Justin Jay and Thumpasaurus team up for self-titled collab EP
Eons from his tech-house come-up in 2011 as Dirtybird‘s youngest signee, Justin Jay has melded his former house-head sensibilities with the equally eccentric quintet Thumpasaurus’s wacky, electronic-funk aesthetic in their latest collaborative EP Justin Jay x Thumpasaurus. The five-track collection is out on Jay’s own Fantastic Voyage label, with which in 2017 he also released his vibrant, ode-to-LA album, Home.
The EP features mostly Jay’s idiosyncratic edits of original Thumpasaurus songs, with one original track, “Wayne’s World,” which Jay says was conceived from Thumpasaurus bassist Logan Kane “hitting a beer bottle with a drumstick.” The track’s subtle electronic groove and rich instrumentation in conjunction with the backdrop’s clapping and cheering emulate the live tone Jay is fervently seeking.
Jay’s remix of “You Are So Pretty” incorporates Thumpasaurus’s DIY “funk-punk” style, accented by a more deliberate drum beat and one of his signature, cartnoonishly beeping synth melodies. But it’s not until his “I’m Too Funky” edit that Jay allows Thumpasaurus’ funky guitar riffs and unconventional lyricism to truly take over, which he accentuates with some dissonant percussion and looping to stretch the track to five and a half minutes. “Space Barn” is the only true club edit of the set, with what’s left of the original bass plucking taking a back seat to Jay’s stuttering hi-hats.
Categories: Music