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What do you on a Sunday afternoon, when it's snowing, your loved
ones are not around you, and you don't want to leave the comfortable
warmth of your apartment and stereo system? Well, talk to somebody
about house music, life and all that.
Exactly what I did on the first weekend in March with somebody
I haven't heard much about, but who hit me with his first release
at the end of last year (actually his second one, but that's a
whole different story). I am talking about Jask,
a new face in the jazz, soul and deep house universe, somebody
who is on his way to become a name to be reckoned with, that's
for sure.
Jask started out as a hip-hop/r&b DJ back in 1987, before he
discovered house music and got completely hooked. He soon introduced
house to Tampa, Florida, where he currently lives, and during
this process established a house night called "JACKSHOUSE," which
featured famous names like Mark Farina (SF), DJ Disciple (NYC),
Marques Wyatt (LA), Benji Candelario (NYC), Doug Smith (95 North)
or Brian Tappert (Jazz'N'Groove) in the past; an impressive list
for a city like Tampa, where you wouldn't expect it in the first
place. He is always looking for guest DJs on a monthly basis.
You can contact him at:
Tychild@aol.com
for more info. As a special candy for all you home-based house
music lovers, you can check out a live video/audio broadcast from
'JACKSHOUSE' at the following URL, airing every Tuesday nite from
11pm - 3am (CST):
http://www.hpcybercafe.com
Recently, he also got his own radio show together with his partner
David Reyero called "Our House" on WMNF 88.5FM
in Tampa, Florida, which airs every Monday from 2am - 4am (EST).
WMNF offers live broadcasting on the internet, so make sure to
listen to David and Jask's show at:
http://www.wmnf.org
During our conversation I realized the we both share the same
love for soulful and deep house music, and I felt glad to hear
that people in Tampa dig it as well. With so many hard and commercial
beats on this planet, it's good to know that there's always a
refugee for my soul in the warm south. But now it's time to write
something about the talk we had. And if you read carefully enough,
you might even find out his first name...
DJ MG
April 1999
The following interview was conducted by DJ MG on 03/07/1999:
Hi Jask!
Hi MG! Wassup man?
Not much, just took a nap.
Yeah, I had to DJ last night!
Oh really? When did you come in?
At 3 in the morning ...
Your e-mails are funny as well. They always say
something like 4 AM in the morning!
What's your real name?
My real name? It's ...
OK, we don't have to print it. Let's keep it a
secret. Where are you born?
I was born in a small town called Udorn in Thailand. I moved
to America I guess the year after I was born. We moved to Utah,
'cause my Dad was in the Air Force and so we traveled a little
'bit. We stayed in Utah for a couple of years, and then moved
to Okanawa in Japan and lived there for about three years. And
then we went back to America - Ohio, North Carolina - and then,
after North Carolina, we moved down to Tampa, Florida. I've been
here ever since.
So you were like ...
stuck. My parents already left me up north, they were saying
"We're going out of Florida, we don't like it here." They went
to a small town with a population of a thousand or so, and there's
really no scene out there. I had a good job, and the DJing was
just going off, so I stayed.
How's Tampa when it comes to house?
 Well,
I tell you it's small, but it's growing. Florida is known for
the breakbeats and a lot of people, all that bullcrap! Tampa in
particular? Well, raves are very big, but I guess for house it's
more a club thing. Very small clubs. On my Tuesday night we do
like maybe 300 to 400 people, weekly basis, and on holidays it
gets up to 600 people. On my record release party though, we did
around 800 people. It was crazy, and this place comfortably fits
300 people! I had my boy Anthony from King Street coming down
to play, 'cause he has family down here.
How did people find out about your release party?
Well, I mean I have a core crowd, and that builds a reputation.
In Tampa we're playing the most soulful dance music. I started
out playing a lot of acid jazz and funk and soul and r&b, and
that's what they mostly know me from. But over the three years
I'm doing this, I spread house music to them and they've embraced
it. I've been very lucky, you know. It's hard in Florida, I'm
telling you that. The only cities in Florida that represent house
to the fullest are Tampa and Gainsville, which is two hours away
from my town, and that's it. Orlando is just aeh, and Miami is
only good next week, when the WMC is coming.
