Taking Care of Business

A lot has changed for Jay Haze since he left his rural Pennsylvanian hometown to pursue a career in house music. The producer now resides in the thriving club metropolis of Berlin, and over the years has released a plethora of records under no less than four different aliases, as well as establishing five independent record labels. It's fairly safe to assume that no one will accuse the producer of laziness any time soon. Anyone stupid enough to do so will probably discover that in the time they have taken to compose such slander, Haze will doubtless have released something else under yet another of his ever increasing monikers.

Psychologists may consider the industrious entrepreneur as a prime example of identity disorder. In the past six months the Berlin based producer has dropped Love and Beyond, a full-length digital only release, in addition to a deeply satisfying compilation for London’s cherished clubbing institution Fabric. It would appear that there is even more to come as Haze has one more release planned before the year is out, which he is extremely excited about. “I will have my new Fuckpony album entitled Let the Love Flow come out in late October”, offers Haze. “It’s a real sexy melodic love affair. It’s not like anything I’ve done before. I played the piano and programmed the whole album with a great feeling and vibration. It was a naturally flowing album that was pure feeling and emotion.”

Haze has been living in Berlin for the best part of a decade, which would indicate that he has no plans to return to his native U.S.A. any time soon. It seems only natural to discuss what prompted the move and how life has altered as a result of that trans-Atlantic migration. “I can’t believe I have been living in Berlin for nearly eight years”, admits Haze. “I moved here because it seemed right from the first time I visited in 2000. Also, Ricardo Villalobos had an influence on the actual move in regards to motivation. It is easier that I can work in the studio with him here. Life is different in Pennsylvania, very different, but it’s quite hard for me to compare how because I haven’t thought about that in such a long time. In the U.S.A. there is more variety in music than in Berlin and there is a much more diverse range of culture. It’s one thing I really miss. This is one of the main reasons why I love places like London. I like to have many colours around me at all times.”

According to the biography on Haze’s artist website, he has started five record labels including TuningSpork, Contexterrior, Junion, FutureDub and Textone. This seems like a ridiculous amount of work for one man, especially when you consider that each label has released a substantial amount of music over the last five years. With such commitments it would be reasonable to assume that the work-obsessed producer does not get a lot of sleep. Fortunately, Haze offers an explanation: “I only actively run two labels now. TuningSpork is more house oriented and Contexterrior is a more artist-based label. Contexterrior used to be the official experimental label but now I just want my artists to have a place to call home. Back when I started the label we had other people involved, so it was always better to have two labels. Now things are changing for the better and I am extremely happy about it.” In addition to a slew of remixes, compilations and EPs that have been unleashed upon the underground house scene in the last four years, Haze has somehow managed to release four full length albums under Jay Haze, Fuckpony and Sub Version. He also performs under aliases The Architect and Sub Version. It would seem that Haze witnesses very little daylight with his never ending studio and touring commitments, but he insists that he has now narrowed down his outlets to only the bare essentials. “I only have Jay Haze and Fuckpony right now,” clarifies the producer. “Sub Version is when I do my dubstep flavoured material but this is not constant by any means. Fuckpony is where I do my humour and old school house. Jay Haze is where I do everything else. It’s nice to have two different main projects because they each have their own fan base.”

For the past four years Haze has been on a relentless one man mission to play every major venue the world has to offer and this has given him some interesting touring experiences, the most notable of which occurred in India, as Haze advises: “My favourite place to play was Delhi and this was because I got to experience a reality that shocked me and humbled me to the ground. I cried for two days when I arrived in this city and have not forgotten the feeling since I was last there. It’s nice to play to a packed club with people screaming your name, but it’s also nice to play a club where no one knows who you are. You can educate them about your music and at the same time gain life wisdom and experience.” With UK tour dates that continue until the end of September and a new album set for release in October, it is fairly safe to assume that this is not the last we will see of Jay Haze this year.