New York City’s own bass-slinger, Joe Constantino, better known as Jumpshot, is a force to be reckoned with on the EDM / dance circuit. Stylizing his dark sound with signature hip-hop samples and classic breaks, each record pushes its genre to a new level as Jumpshot continues to make waves throughout the industry.
Raised an avid listener of hip-hop music, Jumpshot began training in jazz & classical piano at the age of 5. His fascination with music continued through to his adolescent years, and he soon began writing short piano pieces. At age 11, he arranged his first track using his home computer, thus spawning his love for digital music production.
SUM : Hello mate , thanks for taking the time to talk with us, How’s been 2013 so far for your career?
Hey there. No problem, thanks for your interest in me! 2013 has been great; there are a lot of new ideas circulating and I’m glad to say that many of them are actually coming to fruition, which is very exciting.
SUM: Tell us how “Jumpshot” music life started? How would you define your style and who/what are your musical influences?
I’ve been involved with music in one way or another for most of my life. I began studying classical piano at age 5, followed by jazz piano. At age 11, I became interested in digital music production, and using a copy of Cakewalk Home Studio, I started making some basic hip-hop beats on my family’s home computer. I produced primarily hip-hop for a number of years from then on, until about 2009 when I was introduced to dubstep. At that point, my music began to take a turn toward a more electronic sound, experimenting with drum & bass, heavier dubstep, glitch hop, and naturally after having produced hip-hop for so long, trap.
SUM: Why do you think Trap music has become so popular?
The radio. And rap music. And the south. It’s easy – people like what’s familiar to them, and because of Southern American hip-hop, electronic music fans are already familiar with trap. Take away the lyrics, and there you have it.
SUM: How many hours a day do you see yourself doing your magic in your studio?
Not as many as I’d like to. With a demanding day job, I only get to work on music a few hours per night, if even that. This is not such a bad thing though, because I have a lot of time during the day to think about new concepts for records, new ideas for writing, whatever. When I finally have an opportunity to sit down and make those ideas come to life, I hit the ground running since there is already a plan for production in place.
SUM: What DAW you use to produce music?
I recently made the switch to Logic X. It’s wonderful, but I do plan on incorporating Ableton 9 into my workflow in the near future.
SUM: What music do see yourself never producing?
I have never thought about that, and it frustrates me to think about it. I don’t see myself ever producing a type of music that I’d have the mindset to say I’d never produce.. therefore, I’m open for anything!
SUM: So far what you think has been the highlight of your career?
I co-produced Rev Run’s (Run DMC)’s debut solo album, as well as Joe Budden’s debut album, both released on Def Jam. These were 2 of the first pieces of professional work I’ve done.
SUM: What are your top 5 tracks at the moment?
Hmmmmmm…… let’s see: Fuego by Koan Sound & Asa; Steely Dan – Only A Fool Would Say That; Zamboni by A-Track & Oliver; Rikki (Instrumental Mix) by Blende; & Destinations by Gesaffelstein. That’s just a few though, and in no particular order. There is a massive amount of amazing music that’s been coming out lately, so it’s very difficult to narrow my favorites down to five. Also you should know, Steely Dan holds a special place in my heart. It’s your favorite foreign movie!
SUM: What is your opinion about Straight Up! Music initiative ” Free or Pay”.
I love it. For fans, it gives people who can’t afford to spend money on music a place to still enjoy music and not feel left out. For artists, it’s more exposure. For piracy, it’s great, too. If the music is available for free, it will discourage pirates to upload it elsewhere – if it’s already available for free, there’s no need to steal it.
SUM: If you had the opportunity to collaborate with one artist of EDM, who would it be and why?
“EDM”.. ughh I don’t like that term. Anyway, I’m not really sure to be honest. My interest going forward is much less EDM and much more “organic”, whatever-the-hell-I-feel-like-making music (me & MING’s upcoming project “Abstract The Ism” is much more representative of what I’ll be creating going forward). I’d be much more interested in working with people like Flying Lotus or Gramatik.
SUM: What would be a piece of advice that has helped you in your career?
Figure out whether or not you’re actually called to be a musician. If you aren’t, all the gyrations in the world won’t make it work. If you are, no matter what you do it’s going to work. This determination will solve most of the problems you are going to encounter. Also, keep your art the main focus. It isn’t about you, it’s about your art. Your art comes before you. If your focus is your craft, waiting tables is no big deal because you are doing it to support your craft. If your main focus is yourself, you are not going to like waiting tables, since you’ll hold something like that in contempt.
5 Random questions
SUM: Have you ever had a proper Tarot reading?
Never, nor will I ever. Proper or improper.
SUM: Look to your right now, what is the first think you saw?
A pillow.
SUM: Do you suck or bite lollipops?
Bite.
SUM: Have you ever been attacked by a wild animal?
A yorkie, but she was domesticated. So no.
SUM: Are you a good aim with a rubber band?
I’m a regular Annie Oakley
SUM: Whats your favourite food beginning with the letter P?
Pussy. Come on, you asked for it.