I think it's everywhere the same, even here in
Chicago. Good soulful house is almost impossible to find, even
in Chicago!
Really? Even in the birth place?
Well, of course there are a couple of places and
events, but they're hidden in the underground. Anyway, back to
you. Does Jask mean anything?
Jask?
Yeah, your name!
Oh, I basically wanted to keep it close to my real name, which
is ...
It sounded really cool at the time, and later I kept it.
When and how did you get involved in the music
biz? By DJing?
It was in High School, in 1987. But it was more like a hip-hop/r&b
thing. And then it just evolved. Next year I was introduced to
house music. I was like "Yo, what is this?" I went to clubs and
just danced and danced. From that, I started DJing at a lot of
house parties.
So you love hip-hop?
All of that, but I'm old school man. Only a few newer ones.
How about acid jazz? I guess you like stuff which
has a lot of jazz in it, right?
Yeah, soul and jazz. Basically, music has to have soul. Period!
My influences are coming from a lot of jazz and soul, a lot of
funk and all of that stuff. Little Latin favor as well.
Your first gigs were at private parties?
Yes, it started at private and small parties. I didn't start
playing clubs until '90 or '91. 1993 or 1994 I then got this good
residency at this club called 'The Castle,' which was on a Thursday.
It was mainly an acid jazz event, but I played from jazz to soul,
r&b and house, everything. That lasted for about a couple of years.
And then I started what I do now, which is 'JACKSHOUSE.' It's
still going. It started out as a downtempo night, but after 6
months it was time to move on, to let the people know what's up
with the music, and they've embraced it ever since.
Do you still remember your worst and your best
gig?
 Oh
no!
The worst was at a rave, and that's it. Period. Nothing more...
The best gig? Well, I'm mostly spinning local places, and some
cities in Florida. The best gig has to be my place. Hydepark Cafe's
"JACKSHOUSE." Sometimes I have people like screaming and all that.
Most of my memorable events are there.
When did you really start to think about making
your own tracks?
I always wanted to produce music since High School, which was
in 1990. I did some earlier stuff in 1991/1992, but it never really
got out. And then I stayed a little low for a while, built my
own studio and thought about where I wanna go with the music.
The last 4 years I started to try to get stuff out, and I believed
in myself. That's the most important thing to me: Believe in yourself!
So what was your first release?
Actually, my first release hasn't been released, because Strictly
Rhythm doesn't wanna release it yet. I got the check the day after
I signed the contract, but since then, I don't know what's going
on. The track is good, it's two years old and it's called "The
Night Life." It's really good ... They have the DAT, but I don't
know what's the deal is there. Maybe one day they will release
it ...
At least they paid you!
Yes, but I just want to get it out!
Do you have lots of unreleased material?
Quite a few I haven't shot yet, that are in the work right now.
I'm just taking my time because I already have a lot of stuff
coming out. I don't wanna overdo it. I don't wanna do a Robbie
Rivera ...
So how much records have you released yet?
The NiteGrooves thing (Jask presents ... The Asiatic Jazz
Connection "Mystery Vibes" on NiteGrooves/King Street), and
the I! (Jask "Elements Of Life EP" on I! Records). And
I just got a promo of another single on NiteGrooves, a remix that
I did. It's by the Ananda Project called "Cascades Of Color"
(NiteGrooves). My remix is on it, and Chris Brann from Wamdue
is on it too. It's real deep, spiritual deep. You'll get it in
the mail soon. Glady's actually wanted to have Chris Brann remixing
the thing on Strictly Rhythm, but I don't know what happened.
Oh, and I do have another thing out from 1997, which was on a
Florida-based label called Swanky, it was by my boy DJ Chang
out of Gainsville, Florida, and it was called "The Yellow Sun,"
and that was actually my first remix.
Can't wait to get the promos! How about the feedback
from your releases so far?
All but positive. I've been very lucky, I actually thought nobody
would like it. Like the "Mystery Vibes!" That was kind of like
a fluke, because that's when I first got my computer and was experimenting
with my mini studio. It was supposed to be only a practice thing,
and it turned out to become good. My friend from King Street,
Thomas Joseph, heard it and he took the DAT. And they liked it.
