Jaw Jam

Hailing from New Jersey, 20-year-old Will Dimaggio aka Jaw Jam's debut "Untitled" EP moving through soft, filtered synths, catchy vocal samples and percussive drum elements is set for release on Live for the Funk ahead of stints on Aberdeen's Tuff Wax imprint and Kastle's Symbols Recordings this year. Here we premiere his new video for 'U Don't Know' which he explains himself:

"I started working on Untitled EP with the intent of making a weirdo garage-influenced album. I was pretty unsure of how to approach the concept for some time, but the self title really gave me a clearer idea of the direction I was headed in: tom-hit driven basslines, clap-happy drum patterns, eerie vocal cuts. I felt that “U Don't Know” was the most fluid union of these few elements I had been working with. The sort of uneasy vocal echoes leading into the introduction of the chord hits, a stark transition into claps, then falling apart into the SWV hook... this in-and-out movement is something I tried to capture both within particular moments of “U Don't Know” and across the span of the EP.

The film by the guys at Trash Vision truly embodied the movement and hazy production elements that I tried to put forth in this one. Not only is the footage phenomenal, but the desperate male character and open ending really speaks to the feeling I’m trying to portray in the tune - frantic clap patterns leading towards a messy and unnerving peak, only to resolve in wispy chord breaks that leave the listener either frustrated and or (hopefully) eager to dive deeper into the sound…"

http://vimeo.com/51620734 - Dazed & Confused Magazine

Hailing from New Jersey, 20-year-old Will Dimaggio aka Jaw Jam's debut "Untitled" EP moving through soft, filtered synths, catchy vocal samples and percussive drum elements is set for release on Live for the Funk ahead of stints on Aberdeen's Tuff Wax imprint and Kastle's Symbols Recordings this year. Here we premiere his new video for 'U Don't Know' which he explains himself:

"I started working on Untitled EP with the intent of making a weirdo garage-influenced album. I was pretty unsure of how to approach the concept for some time, but the self title really gave me a clearer idea of the direction I was headed in: tom-hit driven basslines, clap-happy drum patterns, eerie vocal cuts. I felt that “U Don't Know” was the most fluid union of these few elements I had been working with. The sort of uneasy vocal echoes leading into the introduction of the chord hits, a stark transition into claps, then falling apart into the SWV hook... this in-and-out movement is something I tried to capture both within particular moments of “U Don't Know” and across the span of the EP.

The film by the guys at Trash Vision truly embodied the movement and hazy production elements that I tried to put forth in this one. Not only is the footage phenomenal, but the desperate male character and open ending really speaks to the feeling I’m trying to portray in the tune - frantic clap patterns leading towards a messy and unnerving peak, only to resolve in wispy chord breaks that leave the listener either frustrated and or (hopefully) eager to dive deeper into the sound…"

http://vimeo.com/51620734 - Dazed & Confused Magazine

Summer is in full bloom and the music is following suit. For an example you need only look to the aural garden of Jaw Jam, where the fruits of labor are always sweet. The New Jersey producer has already earned quite a name for himself, with a release forthcoming on Kastle's burgeoning Symbols label and more on the way. He wields a masterful command over luscious chords and vocals akin to Disclosure and James Blake's Harmonimix series. Breathing life into R&B samples with lush compositions is the name of the game with this one. It's brought to us on the first release from the lovely people at Live for the Funk, who are firmly entrenched in the front lines of forward-thinking sounds. Listen to (and grab) the EP below.
"U Dont Know" wastes no time in dropping knowledge, emerging from a sonic fog with beautifully sublimating SWV vocals. It's easy to get lost in this one, and you probably won't want to be found. "Rain" pitter-patters along with the EP's signature clap-happy percussion before a riptide of organs and vocal flourishes elevate the track to heavenly status. "Untitled" is entrancing enough on its own, sounding like Alicia Keys thrown into a syrupy whirlpool, but Obey City never ceases to amaze on the hypercharged remix. The pair's uncanny ear for sample smithing shines through here, with Obey City producing yet another tune that never seems to stop evolving and adding new elements. If those saccharine "ooh"s don't get you I don't know what will.
Jaw Jam's clearly has a large stock of top shelf material, so add him to your "to watch" list if you somehow haven't already. Make sure to check his SoundCloud for an even bigger haul of bootlegs and originals. - Earmilk