New Jersey sound

New Jersey club or the Jersey sound, is a genre of electronic club music originating in Newark, New Jersey during the early 1980s.

New Jersey sound
Stylistic originsJersey Sound 1980s
Jersey Sound 2010s
Cultural origins Early 1980s; Newark, New Jersey
Typical instruments

In the 1980s, it was a type of deep house music with an emphasis on soulful vocals influenced by Newark's gospel legacy. In the early 1990s, the genre was influenced by Baltimore club, bounce, and crunk, and generated some mainstream exposure in the late 2010s.

History

The New Jersey sound originated in the 1980s. Places like Club Zanzibar in Newark, New Jersey, where DJ Tony Humphries began his residency in 1982, helped "spawn the sometimes raw but always soulful, gospel-infused subgenre" of deep house music known as the Jersey sound[1][2] Besides the term "New Jersey house", there are alternative names for the genre: "In the UK, for fairly unfathomable reasons, it became known as garage music (named after the Paradise Garage in New York), while in NJ itself they simply called it club (or perhaps more pertinently, the Jersey sound)."[3] Newark female singers famously remixed by house music DJ Larry Levan included Gwen Guthrie ("Ain't Nothin' Goin On But The Rent") and Taana Gardner ("Heartbeat").

In 1992, Union County's Aly-Us released their deep-house hit "Follow Me."[4][5]

Abigail Adams's house-music record label and store, Movin’ Records in Newark's neighbor East Orange, was another contributor to the Jersey Sound.[6]

The Jersey club scene also gave rise to the ball culture scene in Newark hotels and nightclubs.[7] "Queen of House" Crystal Waters and other house luminaries performed on the Newark scene. DJ Kerri Chandler, another Zanzibar DJ, was another pioneer of the "Jersey sound" variety of house music. Jersey artists like Jomanda found success on the early 90s house music scene. Some have said that "when New York went to rap [during this period], Jersey stayed with club. Because of Zanzibar.”[7]

Modern-day Jersey club is a descendant of this sound. It grew throughout the early to mid-1990s to the 2000s by artists like DJ Tameil, DJ Tim Dolla, Mike V and DJ Black Mic of the “Brick Bandits Crew” who were largely influenced by the Baltimore club scene of the 1980s.[8][9][10][11]

Jersey club

Jersey club or Brick City club has been popular in Jersey, Philly, and Georgia in the late 2010s. Jersey club is a staccato, bass-heavy style of dance music featuring breakbeats, rapid tempos around 130-140bpm, shouting vocals, often in a call and response manner and heavily chopped samples often from hip-hop or pop music.[12] It is popular in New Jersey, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York and Washington DC. Since its development, the Jersey club sound has received international attention.[13]

The basic musical structure is similar to Baltimore Club, but it differs in the use of the same beats and mixing. Each track usually consists of a kick used by many other producers and DJs in the same tracks, along with the terms Movie and Building Shaker thrown into the song.

Now, the style and its direct derivatives are becoming known on the internet due to music sharing websites and social media such as SoundCloud, YouTube, Vine and Dubsmash becoming popular across the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe.[14][15][16] [17] Some songs have been featured on the reality show Love and Hip-hop.

Mainstream exposure

Jersey club has raised in popularity in the late 2010s. The genre, which was originally created purely for party culture in New Jersey, has grown into a major music brand all over the world. With Jersey club's newfound exposure, many popular artists have sampled and duplicated the rhythms and iconic sounds of Jersey club. This trend of infusing Jersey club with popular music originated with Beyoncé. On her album titled Lemonade, she features some musical elements of Jersey club in some of the songs. Another artist who has used Jersey club in their music is Ciara. Her comeback single "Level Up" uses a beat structure that is similar to that which is used in Jersey club music.[18] For DJ Khaled's single "To the Max", DJ Jayhood even claims that DJ Khaled was inspired by his Jersey club single "HeartBroken".[19] In early 2020, Jersey Club artist Cookie Kawaii's song "Vibe (If I Back It Up)" went viral online and on TikTok. She described the song's popularity as "a great time to get exposed to the culture, the music and the sound".[20]

Jersey club also influenced a new trend on the Internet which involves remixing viral videos and turning them into music. This phenomenon originated in 2015 when Vine was still up and running. Musicians and DJs would take these six-second loops and add a heavy percussive sound that resembled Jersey club. Nicolas Fraser’s Why You Always Lying Vine video was one of the millions of videos that have been remixed and turned into samples for Jersey club. After Vine, this phenomenon extended to other major social media sites including Twitter and Instagram.[21]

Dance culture

Strong emphasis on dance accompaniment is a major element in Jersey club culture, as evidenced by performances at Jersey club-centric events, including Essex County's Highlights Festival held annually in the summer. [22]

The 2016 Running Man Challenge, a viral meme in which participants filmed and shared short clips of themselves performing a dance resembling running to the 1996 song "My Boo," was based on well-known Jersey club moves. The original videos were posted on Vine by high school students in Newark-adjacent Hillside, New Jersey.[23]

Artists
1980s/1990s sound
Late 2010s sound

Popular DJs include Kevin "DJ Lilman" Brown (whose music videos on YouTube have received nearly 100,000,000 views as of January 2019),[24][25] DJ Sliink, UNIIQU3 (billed as the Queen of Jersey Club),[26] DJ Frosty, DJ Jayhood, DJ Smallz 732, Mvntana, and DJ Taj (including his sister Lil' E).

