Jacob Colon has been raising the bar with his impressive signature blend of the Tech House, Latin and Afro House genres. The New York-based DJ and Producer has released several powerful tracks that display his highly energetic and groovy style that captivate listeners across the globe. In this exclusive interview, the talented Producer takes us on a journey behind his release, ‘With Me’, sharing an insider’s look into his creative and technical process; Jacob Colon’s fresh and exciting Tech House track was released last month via his label Made To Move Records and is poised to mark new milestones for this innovative, skilled Producer, here’s a behind-the-scenes look at its production process.
Hi Jacob, how are you?
I’m doing very well and excited about the past few releases I’ve been putting out: the feedback has been great.
With Me’ is finally out now. What was the main inspiration behind creating this track?
I would say the inspiration came in peaks. This wasn’t one of those that came to me instantly, but I’m glad I was able to come back to it a couple of times to finish.
Can you walk us through your creative process when producing this song?
I created the drums first and came back to it to create some melody ideas after I heard a nice riff from a violin in a Hip-Hop track. From there I went back and forth with a couple of vocal samples then continued with sound effects.
Were there any specific challenges you encountered while producing ‘With Me’? How did you overcome them?
Yeah, I had writer’s blocks a couple of times, as we all do, but nothing too overwhelming; sometimes you end up deleting the entire project, but I didn’t go that far with this!
Can you tell us about any unique production techniques or sound design elements that you used in this track?
I’ve been trying different types of distortions on my bass lately.
How did you approach incorporating the mysterious and enigmatic vibe into the composition?
I’ve been playing out melodies with a standard piano to start and changing them later once I’ve added a couple of counter melodies and some effects. I personally like that mysterious type of sound: I like the vibe as I feel nobody has really explored that side of sounds much in Dance music. Plus, I get a lot of inspiration from Hip-Hop and sometimes even Drill/Trap beats.
What role did vocals play in shaping the overall atmosphere of ‘With Me’? How did you process and manipulate them to fit the track?
It was a process of elimination. Usually when you shape melodies around a vocal the song gels together very easily. For this track though, I pretty much had most of the melodies done so it was a lot of trial and error to find the correct vocals that fit.
Were there any particular synth lines or melodies that you feel are standout moments in the track? Can you share more about how you created them?
Not much on the melodies but, I like the breakdown of the track – it gets really vibey.
How did you strike a balance between the groovy beat and the growling bass in ‘With Me’? What was your approach to achieving a cohesive and powerful sound?
Drums and bass are my thing. It’s been a focal point in my productions that I try to make my own and distinctive. Even at this stage, I’m always exploring new techniques to improve it.
What sets ‘With Me’ apart from your previous releases in terms of production style and sonic exploration?
I think my production style has been consistent but sonically I’ve been exploring different genres to create a distinctive type of sound.
What do you hope listeners will take away from ‘With Me’ when they hear it?
A positive reaction.
Jacob Colon is fast becoming a force to be reckoned with, his exploration across genres distinguishes his sound from his peers within the Electronic Music realm and places his name high on the list of Producers to follow. In this interview, we delved into the creative production process of ‘With Me’. As we close this interview, we thank him for his time and eagerly await to hear more from this talented Producer soon.
Listen and buy ‘With Me’ Now
https://www.beatport.com/release/with-me/4173619
Jacob Colon Online
