It was musical kismet that only decorates our live's soundtracks once every few decades; two American producers meeting in Valencia during their studies at Berklee and conspiring together to reign over the dominion of new-age electro dance-pop.
It's a destiny that combines the creative hunches of Jason Faust—the L.A. based notoriety and Wyldephyre, the Wilmington, North Carolina-hailing electronic producer—together into a tangible and infatuating encapsulation of the Caribbean and Dutch influences found in Sint Maarten, with an American hip-hop glow that permeates throughout our head-spaces over their latest collaboration title, "Elevate Me."
"Elevate Me," Jason Faust and Wyldephyre reach out into the expansive artistic worlds of Europe and the America's, unearthing two gifted features who refine the textures of this track with timeless propensity.
On one end, Chanti, an enamoring pop intoner from Saint Maarten, now based in The Netherlands, and—Ashton Martin—an Atlanta-based Hip-hop rhymester. It's a sonic endeavor that draws reminiscent to the low-end buoyancy found in Kaytranada's music as it's tastefully saturated drones evoke dance-inducing energy from below. There is a piano that vacillates over oscillating filters, which sound like muted incantations from a super-sliced vintage grande. The measure here is visceral, featuring a four to the floor boot which renders punchy as all hell, mustering up a need to shuffle the rubber off our soles forgoing all our cares in this world, as our ankles sway from side-to-side.
Chanti's top-line dis-arms as her expressive voice's cherubic nature envelops our foresight for a rooted moment and transports us into the same prismatic room she's singing from. Before we have a moment to recollect our focus, our electro-curators chaperone us into the highlighting verse that Ashton Martin festoons with his Atlanta-defined lyrical flow. He shoots every shot with an Emcee-like cantor, and as each syllable fires from his lips, an imparted uplifting anecdote follows behind, detailing the slice of hope he endows unto us from the vestiges of his past; inevitably leading him to the success of the present.
As this dance evoking single simmers over its final oscillating filters, there's one thing left to ask. Who will Jason Faust and Wyldephyre collaborate with next?
Hello Jason and a warm welcome to BuzzMusic. How did you go about writing this track? Did the sonic journey begin with a few hooking lyrics? A melodious top-line?
We began writing this song with the intention of making a dance track, listening to inspiration like KAYTRANADA, and others. It started with a catchy piano melody that you hear at the intro and repeating throughout the song, which represents the excitement of a new life journey, which for me was moving to Los Angeles to become a music producer. Wyldephyre produced a house-inspired bass line, tight four on the floor drums, and vibrant synths to layer over top. We then had a chill, yet energetic vibe for the featured vocalists to add their finishing touches to polish the track off.
What was the dynamic like between the four of you collaborating together? Was this a remote project, or were there times you all congregated over the same studio desk, buzzing over your individual creative impulses?
Our dynamic was electric from the moment we all met. At the start of creating the song, we all had recently met in Spain and The Netherlands at various music conferences. The production of the track started off in a Spanish studio. The foundation of the track between Wyldephyre and myself really only took about an hour to lay out. From that seamless inspiration, we knew all we needed was to find the right vocalists to create something special. Shortly after meeting Chanti and Ashton, we decided to collaborate on it further and continued working remotely in our home locations. Ashton Martin, the rapper, and I even reunited back in Florida to record his rap verse on the track. From two continents and 3 US states, we were able to bring ‘Elevate Me’ to life.
At what point did you know "Elevate Me” was going to be an electro-banger? Was it merely the talent behind your collaborators and their highlight sections on this track? Or the unison of four individual minds working together as one to curate the trajectory of this Single's flow?
The moment Wyldephyre and I heard Chanti’s lyrics and Caribbean-inspired vocal melodies over our production, we knew we had an electro-banger on our hands. It was most definitely the equal contribution of all four creative individuals that shaped the energy of the song, especially all coming from very different cultural backgrounds.
The moment Wyldephyre and I heard Chanti’s lyrics and Caribbean-inspired vocal melodies over our production, we knew we had an electro-banger on our hands. It was most definitely the equal contribution of all four creative individuals that shaped the energy of the song, especially all coming from very different cultural backgrounds.
How do you end up fueling your creative intuitions when inspiration runs dry, and a writer's block is imminent? Or has this never been the case in your sonic adventures?
In times of resistance or blockages when writing music, it’s always best to not force it. Taking some time away from the instrument or computer and then coming back with a fresh head can really help in balancing the creative flow. We always find it fascinating when musical ideas just flow right out when keeping an open mind. Listening to great songs with a similar vibe to the song one is writing is also a great way to get creative juices flowing again.
If you were to give your audience a few words about this track and what it means to you as producers, what would say, and what sentiments would you endeavor to convey to them about this audible experience?
‘Elevate Me’ is about starting from the beginning of one’s journey with nothing and building a valuable life for oneself. It is about leaving the nest and support system of the family for the first time with not much money, connections, or work and taking a huge leap into unfamiliar territory in order to grow and adapt to a challenging, yet thriving environment. The music industry is a fierce one and takes much perseverance to succeed and elevate one’s soul to a place of great joy.