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Artist of The Month
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| Jay Prouty |
| Written by IS Team | |
| Friday, 02 May 2008 | |
 Recent years have seen the dance industry flash flooding with aspiring DJs, though few of these up-and-comers can do much to distinguish themselves from the growing pack. Formulaic, boxed-in styles and uninteresting selection tactics intermingled with mediocre deck skills do little to tantalize the palette of clubgoers, booking agencies or deck experts searching for proteges. However, there are certainly a few who are making waves in their respective cities and scenes. One of these newcomers is Boston-based Jay Prouty, known to the northeast’s most clued-in night owls as DJ JayP. With the help of his promotion crew Cassiamor, Jay has managed to climb his way to the top of the Boston scene, DJing alongside some of the world’s most renowned names and producing events at the city’s most celebrated venues. Born in Kentucky in 1978 to a military family, Jay moved around often, spending most of his formative years in Texas and Virginia, as well as overseas in Germany. Circa 1998, during his second year at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Jay attended his first Phish show. ''I was amazed at the culture and how the music was the focal point of the experience,'' he recalls. ''I was amazed at how much the show was like a huge dance party''. It was around this time that Jay was first exposed to dance music through the early sounds of Sasha and John Digweed. ''It was something completely new and fresh and I was immediately drawn to it,'' he says. Courtesy of local house hero Craig Mitchell (a.k.a. oLIVER tWISTED), the city was cultivating a bourgeoning dance scene during Jay’s college days and he began attending events in Burlington and throughout New England. He explored various genres and discovered DJs ranging from New York’s legendary Junior Vasquez to Philly hero and Ovum founder Josh Wink, though it was Mitchell who had the greatest influence on his musical tastes. ''His energy and creativity greatly opened my mind,'' says Jay. In 2000, Jay relocated to Atlanta and discovered an emerging underground music scene. He was influenced by such varied artists as David Alvarado, Lee Burridge, Deep Dish, Mark Grant, Jay Hannan, Sander Kleinenberg, Miguel Migs, Saeed and Palash, Ben Watt and Marques Wyatt. ''In Atlanta, I experienced the fusion of deep, soulful house and a techier, more progressive sound,'' Jay says. He found inspiration in this diversity, which, to this day, is the foundation of his style as a DJ. ''Deep house seems to be the basis of all genres for me, with progressive and tech house as its major offshoots,'' notes Jay. ''All three genres are of equal value to me and all three contribute to a great house set; deep house at one end of the spectrum and progressive at the other.'' In Atlanta, Jay began to pursue his DJing career, playing one-offs and warehouse events. ''Being behind the decks allows me to express my individuality, as well as move, excite and educate people at the same time,'' he says. ''For me, DJing is the desire to spread music to the people and help them lose themselves for a few hours.'' Jay relocated to Boston in 2002 and since then, he hasn’t looked back. 2003 was a huge year for the Cassiamor crew with Jay holding down the monthly House Arrest at Pravda 116, one of the city’s largest and most upscale venues. There, he would man the decks for four hours, allowing time to showcase his range of deep, jazzy and soulful house to driving and techy progressive. Throughout the summer of 2003, Cassiamor hosted Bloody Sunday and with his soundtrack of downtempo grooves, Jay nursed the hangovers of many party-goers. Summer 2003 also saw the launch of his successful Wednesday night weekly at News Lounge. He continues to take it deep each week at News, proving that Boston is thirsting for more than just the commercial thump-thump of automobile advertisements. Meanwhile, Jay carries on rocking crowds in and around the city, playing various parties at Avalon, Embassy, ID, Level, Vertigo Lounge and Whiskey Park, where Cassiamor threw its VIP New Year’s Eve bash. These events and Jay’s rise to local turntable stardom have caused a serious buzz in the nightlife scene. Boston’s local Stuff@Nite wasn’t the only publication to take notice; even The Boston Globe singled him out as one of the city’s top talents. Also taking notice was Dave Ralph, one of the UK’s most renowned exports, who personally commissioned Jay to man the decks at the re-opening of Square One at Boston’s chic ID/Axis. Jay’s relationship with Ralph continues to blossom, and has led to a string of opening slots at one of the world’s biggest and best club nights, Avaland, DJing alongside such superstars as Jimmy Van M, DJ Rap, Tall Paul and Dave Ralph himself. In such a fickle industry as dance music, success can travel down many avenues. Some people simply get lucky being in the right place at the right time. For Jay Prouty, his rise to the pinnacle of the Boston scene has been quick, though nothing less than deserving. In a city ripe with genre-locked DJs, JayP provides the alternative in sonic journeys, exposing club goers to an array of the deepest west coast grooves to edgy, techy European house to driving, progressive beats from a spectrum of the most innovative producers. Anxious to be the brains behind the gems he goes digging for, Jay will soon enter the studio and attempt to pursue music full time. Words by Carly Miller |
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