I was like "Wow!"
Yeah, dope song. I found it in Germany in a small
record store at the end of last year. I bought it right away!
When was it actually released?
December last year. But the track is actually a year old. To
me it is. I was hoping it would come out during the last WMC conference,
but it didn't work out that way. I am glad it worked out that
way though. God works in mysterious ways ...
Who's doing the vocals on that song?
Me!
I did it on a computer microphone too. I was just bugging one
night. I was so happy this night because I just got the vocal
thing running on my computer, and I was like "Yeah, let's record
some vocals!" I was jumping up in the air with joy!
Do you play any instruments?
I took two years of keyboards. I am not that good. I tell you
straight up, I'm not like a musician, but I know what sounds good.
I usually get friends of mine, that are musicians, involved in
my music and the songs you hear on the record. You know, the sax,
guitars, bass and all that.
Your songs are mostly recorded in your own studio?
Most of them. Some I've did in a friends studio, but most of
them were recorded in my studio.
So your next song is "Freedom" on I! Records,
right?
Yeah, but it's totally different. It's more tracky. I don't know,
it's hard to describe, because it's like sort of different. It's
kind of going back to the basics, raw beats and straight up house.
I'm really happy with "Freedom." It's a very spoken word track,
and the bassline is just bumping. It's a sample of a jazz bassline
that I took from some old record, and then finished the track
in one night. It's banging.
How did you hook up with I! Records?
Well, I knew this girl Nahila, she works there. I knew her from
the Strictly Rhythm deal, because she was sort of involved in
it. Her boyfriend at the time hooked it all up. So we stayed in
contact, and I sent her a demo, and the next week I got a phone
call. They wanted it! I was flattered. I sent it out to the labels
where I thought it would work, and I! was one of them. Actually,
it was the only one which called me back. Do you like Basement
Jaxx stuff?
Yeah!
You do? Because they were a main influence on that record. Taking
like house up a notch to the next level. It's difficult to describe
Basement Jaxx's music, but you can hear a lot of influences from
them on this 12." I respect them a lot. Their sound is the future
of house music.
Talking about future of house. What do you think
about the state of house at the moment?
It used to be better, but I think it's growing. It's a global
thing, and the underground scene is slowly advancing. It will
get better over time, like all things. Only in certain areas,
esp. multicultural places, big cities like New York, San Francisco
and LA it's big. And overseas, Europe, Japan - that's where the
market is.
Have you ever been to London?
No, I haven't been overseas for a long time. But I'm ready to
go!
You also have your own production company called
ThaiLife Productions. What does it do?
It's not like a big company, it's just me right now. Just for
my music. I wish I would have my own label one day, but that's
far away right now. I wanna take my time ...
Do you have a question which you want me to ask
you?
Mmm, hobbies?
Yeah, how about your hobbies?
OK, don't laugh. Basketball and watching Bruce Lee movies.
Watching Bruce Lee movies? Well, that's something
else. OK, at the end, your all-time favorite tracks or tracks
which come into your mind.
 Oha,
let's see. Marvin Gaye "What's Going On." MFSB "Love Is The Message."
"Expansions" by Lonnie-Liston Smith. Roy Ayers "Everybody Loves
The Sunshine." And the list goes on and on. My favorite tracks
right now? Kevin Yost, he is amazing. All his stuff is really
good. You gotta hear his new one. I like a lot of stuff by Jazz'N'Groove.
They are pretty tight. They live down in Florida as well. I was
talking to them the other day, because they got the promo of the
Ananda Project remix I did, and they were like "Jask, I wanna
send you some vocals. I want you to start working with us." Him,
Brian Tappert and Marc Pomeroy are one of my favorite producers
musically. Oh my God, they are like the Gamble & Huff of today.
I like all the stuff by King Britt, Joe Claussell, UFO. Sometimes
I also like some chill-out music, Sade, Maxwell, stuff like that.
OK, that's it. Thanks a lot for the interview!
Alright, bye bye!
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