5Qs

dirtybird newcomer Justin Jay reps SoCal with smooth vibes

By Michelle Kuppersmith

As the newest and youngest member of the dirtybird crew, 20-year-old Justin Jay proudly reps his SoCal roots, bringing LA’s laid-back vibes into perfect harmony with dirtybird’s trademark groovy funk. After winning a DJ Mag competition at the tender age of 18, Jay released his first track ever on dirtybird in 2010, and in the past three years his stature has only grown. Now, with his Static EP burning up the deep-house charts, we checked in with him to talk NorCal/SoCal beef and having two Justins on one label.

Interview

Breach on making "Jack": "I went back to the vocal and wrote the tune in about four hours"

By Brittany Gaston

If you happened to attend the dirtybird Players BBQ during this year’s Winter Music Conference in Miami, you were likely treated to Breach’s “Jack” during a very special B2B set with label bosses Claude Vonstroke and Justin Martin. After the second I want your body/Everybody wants your body /So let’s jack line, everyone, myself included, was shouting the lyrics and acting them out—in a rather suggestive manner. And when Laidback Luke played it during his set at Ultra Music Festival, the song became the unofficial anthem for the music week.

Whether it’s the memorable bassline, or the even more memorable lyric, “Jack,” which made its way into our Top 10 just days after its release, is just one of those tracks that has “instant classic” stamped all over it. We caught up with the Brit behind the song, Ben Westbeech (aka Breach), who is currently posted up in the Netherlands, to talk about making hits, studio tricks, and the dream that inspired the infamous “Jack.”

Track of the Day

Justin Martin and Eats Everything get dirtier with "Harpy"

By Lauren Salm

Justin Martin and Eats Everything have been making a splash on Dirtybird label for a while now, but last year’s successful solo releases, BBC Radio 1 Essential mixes, and non-stop touring schedules accompanied by a summer residency in Ibiza have just further cemented their—and their label’s—place amongst dance music’s finest.

Must Hear 2012

Beatport News pick its Top Albums of 2012

By Beatport News Editors

The News staff was overwhelmed by amazing releases of all shapes and sizes this year, but we couldn’t be more pleased to bring you 10 must-hear long-players from the past 12 months. Whether it was abstract house offshoots, soulful debuts, skittery rhythms, or looks back at a bygone era, there was much awesomeness to digest. So without further ado, let us present to you our favorites for 2012.

Must Hear 2012

Beatport News' 10 must-hear tracks and remixes of the year

By Beatport News Editors

2012 offered up way too many gems to possibly assemble an objective list of the year’s best tracks or remixes—it seemed like every day we had a new favorite or a new #1 tugging for our attention. But with that said, at the end of the year, some tracks just wouldn’t back down, keeping us hyped right on through December. So, without further ado, we offer you 10 Must-Hear Tracks and Remixes, as chosen by the staff of Beatport News.

Beatport News

Grab the Top Albums of the Year for $6.99

By Beatport News Editors

2012 has yielded an incredible amount of top-shelf albums from the electronic music world, and we’re happy to offer them to you for $6.99 for the next two days only. In addition, we’re offering select top compilations from 2012 for half off, including huge releases from Toolroom, Musical Freedom, Get Physical, Defected, Drumcode, and more.

Track of the Day

Eats Everything toughens up Justin Martin's "Ruff Stuff"

By Michelle Kuppersmith

If the Ruff Ryders ever decided to resurrect their eponymous entertainment faction with house producers as members, Eats Everything and Justin Martin would certainly be amongst those to be first on their invite list. Eats is what one might call a bassaholic and his rework of Martin’s 123-BPM techy bomb “Ruff Stuff” shows he’s deserving of high-profile accolades from the likes of Pete Tong.

Justin Martin talks about sampling, San Francisco, Burning Man, and life with the Dirtybird crew

By Joshua Glazer

Few labels have done more to put the fun back into house music in the past few years than San Francisco-based Dirtybird. With a core cast of characters, including Claude VonStroke, Worthy, brothers Justin and Christian Martin, and J.Phlip, what started as an outdoor party in Golden Gate Park has become a mainstay on the global dance music circuit.

Although the label has produced over 75 releases since its launch in 2005, only VonStroke has released a full-length album, until now. Ghettos & Gardens is Justin Martin‘s debut long-player, chocked full of unpredictable beats and bass. Beatportal asked the DJ/producer to explain the connection between his latest work and how it fits with the sound of his SF crew.

Justin Martin prepares debut album on Dirtybird

By Joshua Glazer

After label head Claude VonStroke, the name and face most connected with Dirtybird has got to be that of Justin Martin, the San Francisco DJ-producer who has been down with DB since the early days, and who released the label’s first non-CVS production, the still essential “Cicada,” back in 2005. So it’s hardly surprising that when Martin decided he was finally ready to release his first proper album, Dirtybird was going to get its talons on it.

Justin Martin & Ardalan: LEZGO

By beatport mike

Clearly inspiried by a nostalgia for ’80s and ’90s video games, dirtybird has come up with a highly entertaining video for “LEZGO,” the latest single from label stalwart Justin Martin and up-and-coming bass rocker Ardalan.

“LEZGO” is a fresh blend between the stuttered sample frenzy of Detroit juke tracks and the bottom-heavy Bristol bass music scene, with a quirky, playful house sound to tie the two genre worlds together. Per usual, San Fran’s unstoppable dirtybird provides equal measures playfulness and booty-shaking beats, with “LEZGO” resulting in another smash-hit track geared for prime-time party play.

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