The Definition of Jak – The Definition of Hope is a perfect introduction into the dark and sepulchral world of Jak, taking the listener by the hand and introducing them to some of the paranoid horrors and machine wonders of this sound.
[Purchase] House is a pretty hard genre of music to get your head around; it has certain characteristics. Arguably vintage drum machine sounds, bass, maybe an acid line. Some go for vocals, some samples, others nothing. But over the years these supposed characteristics have bleed into one another making house a murky definition. House as a term was hijacked from the 90s. It became a painted whore of radio DJ’s and pundits trying to attach a club association to anything. Other forms of house managed to escape this commercialisation, deep house and some acid sounds. But, despite this ravaging of the term house, many artists were still inspired by the early gritty sounds of Chicago, Detroit and New York. Now house is returning. Classic house in the form of Adonis, Jamie Principle, Ron Hardy, Gene Hunt, Larry Heard and a host of others is being reissued and having a second coming. Alongside this revival is a new breed of house, the idea of Jak. House music, including some of the artists mentioned above, loved to talk about “jacking;” dancing and getting into the mechanical house groove. This notion has come full circle and the modern house sound of Jak has developed and grown. Jak, as a sound, embraces the darker sounds of house. Industrial elements are common, as is acidic squalor, but the overarching mood is a sinister club feel. It is a sound of varied (usually fast) machine beats, sometimes soulful but often dripping with a derelict visage. Crème Organization devoted a sublabel to it. Spectral, Ghostly’s sublabel, helped to pioneer the sound. Nation, Traxx’s label, has trail-blazed this take on house from the start. It is from these roots of Jak that Switzerland’s Lux Rec comes with a three tracker 12” compilation: The Definition of Jak – The Definition of Hope.
For their latest Lux have called on three of the heavy hitters of the Jak movement; Traxx, James T Cotton and D’Marc Cantu. Up first is the squabbling acrid twists and jerks of Traxx with “Pzykotic House Track.” Melvin Oliphant III, runner of Nation or Nation of Jak as it’s sometimes known, is infamous for his outspokenness and his DJ skills. “Pzykotic House Track” lives up to its title, leading the listener into a warped and sinister asylum. Traxx dismembers and disfigures, reassembling to produce an evil and unnerving frankenfloor sound. D’Marc Cantu is the island of respite on the 12”. “10x As Strong ” has the sharp and cutting beats of Jak, but the backdrop is a meandering work of analogue murmurings. The track helps balance the degradation of Traxx. Next Mr Cotton appears under his J.T.C. moniker brandishing “Recall.” Beats are laden over one another whilst 303lines rumble. The track shows the right amount of muscle without flexing into all out assault, a measured piece of club jak.
The subtitle of this 12” is curious. Not many people would see Jak as the “definition of hope”, but there is a something to it. True, some jak sounds are too much; distortion, clatter and aggression. Yet, some Jak is really excellent stuff. More and more DJ’s are adopting it into their style, Mick Wills for one and Intergalactic Gary is developing a penchant for it. The Definition of Jak – The Definition of Hope is a perfect introduction into the dark and sepulchral world of Jak, taking the listener by the hand and introducing them to some of the paranoid horrors and machine wonders of this sound. For the experienced jakker this 12” brings together three of the most able masters of the sound, some of the founders of Jak. A solid addition to the Lux Rec catalogue.
The Definition of Jak – The Definition of Hope is out now on Lux Rec. [Purchase]
The Definition of Jak, the Definition of Hope by LUX REC
