Night Slugs' Newest Signing J Heat Takes us on a Jersey Club Journey

DJ J Heat is undoubtedly one of New Jersey's most talented second generation producers. Today, as part of "Jersey Club 101", the series started by CLUBJERSEY, we've got a wild club mix from him alongside some essential tracks from the most talented producers in the Jersey Club scene. The release features a wealth booty-­bouncing remixes, highlights from including a slow­building remix of A$AP Ferg's "Work", an atmospheric remix of Drake's "Back 2 Back", and a playful re­imagining of an Art of Noise classic, "Moments in Love".

Although J Heat's original Soundcloud was deleted, as happened to many other Jersey Club artists, he has been going strong with a number of shows and a rumoured release on Night Slugs. We caught up with J Heat to talk about the CLUBJERSEY release and what he has planned. Check the interview under the tracks below:

THUMP: First, tell us where you're from.
J Heat: I was born in Mt. Vernon New York, but I've been living in Newark, New Jersey.

How old are you now, and old were you when you started producing?
I'm 23 now, 24 on 4/20. I started DJing when i was 9 and producing around 10 or 11, so it's been a while.

Tell us a bit about your production setup.
I use a Macbook Pro and JBL monitors. I do most of my Club music production in FL Studio or Sony Acid Pro, although I can work in just about any software. I also have a basic mixer and a mic set up so I can do live recordings in my studio.

Can you give us some of your influences in club music?
How about I give you a top five. Let's see, it would have to be: Tim Dolla, DJ Sliink, DJ Tameil, DJ Reck and Mike Q.

Tell us a bit about this release!
This release is a capsule of a selected favourites I've made over the years. I really wanted to put out a project featuring the many remixes I've made and really showcase the different flavors of Jersey Club music. CLUBJERSEY and I decided to get behind the project and give it to people who love and respect the culture.

What's coming up next for you?
Show­ wise, I'm making my LA Debut to headline Los Globos on the 6th with Gianni Lee. The show's been put together by Wile Out, which is run by Luny, and is the official party for this release. I also recently started a residency here in New Jersey at a hookah bar called Aladdin's, every other Saturday. I'll be heading to SXSW too, so holler at me. Music-­wise, besides this CLUBJERSEY release, I've got an EP forthcoming on Night Slugs which I can't wait to drop, and I've been talking to the people at Radar about doing a show.

How did you link up with Night Slugs?
In 2015 my manager invited me to a party in New York with a bunch of people I knew. I was chilling with Mess Kid and some others and talking about Night Slugs. One of the dudes mentioned that L-­Vis 1990 was at the party and pointed him out. I went up and introduced myself and it turns out he had heard of me and was a fan of my music for a while. The next night we went to the Night Slugs party at Output and I was hanging out with L-Vis. We were drinking some kind of liquor they were mixing with water and getting real wavy during Bok Bok's set. After he was done, L-­Vis introduced us and they were telling me how much they liked my remix of Kingdom's song, "Stalker Ha". They talked to me about doing a release for them and here we are. I'm finishing it up real soon.

Where do you see the Jersey Club scene heading?
I see it becoming a main genre like R&B, but I hope it doesn't get saturated by producers looking for fame rather focusing on the music. I'd love to see the original Jersey Club producers leading the way, the people who grew up in it and grew the sound. The people who truly love the music. Also, I'd like to see more of a club music presence at SXSW. I'm not sure if there are any official Jersey Club parties but there should be. Saying that, I'd also love to see more of a presence at EDC and Holy Ship and all of the other festivals, but I guess it's in our hands to grow it.

What do you think about people outside Jersey making club music?
Can't stop them. Some make greats songs, but most of the artist sound too unoriginal. Personally I feel it just doesn't have that feeling to it. I'm open to listening to them and it's great to hear the genre expanding, but I'm hoping to inspire people to learn more about the history so they can have more love and feeling in the sound they create.

TRACKLIST:

1. Rocko - U.O.E.N.O (Mike Q & J Heat Remix) 02:08
2. Big Sean - Blessings Ft Drake & Kanye West (J Heat Remix) 03:06
3. Kanye West - Blood On The Leaves (J Heat Remix) 02:35
4. Drake - B2B (J Heat Remix) 02:26
5. A$AP Ferg Ft. French Montana, Tinidad James A$AP Rocky & Schoolboy Q - Work (J Heat Remix) 03:29
6. Bobby Shmurda - Hot Nigga (J Heat Remix) 02:17
7. Future - Trap Niggas (J Heat Remix) 02:37
8. Migos - Fuck Up The Pot (J Heat Remix) 02:48
9. Jhene Aiko - The Worst (J Heat Remix) 02:21
10. Art Of Noise - Moments In Love (J Heat Remix) 03:11
11. Route 94 - My Love feat. Jess Glynne (Brenmar & J Heat Remix) 03:21
12. ZHU - Faded (Lido x J Heat Edit) 03:32

You can grab the download to "Jersey Club 101: J Heat" via Soundcloud or on CLUBJERSEY's Bandcamp. Catch J Heat at the official launch party "Ghetto Musick" in LA on the 6th of February.