J Davey
Encyclopedia
J*DaVeY is a multi-genre duo from Los Angeles, CA
whose sound can be described as a combination of alternative hip hop
, alternative rock
, soul
, electronica
, fusion
, jazz
, punk
, funk
, new wave
and R&B futurists. The group was formed by female vocalist Briana Cartwright (who performs under the name Jack Davey) and male producer Brook D'LeauThe New York Times At the Intersection of Styles, Taking Some Songs for a Ride when they were introduced by a mutual friend in high school.
Brook D'Leau came up surrounded by new wave and pop-rock sounds by the way of Prince
, Radiohead
, Talking Heads
and The Police
. And at an early age Brook began to create interestingly melodic instrumental tracks in his father's home studio after school and on the weekends for fun.
Many have compared the duo's make-up/relationship of artist and producer to Kelis
and The Neptunes
' electronic funk
sound. Today the duo is being heralded as a cross between , Erykah Badu
, Prince
, Sa-Ra
and Radiohead
. J Davey has had music licensed for episodes of the television drama "CSI: NY
"" and the Snoop Dogg
film "Bossin' Up." J Davey's songs have been played on various radio stations in cities such as Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, and Atlanta, as well as overseas by way of Gilles Peterson
, Benji B, and Berry King. Questlove (The Roots
), Steven Spacek, and Prince
have seen the duo perform in sold-out venues such as the House of Blues
in Anaheim, CA and the Temple Bar in Santa Monica, CA. Prince invited them to open for him at his 3121 Club. and they also feature in the new the Bloody Beetroots album Romborama
with Make Me Blank.
The group recently signed a record deal with the rock division of Warner Bros. Records
. Currently J Davey is recording new songs with producer Greg Wells
for their Warner Bros. debut release. In the meantime, the group have independently released their first effort, "The Beauty in Distortion" as a double disc along with "The Land of the Lost", a full length pop-culture/American-media satire-filled limited edition project that was born from a mixtape collaboration with Fader Magazine.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
whose sound can be described as a combination of alternative hip hop
Alternative hip hop
Alternative hip hop is a sub-genre of hip hop music. Allmusic defines it as follows: -Origin:...
, alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
, fusion
Fusion (music)
A fusion genre is music that combines two or more styles. For example, rock and roll originally developed as a fusion of blues, gospel and country music. The main characteristics of fusion genres are variations in tempo, rhythm, i a sometimes the use of long musical "journeys" that can be divided...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
and R&B futurists. The group was formed by female vocalist Briana Cartwright (who performs under the name Jack Davey) and male producer Brook D'LeauThe New York Times At the Intersection of Styles, Taking Some Songs for a Ride when they were introduced by a mutual friend in high school.
Background
Growing up, Jack Davey was exposed to classic jazz and hints of late seventies jazz fusion before being introduced to the sound of the eighties with R&B and new hip-hop sounds. By the time she relocated to Los Angeles at the age of 8, she landed a spot in an all-girl singing group that signed to MCA Records. The group never released any material.Brook D'Leau came up surrounded by new wave and pop-rock sounds by the way of Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
, Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
and The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
. And at an early age Brook began to create interestingly melodic instrumental tracks in his father's home studio after school and on the weekends for fun.
Many have compared the duo's make-up/relationship of artist and producer to Kelis
Kelis
Kelis Rogers Kelis Rogers Kelis Rogers (born August 21, 1971 is an American musical artist. She is a BRIT Award, Q Award and NME Award winner and has been nominated for two Grammy Awards. She has had nine top 10 singles on the UK Singles Chart...
and The Neptunes
The Neptunes
The Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop, R&B and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s...
' electronic funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
sound. Today the duo is being heralded as a cross between , Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu
Erica Abi Wright , better known by her stage name Erykah Badu , is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Her work includes elements from R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical...
, Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, Sa-Ra
Sa-Ra
Sa-Ra is a hip-hop group based in Los Angeles, California, also known by its full name, The Sa-Ra Creative Partners. The group is composed of Om'Mas Keith, Taz Arnold, and Shafiq Husayn...
and Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
. J Davey has had music licensed for episodes of the television drama "CSI: NY
CSI: NY
CSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes...
"" and the Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
film "Bossin' Up." J Davey's songs have been played on various radio stations in cities such as Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, and Atlanta, as well as overseas by way of Gilles Peterson
Gilles Peterson
Gilles Peterson , is a DJ, record collector and record label owner from London, UK. Through his labels Acid Jazz, Talkin' Loud, and latterly Brownswood Recordings, he has been associated with the careers of well-known artists of the 1990s such as Erykah Badu, Roni Size and Jamiroquai...
, Benji B, and Berry King. Questlove (The Roots
The Roots
The Roots is an American hip hop/neo soul band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for beginning with a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which still includes live instrumentals...
), Steven Spacek, and Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
have seen the duo perform in sold-out venues such as the House of Blues
House of Blues
House of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers...
in Anaheim, CA and the Temple Bar in Santa Monica, CA. Prince invited them to open for him at his 3121 Club. and they also feature in the new the Bloody Beetroots album Romborama
Romborama
Romborama is the title of the debut studio album by Italian electronic duo The Bloody Beetroots. It was released on August 21, 2009. Some tracks are taken from earlier Bloody Beetroots releases, for example "Butter" can also be found on the Rombo EP....
with Make Me Blank.
The group recently signed a record deal with the rock division of Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
. Currently J Davey is recording new songs with producer Greg Wells
Greg Wells
Greg Wells is a multiple Grammy nominated musician, record producer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. Wells has produced and written hits with Adele, Weezer, Pink, Theophilus London, Deftones, Katy Perry, Rufus Wainwright, The All American Rejects, OneRepublic, Mika, Aerosmith, Burt Bacharach,...
for their Warner Bros. debut release. In the meantime, the group have independently released their first effort, "The Beauty in Distortion" as a double disc along with "The Land of the Lost", a full length pop-culture/American-media satire-filled limited edition project that was born from a mixtape collaboration with Fader Magazine.
Band members
- Brianna Cartwright, a.k.a. Jack Davey - Vocals/Songwriter
- Brook D'Leau - Producer
Albums
- The Beauty in Distortion/The Land of the Lost (July 1, 2008 Interdependent Media)
- New Designer Drug (2011 Warner Brothers)
EPs
- The Beauty in Distortion
- The Land of the Lost
- Boudoir Synema: The Great Mistapes (part 1)
- Evil Christian Cop: The Great Mistapes (part 2)