Under his own name and as Fuckpony, amongst other aliases, Jay Haze has helped to redefine the contemporary sound of house and techno from the mid 00s. At that point, he disappeared to focus on charitable pursuits, spending time providing tsunami relief in Indonesia, working with Red Dot Relief in Japan and Toys and Needs in Latin America, as well as raising awareness and making documentaries to help victims in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo. Now, he is back creating painfully emotive techno tracks that drip with sensuousness and soul. Haze has always done things his own way working with artists like Ricardo Villalobos and Tale Of Us, with infinite different takes on house and techno on labels such as Cocoon, BPitch Control and Get Physical.
Following his recent release Crystal Lake via his Fuckpony alias, Jay Haze returns to his Contexterrior imprint this April, collaborating with Latin American artist and long time friend Mauricio Ramirez a.k.a. M.A.L.A. CNTXTS1024 delivers five versions of stripped back, broken-beats and minimalistic goodness to feed the soul, delving in dubby and bass-heavy waters.
“About ten years ago in Colombia I met a fellow underground graphic artist, who really relates to my style. He is an extremely talented visual artist and works in Motion Graphics. I love his art and his spray paintings. His name is Mauricio Ramirez also known as malo which in Spanish means bad. But Mauricio is everything but bad. At the time I was working at Toys & Needs, which is a project that started in Columbia and that night I was performing. The next day we had a daytime event with over a hundred children and M.A.L.A was one of the guests. He came up to talk to me and invited me to his studio where we became friends. From the first time I came across Mauricio’s art I knew we would relate on an artistic level. I realised later that we also had even more of a human connection. After many years we are finally releasing these tracks!”
Get set for a magic Back To Mine selection…
Al Green “Lets Stay Together”
For me one of the most important songs ever. Sometimes I can just chill my girl out by playing this for something stupid I said just 5 minutes before.
My dream is to see Al Green perform in church, and I’m planning to do it soon. Memphis, here I come!
Bill Withers “Ain’t No Sunshine”
It’s hard to guess where this song came from, in this video you can see him crying while performing it. This is the first song I ever danced with my daughter to, it hits right where you need it to, which is the soul.
Jeff Darko “Follow You”
This is a new artist, just love the video and the music reminds me of Andre3000 hanging with D’Angelo. The video is like those 2 guys meeting Usher in a Russian club…
Yeasayer “I Am Chemistry”
This band has it all for me, great visuals and lovely production. This video itself has several different layers of different animation techniques all blended into something I have yet to be so impressed with. Sometimes time stands still. Travel through art and music.
Jay Haze “I Wait For You”
I drop this because the song and video mean too much to me. When I moved to Lima, Peru – I never knew something like this was on the radar, I am happy to have lived there for so long, as there is much more to Peru than ayahuasca and ceviche. Here you have a little view into where I lived on the daily. God I miss Peru. The director of this video has his first feature full length film coming out in the next few months, let’s stay connected to Victor Manuel Checa.
Shaggy and Sting “NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert”
I know this is not a song, but I cannot stop listening to it. How good they sound, how they still carry the torch. It humbles me when I watch Sting play. I hope that feeling never ends. Shaggy has got a magical voice, I would have never thought these two humans would end up in the same studio, thank god for this.
Fela Kuti “Water Got No Enemy”
Fela Kuti could be my most coveted artist of all time. Not a guilty pleasure, but a celebration of future freedoms. Just knowing this song has broken the ice when it was thin, in terms of race and musical taste. I would give anything to be there for one full night. Fela is in my heart and soul. He lives in a special place within me, and helps me create.
DENGUE DENGUE DENGUE “Atlantida”
My fav band from Peru. I love the visuals on this one and the poly riddims! If you see these guys playing in your town, take the time to dance and watch your body move in ways you did not think were of you.
Jay Haze & M.A.L.A – CNTXTS1024
Released 16th April 2021 on Contexterrior
Label: Contexterrior
Release Date: 16th April 2021
Cat No: CNTXTS1024
Distribution: Word and Sound
soundcloud.com/jayhazeakafuckpony
