Keep us locked!! GHea Support!
Born surrounded by shelves of Stax wax, Twee funk, & 70’s soul… coupled with a healthy childhood passion for stacking crates of psychedelic prog rock & cosmic jazz fusion… Jaekim decodes the sounds that would ultimately help form the aesthetic foundation for the “13th Generation” on ‘Buildin’ Blox Volume 2’!
WIB TURNT... - Word Is Bond magazine [http://www.thewordisbond.com/]
Jaekim is a versatile beat maker from Houston, Texas, that doesn’t particulary claim one certain style. He kicked off his introduction to the music world in 2010, with his “Unidentified” EP and “Green Grits“. In 2011, he reinterpreted music from the psychedelic trio, The StepKids, with a 10-track beat project titled “Psych!: A Beat Introduction To The Stepkids“.
This year, he has put out 3 installments of a series of beat tapes, titled “Building Blox“, that explore and pay homage to different genres. The “first one“, released in February, resulted in 14 tracks that showcased the diversity of Jaekim‘s musical palette, with elements of funk, jazz, modern rock, and 60s cinema. In March, “Building Blox Volume 2” featured 20 tracks that Jaekim described as being “surrounded by shelves of Stax wax, Twee funk, & 70’s soul… coupled with a healthy childhood passion for stacking crates of psychedelic prog rock & cosmic jazz fusion.” Most recently, released on November 20th, “Building Blox Volume 3” captured the era of electro funk and disco dancing.
This is a very stellar series that you should dig into, because everything on his bandcamp is free to stream and download. - Crayon Beats [http://www.crayonbeats.com/]
"Digging through the digital crates this week I went far and wide looking for hot mixes, fatt beats, and take me higher or take me away grooves. From the low lands of the Netherlands to the hills of San Francisco, I searched and finally found that goodness I was looking for -- when I wasn’t looking and, as it turns out, someone a lot closer to home. Life is just like that sometimes, isn’t it?
I was about to shut down for the nite, when I decide to click play on one more track. I was immediately immersed from the moment I laid ears on the opening dialogue laid over a moody, cinematic piece of music; a great introduction to the aural playground awaiting in the Heist185 pres. Sudden Shift mix by Jaekim. Needless to say, closing up shop was out of the question as I began to lightly sway left to right to the laid back grooves, bop my head to the Hip Hop beats, perk my ears up when, like the mixes title suggests, Jaekim just switches it up with some electro inspired tracks I’ve never heard but sounded great, and made sense. That’s the same methodology followed for the rest of the mix, a varied mix of lyrical Hip Hop, funk, soul, jazz, and other genres I simply couldn’t place at 3AM. I found more than the Weekend Mix; I found a piece of art.
Unfortunately, finding information on Jaekim was not as easy a task. All his social profiles were surprisingly lite on the contact info, especially for an artist. After a few passes I still hadn’t found out which hood he calls home (I’m guessing Houston, TX), and the mix itself had no track list (I need to know the name to some of these tracks man). Jaekim himself, however, is far from the vague entity he is online. Just one listen to his mix (you can also catch him on the Phunkwhatchaheard internet radio show) and you’ll know all you need to know about this versatile DJ and burgeoning producer. Oh yeah, some important info I was able to glean is the fact, that he’s also a writer and producer with at least one EP under his belt. Unidentified is a digital EP; trippy and funky, moody and hard, and 100% cool, it’s worth a listen and, just like his mixes make you want to know more about this, this dude.