In 2017, DJ Sliink, Wale and Skrillex released the Jersey club track "Saint Laurent".

Artists and producers DJ Joker, DJ Jayhood and Dizzy Rambunctious have all produced noted Jersey club remixes that have gained attention in the music and pop culture press.[27]

DJ Sliink and DJ Jayhood garnered press attention in 2018 for their Jersey club remix to Drake's "In My Feelings".[28]

Ciara's 2018 hit "Level Up" is heavily influenced by the Jersey club genre, sampling Jersey club artist DJ Telly Tellz's song, "Fuck It Up Challenge".[29][30]

4B best known for his remix of DJ Snake's "Middle (song)"

Festivals

Annual summer events like the Roselle House Music Festival in Warinanco Park, the Trenton House Music Festival, the Weequahic Park House Music Festival, and the Lincoln Park Music Festival attract families and house music enthusiasts, also known as "househeads," dedicated to the classic Jersey sound.[31]

References
  1. http://newestamericans.com/newark-sound/
  2. https://www.residentadvisor.net/features/2268
  3. "The 20 best New Jersey house records". Mixmag. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
  4. "Aly-Us "Follow Me" | Insomniac". Retrieved 2020-07-09.
  5. "Official Tickets and Your Source for Live Entertainment | AXS.com". www.axs.com. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
  6. "The story of Abigail Adams and New Jersey's Movin' Records". The Vinyl Factory. 2016-11-02. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
  7. "History of Queer Club Spaces in Newark | Queer Newark". queer.newark.rutgers.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
  8. "DJ Uniique and The Rise of Jersey Club". Thump. Retrieved 2016-09-01.
  9. "What Is Jersey Club Music? | Run The Trap". Trap Music Blog - Run The Trap: The Best Hip Hop, EDM & Club. 2013-10-13. Retrieved 2016-05-20.
  10. Stephens, Alexis (2014-01-27). "Please Explain: Jersey Club". Mtv Iggy. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
  11. "FiftyOne:FiftyOne: Whats Up With Brick City Club?". Fiftyonefiftyone.com. 2006-11-10. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
  12. "Over the past 15 years, Jersey club has become a widespread cultural phenomenon in its home state. But recently, the sound's booming kick drums have gone global. Mike Steyels tells its story". RA: Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2016-09-01.
  13. "Over the past 15 years, Jersey Club has become a widespread cultural phenomenon in its home state. But recently, the sound's booming kick drums have gone global. Mike Steyels tells its story". RA: Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2016-09-01.
  14. "Metronome: R3LL". Insomniac. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
  15. "DJ 4B Talks Wu-Tang, Jersey Nightlife and not categorising his music". Stony Roads - The quintessential stop for everything Dance Music. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
  16. "Jersey Club in New Zealand? VICE and BOSE are investigating why with their Seeds and Stems series". Hhhhappy.com. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
  17. The 41 Best Jersey Club Songs Ever https://www.billboard.com/photos/7817703/best-jersey-club-tracks-of-all-time-dance-music via @billboard
  18. https://revolt.tv/stories/2018/08/22/miami-orleans-jersey-baltimore-influenced-club-music-master-class-0700711837
  19. https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/wjqdqz/jayhood-drake-dj-khaled-sampling-controversy
  20. Maicki, Salvatore (February 19, 2020). "Meet Cookiee Kawaii, the Jersey club savant who wants you to "throw it back". The Fader. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  21. https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/958-everything-deserves-a-remix-baltimore-and-jersey-club-meet-vine/
  22. http://thesource.com/2018/07/10/north-jersey-festival-brings-out-the-best-of-jersey-club-culture/
  23. Laird, Sam. "The originators of 'The Running Man Challenge' are two awesome high school kids". Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  24. http://thesource.com/2018/07/10/north-jersey-festival-brings-out-the-best-of-jersey-club-culture/
  25. https://iamdjlilman.net/about
  26. https://www.magneticmag.com/2018/09/interview-jersey-club-queen-uniiqu3-singing-phase-3-soul-genre
  27. https://www.vulture.com/2018/11/how-the-big-mouth-bubble-bath-remix-blew-up.html
  28. https://dancingastronaut.com/2018/07/dj-sliink-dj-jayhood-add-jersey-twist-drakes-feelings/
  29. http://thesource.com/2018/07/23/ciara-snags-a-hit-with-the-jersey-club-influence-in-level-up/
  30. https://mix247edm.com/ciara-shakes-the-ground-in-the-video-of-her-new-jersey-club-track-level-up/
  31. "Magic's Royal Productions House Music Events & Festivals". Magicsroyal. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.