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Active I - J.Lee | ||
By the time this next entertainer was 13, he had already begun experimenting with four track recording. During his high school years, he played in Rock bands and began to get into production and sampling. After his tenure in the Philadelphia underground club scene, J. moved to Colorado was he found new source of energy.
Later, he moved to Seattle (around 5 years ago) where his love for Hip-Hop developed. Today, J., who’s stage name is Active I (the “I” is for “Ingredient”), is taking the Hip-Hop industry by storm. Check out a recent interview Junior’s Cave conducted with Active I.
Isaac: Briefly describe how you entered into the music industry.
Active I: Through as many doors as possible. I started recording and writing original tracks in my early teens. By high school, I was putting out tapes and spinning records at parties. Soon after that, I started producing tracks for independent films. Now I do music full time, putting out records on my label Audiodose.
Isaac: One of the reasons why I was drawn to you guys is because of your style. Briefly elaborate on your background:
Active I: I, (J.Lee), grew up moving around a lot, mostly on the east coast - Philadelphia, New York, DC, New England, and Cincinnati. Since then, I moved to Colorado, and now Seattle. I feel like I have a pretty diverse background because I've lived so many places, in so many types of neighborhoods. I was constantly exposed to different types of people and music growing up, which is probably why I have such a range of styles that I produce today. The guys from my crew are from Los Angeles, Seattle, Tacoma, and British Columbia.
Isaac: What is the most rewarding aspect to making music currently for you?
Active I: The love from fans is very rewarding. It's nice when you know that people really appreciate what you're doing. It's also rewarding simply creating and recording original tunes, and just knowing that those recordings will last forever.
Isaac: What has discouraged you the most about making music?
Active I: Nothing's really discouraging about making music itself...it's pretty much the most satisfying thing one can do as a creative individual or group. However, the industry itself can be discouraging, knowing that creative expression in general is under appreciated, whether it be music or any other art form. It's also sometimes discouraging being constantly copied by peers, because you're original. Imitating is usually a sign of
admiration, and everyone has influences, so I try and take it positively. But it sucks when people so clearly bite your style, then try and act like they did it first, without giving any due credit.
Isaac: What does being a Hip-Hop entertainer mean to you?
Active I: It means doing everything possible to contribute to bringing back anything and everything that hip-hop was founded upon, expressing real thoughts for the love of lyricism, and being a part of a greater community movement. The focus of mainstream hip-hop has lost its way. Real hip hop is not just about making money and flaunting it.
Isaac: Do you have a personal philosophy about music? If so, what is it?
Active I: Yes. Music commands feeling to precede thought, which goes hand-in-hand with many of my life philosophies. When you hear a song, you instantly feel something from it, before you have a chance to think about it. If everything was like this, the world would function better.
Isaac: When you are performing live in front of an audience, what are the thoughts
that are running through you head?
Active I: I try my best not to think at all. I try to just feel, reach from my soul, and feed off the crowd. If I find myself thinking too much, I tell myself, "wait 'til after the show to think."
Isaac: Why is being an independent musician important to you?
Active I: Because being owned and controlled really impedes pure expressiveness. I've passed up three major opportunities in my music career, and occasionally wonder how those opportunities could have changed my fate as an artist. But I remain confident that taking the harder path will prove to be the best option for preserving artistic purity, when all is said and done.
Isaac: Do you think the Internet has altered the path of music as an industry? If so, how?
Active I: Completely. It's made things more competitive, and started to level the playing field. But things are still changing, and the industry has a long way to go. Eventually the major labels as we know them will become obsolete.
Isaac: Any advice for other musicians out there when it comes to using the Internet as a medium for getting their music heard to the masses?
Active I: It's basically a numbers game. The more places you are on the web, the faster your presence will expand. A website with your own domain is essential, as are profiles on a few key sites, MySpace currently being the most important because of its popularity.
Isaac: What kind of recording software do you use?
Active I: Logic Pro, Reason, Peak, Soundtrack, Amplitube, and T-Racks, on a Mac Pro
Tower and a Powerbook, with Motu, Mackie, and Tascam hardware.
Isaac: I know that everybody has his or her idea of a dream artist, someone who for whatever reasons that person would just love to listen to and admire. As an entertainer yourself, if you could play with one of your "dream" musicians, anyone at all, who would it be and why?
Active I: Amongst the living, I'd love to share the stage with any of the members of
the legendary indie rock group Fugazi. Not because we'd necessarily fit stylistically, but because we share some of the same energy and philosophies. They're not still touring together, but those guys rocked some of the hardest shows for years.
Isaac: What are you hoping to gain from your experience of being a musician and
making music?
Active I: I want to entertain, while communicating my message in a subtle way. I want to reach out to the masses, and have an impact on socio-cultural evolution, even if it's just in a small way.
Isaac: What are you hopes for your music in the year 2008/2009?
Active I: To do as many shows as possible, and score at least one film.
Isaac: This is our Shout Out time. Please give props to anyone and everyone that
matters the most to you.
Active I: Big up to all my peeps doing what they love for the passion and not the money, social rejects, Jedi masters, Top Left Crew, A.D. fam, 206 and 253 hip hop, the rebellion.
Isaac: This is Shameless Plug time: Give us some updates on new releases and other
projects in the works.
Active I: Active I's new LP, 'The M Thesis' coming June 21. Audiodose Presents -
Chopshop Parts vol. 1, Unlimited MC's EP, and Auraswon - The Community,
all coming this summer. NorthWestHipHop.Com is in the works, and is soon to be the hottest northwest hip hop community - sign up and start posting today. I have also started a new organization called AlterEducation.Org; the site is not up yet, but it will be focused on challenging the predominance of traditional education as a whole, with the belief that
radical social change starts with the youth. We believe the homogeneous nature of traditional education undermines intrinsic motivation and impedes self determination, creating a stale society of many followers with few leaders, which perpetuates a state of false freedom, and inhibits the advancement society. Our movement is attached to a larger social movement to create a freer society. Look out for this soon.
Isaac: Final Thoughts:
Active I: Music is the most important aspect of life. Without it, we'd all be lame as hell.
MySpace Account
myspace.com/activei
Sonicbids Account
sonicbids.com/activei
Main Website
www.audiodose.com
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from Sonicbids artists for general review and feature consideration. some exposure in a modern, inventive publication with an established client base. |