So, sit back, strap on them headphones (believe me, you can put it on blast later), turn down the lites, spark up incense if you have it, and listen to this chill piece of mixtape goodness." - DJ1 [posted 9 Apr 10 on 1200Dreams.com] - 1200 Dreams [http://1200Dreams.com]
Discography
Unidentified EP (2010)
Green Grits EP (2010)
Psych! EP (2011)
REspekt remix LP (2012)
Buildin' Blox Vols. 1-3 LP (2012)
Photos
Bio
The evolving event history of DJ/Producer Jaekim has its beginnings simply collecting wax as accompanying music for his friends to dance & skate to. Still in his teens (at the time) Jaekim quickly carved a niche out of making bedroom-produced, continuously-mixed 90 minute pause button cassettes (early 90’s). Even though his genre preference ran the gamut, Jaekim’s love for UK trip-hop ultimately led him to a small broadcast studio located in the heart of Montrose (KPFT Houston, TX) one late Wednesday night (3am) in February 1995. Recognizing the small but self-sustaining community of individuals with similar musical taste, Jaekim joined forces with the maestro of events taking place on-air (radio) in said studio, DJ Sun. Within a couple of weeks, the two not only forged a strong bond outside of music, but built the blocks of DJ Sun’s renown Soular Grooves Radio, taking the show from Wednesday mornings at 3am to prime time Saturdays at 9pm.
That summer of ’95, Jaekim began to ‘cut his teeth’ as a DJ on the club circuit by serving duties as one of the four resident DJs for the now infamous Groove Shop Thursdays at Magic Bus – Houston (a venue he was not yet old enough to attend as a patron). After two years as the original co-host of Soular Grooves, as well as spinning selections in the midst of legendary venues such as PowerTools, Rockefeller’s, & Café Brazil, Jaekim set out to host and program/DJ a radio show that would serve as a staple to Houston’s underground Hip Hop movement, known as the 12-Inch Sub (alongside Eddie Question at KTRU Houston) in early ‘97. As expected, the potential monotony of surrounding himself with only one genre of music led Jaekim to seek more diverse waters in Houston’s club circuit as well. By this time, it would come as no surprise to the city’s dwellers that Jaekim would collaborate with longtime friend and mentor Tunde Akindele to curate Downtown Houston’s first Sunday daytime party residence, Remedy – dedicated to the lovers of underground dance music culture; located at the city’s first “mega-club”, Spy (1998).
By early 1999, Jaekim would complete his studies, earning a bachelor degree from the University Of Houston; turning the page onto the next chapter of his life & career: a return to New York City (where he previously lived as a child in the 80’s). While attending the Institute of Audio Research near NYU, Jaekim gained invaluable experience from the business side of the music industry as an intern at global house music hub King Street Sounds/ Nite Grooves Records, under owner Hisa Ishioka. Four months into such an experience would lead Jaekim to a chance meeting with an all-time DJ/Producer hero David Morales. Days later Jaekim would find himself on the road and in the studio as an assistant for the Grammy award winner (received that same year), in his first occupational role after college. Outside of the technical experience gained, more valuable amounts of knowledge were absorbed in the process via Jaekim’s position at Morales’ Def Mix Productions & Definity Records. With the wheels of music production turning steady, Jaekim’s never been one to stray away from his DJ duties for long; which ultimately led him to a management/ A&R position at world renown vinyl mecca Dancetracks Records/ 3rd-&-1st Recordings in the East Village of Manhattan.
Having maintained a steady communication link with the radio station he put so many hours in as a student, Jaekim returned to KTRU’s airwaves in 2007, formulating The Phunkwhatchaheard Show (old & new soul funk) and The Electronic Show. In the process, Jaekim’s recording commitments have claimed equal time to DJ duties resulting in seminal EP releases such as Unidentified (2010), Green Grits (2010), Psych! (2011), REspekt (2012), Buildin’ Blox volumes 1-3 (2012), and Mixed Feelings (2013) [in addition to dozens of remixes and re-edits, accumulating monthly]. A personal milestone was achieved in 2009 when Jaekim managed to curate a DJ residency, HOME, that included equal parts Hip Hop, House, Rare Groove, and soul boogie, at Houston’s Avant Garden (a venue located on the same block as the radio station [KPFT] that served as a genesis almost 15 years prior). In the end, whether it’s twisting knobs, tuning instruments, and programming sounds or executing broadcast air checks, and traveling to new lands to bring smiles to vibrant rooms…Jaekim concludes, “There’s never a dull moment; and that’s a great thing!”
Band Members
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