Trip Jacker Update - July 2020
Updated: May 28, 2022
Hey everyone! It's been a while since I posted to my blog. Now seems to be as good a time as any.
2020 has certainly been an interesting year for all of us, to say the least. It's also been an interesting and very busy time for me as an artist. I didn't plan this in advance, but 2020 has shaped up to be the year of the collaboration. I've been working with several other artists since the start of the year. Up until now, I've only worked on my music by myself.
The first collaborative project I worked on was a remix of Sunrise on Mars, a beautiful, melodic song by Italian artist Skeeboo. Skeeboo and I know each other through EMA (Electronic Music Alliance), the global artists' collective we both belong to. I proudly call EMA my musical home.
I had never done a remix before and I wasn't even sure where to start. Skeeboo sent me the stems (i.e. the individual parts and instruments from the song) and I imported them into my DAW (digital audio workstation). It didn't take long for me to come up with some new ideas for the song. I wanted to both preserve the vibe of his original song and add my own sound to it. We were both happy with the results and may work together again in the future. Here's a link to the remix on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/track/2YgHBPBpwDzfOxC4p236l8?si=gDE4PEgtR0KV0biQfaDrzA
From there, the floodgates opened up. I worked on new music and remixes with several artists I respect and admire. I teamed up with Simon Irvine, TRiP, Skyline Tigers, Bufinjer and Stick Up Boys to create new music. I also did a remix of a Skyline Tigers song (more of a complete rework than a remix) and Eon Lake remixed one of my songs. All of this music was released on Electronic Alliance Records, the label that is run by EMA, with the exception of my collaboration with Simon. At this time, that one is exclusively available on SoundCloud. I just finished another song with Stick Up Boys but we are pursuing commercial opportunities (TV shows, films, advertising, etc) before we decide whether to release it. Eon Lake and I are also actively working on a new project called Eon Trip, and I am discussing possible projects with three other artists. Here are links to the collaborations that have been released:
The Race - new song with Simon Irvine
https://soundcloud.com/stuffamebobs/the-race-by-simon-irvine-and-trip-jacker-remastered
Double Tap - new song with TRiP
https://open.spotify.com/album/58zXlEYXOupXAS7c6xmADh?si=nQH_3LeFShekogQwDAgYTQ
Denial (Reimagined) - my remix of a song by Skyline Tigers
https://open.spotify.com/album/1N0SeN8ofI0wUunnv9TFDj?si=14-okrRlQMO6Jcjy26XsgA
Bring Down the House - new song with Bufinjer and Skyline Tigers
https://open.spotify.com/album/4juZMUIZGwBbiu6SIFp0xR?si=MkQiKPd1Tt2nghHd5zx-9g
No Return - Eon Lake's epic remix of my song
https://open.spotify.com/album/5IbmlH4ApwedBHoF5rzm9Y?si=F5w-9fMjT_elZHyrAHogsw
Don't Be Shy - new song with Stick Up Boys
https://open.spotify.com/album/5pYYRXF07cJLX1Snmzdhv7?si=Mc5_8Kd4Qkyt4aSgpOArjg
I've also released a few new solo songs and I have a dozen more finished and ready to release. I will need to do some planning to get the releases scheduled. I want to be judicious and not flood the market with new music. Here are links to the solo songs I've released this year:
Headspace
https://open.spotify.com/track/38O6RTLGTdYOLLOObxHwxu?si=dZMUHb4USX6-PRJO2apBUA
No Return
https://open.spotify.com/track/6UIHQw45rFImzYYjeuj3Q9?si=jbZDHCMUQYq-cdZaoXN5jg
Escape My Algorithm
https://open.spotify.com/track/734ipGPRu9gpboGqVLQkBH?si=hO5_QLp3Sa6XyctuttsClA
I am also releasing a song called Zero Base as part of EMA's Future Sounds Anthology Volume 3 album. That should be available within the next week or so.
My other big news (and probably my biggest news) is a new electronic hip hop album called 11:11 Invasion. The album is being released everywhere on July 11th. I had a vision to team up independent electronic music producers with independent hip hop artists to work on music together. I wanted to create an electronic music version of the Judgement Night soundtrack, which fused hard rock bands with hip hop artists.
Part of my goal was to push everyone out of their comfort zones. Many of us did not know the artists we were paired with, and we were making music outside of our usual respective genres (most of the producers hadn't worked on hip hop before and the rappers hadn't been involved with electronic music). I was matched up with Sketch tha Cataclysm, an incredibly talented, versatile rapper from Connecticut. I happen to be a long-time fan of his, so it was both exciting and nerve-wracking to work with him. Fortunately, we were both really happy with the song we made!
It was easy to find the producers, as there are well over 100 of us in EMA. We brought skilled rappers into the project and altogether there are 20 artists on the album. This is truly a global endeavor, as we represent several countries around the world. It wasn't easy to complete the album as some artists dropped out, the release was delayed by COVID and all of us are busy working on other projects (and balancing day jobs, families and real life). It took a lot of effort but we all pulled together and created an absolute gem! I'm really proud of everyone involved and proud of the work we created. I'm excited to release it so you can hear it. I will probably write a separate blog post dedicated solely to 11:11 Invasion. For now, here's a teaser video.
On top of all this, I've been getting a lot of radio play around the world. My music has been played in several countries including Canada, Germany, UK, Italy and many others. It's gratifying as an independent artist to get airplay. My music has also been featured on a music site in Australia and reviewed by another Australian music site, and I was featured in an interview with a UK-based music blog. I've also been added to numerous playlists, including over 125 playlists on Spotify. I really appreciate the DJs, music bloggers and reviewers, radio hosts and playlist curators out there who support independent music!
Be sure to follow me on social media so you stay up to date. There's clearly a lot going on and things are happening really fast. Stay safe and thanks for reading!