Delivering a funky wave of house to the EDM circuit, powerhouse duo Jakk'd is back with their new collaborative single, "CHECK THIS OUT". Teaming up with fellow artists HAWD HITTA, NoBueno, and $on-$hine on the track, the song kicks off with a thumping bassline that makes you want to shuffle across the dance floor. Throughout "CHECK THIS OUT", the producers intricately layer crisp percussion to keep their audience locked in.
Released on SEARCHPRTY RECORDS, this house heater definitely has a Latin flare to it. An infectious progression of horns rings out during a breakdown and at other points in the song. The horns match up seamlessly with the riveting vocal chops weaved into the buildups and drops.
Speaking on uniting for "CHECK THIS OUT", Max Dean from Jakk'd says, “we wanted to collaborate with our friends and day ones as we step into a new chapter of our Jakk’d project." Clearly showcasing each artist's unique style and production abilities, "CHECK THIS OUT" represents the bright future ahead for Jakk'd and the crew.
Check out the interview they all did together, exclusively for WEDM!
Interview
What inspired the lyrics in “CHECK THIS OUT”? What does “they come around but they never come close to” mean?
$on-$hine: “The overall friendship vibe and group we have, a lot of people want to have yet they don’t really ever have a chance to have something like this. The lyrics embody a meaning of closeness between the friend group and we don’t really let anyone’s outside energy get to us”
What led to the decision to create the breakdown right before the drop?
Jakk’d: “The idea for the breakdown was something Vjay and I had looked over, and Sonny and NoBueno and HAWD HITTA all agreed that the track’s sound would come out in a way that would be different than what is being released right now in the expected drops and breakdowns”
What does a typical studio session look and sound like for you guys? How are you able to bounce off each other’s ideas?
$on-$hine: “A typical studio session for me, I’m pretty 50/50 in a session, I’m quiet and take everything in, sit back and listen how the process goes 50% of the time. The other 50% comes from playing drums for 9 years, and I’ll voice my opinion like I would in a band when I hear something that I feel the need to speak about, whether it be certain drum patterns/rhythms, vocal chops etc.”
HAWD HITTA: “I would say we all feel confident spending time moving tracks along in 2-3 person sessions outside of our studio sessions where we have all 5 of us in the room”
What are some of your guys’ go-to mixing techniques when behind the board?
NoBueno: “Scratching, turntablism, wordplay, and live finger-drumming are some of the techniques I use. Turntablist meets Fred again.. vibes”
HAWD HITTA: “I’m pretty much mixing in and out of the extended mixes at the traditional times but also leave the vocals on repeat over the next track at times to keep the listener more engaged over songs they don’t know or songs without vocals”
Jakk’d: “We like to keep things spicy and don’t like to ever stick to one set of techniques for mixing in and out of tracks. We like to be able to mix in and out of any point in the track to always have the chance to surprise our fans and never leave them disappointed when they come to a show. We use a lot of different techniques to keep things interesting but never repeat in the mixing process, which is extremely important to us”
$on-$hine: “I plan to develop my sound a bit more and spend a few more evenings working it all out behind the decks before I really have a true feel for “go-to” techniques in my set.”
What are some upcoming projects and releases each of you can hint at for your fans to get excited about?
Jakk’d: “CHECK THIS OUT” is something that really sparked a new beginning with not limiting our sound, but we’re also considering releasing some new styles even in the coming months. We have a lot of great stuff we’ve been working on and we are excited to release an EP, perhaps something into an album later this year. We’ve been working countless hours to get to this point and we feel that our upcoming projects are much higher quality than in the past”
HAWD HITTA: “All I can tell you is we are about to hit very ‘hawd’ this upcoming fall. My summer is really going to kick off mid June when I head back to Academy LA in Hollywood, California for my next show, but I plan to drop a release the day before for extra hype around that show, that’s the general direction I’m leaning”
$on-$hine: “We all have a lot to be excited about, and I can’t wait to show the world this funk house sound I’ve got going on. I’ve been stepping into the producer mindset more recently, and songs have been coming more naturally. Man, I’m stoked for it as well as stepping on stage after the songs have been able to get out there”
NoBueno: “I’m really proud to be a hybrid producer/singer on these upcoming tracks which I think will add to my personal growth as an artist that I’m excited about most”