![]() | | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
With
over ten years of experience navigating the twisted paths of the music
industry, Jamie Myerson has built up a body of work that reflects an amazing
amount of versatility and depth. As a remixer, he's been responsible for
an array of chart-topping singles for the likes of Duncan Sheik, Dido
and Jewel. As a producer, he's steered projects for Jan Johnston, Karen
Lehner and AM. And as a recording artist, his numerous albums and singles
have showcased an unprecedented ability to defy the conventions of genre
and shatter stylistic boundaries. From breakthrough dance tracks to the
delicate acoustics of the singer/songwriter movement, Jamie has refused
to let his music become complacent.
Nowhere is this duality more apparent than on Jamie's current releases,
travelling the landscape between love and loss, exploring dusty
back roads where lush guitars merge with cutting-edge electronics.
Jamie's musical career has, in many
ways, come full circle. As a teenager in the New Jersey suburbs, Jamie
played drums in a succession of local bands, but found himself gravitating
to electronics as a form of experimentation with his live playing. Influenced
by the hardcore rhythms of the emerging drum & bass scene and the
lushness of bands like Depeche Mode, Jamie soon found himself selling
his drum set for a sampler and keyboards. The gamble soon paid off as
Jamie signed a succession of tracks to the UK's influential Reinforced
Records, becoming the first American drum & bass producer to record
for a British label. His early output on Reinforced was soon joined by
releases on Quayside, Belgium's Crammed Discs and NYC's Sm:)e Communications.
His ability to steer clear of trends, coupled with an emotional pastiche
of strings, breakbeats and keyboards, won him praise from thousands of
fans and positive reviews in highly-regarded magazines like the UK's Melody
Maker and Mixmag.
Jamie's next move was even more ambitious. Not content to be pigeonholed
as a drum & bass producer, he channeled his energies into The Listen
Project—his first full-length album. Released by Ovum/Columbia Records/Sony
Music in 1998, the album was a bold departure from Jamie's earlier work.
Encompassing elements of house, drum & bass, synthpop and his first
attempt at traditional songwriting, The Listen Project was a bold showcase
of Jamie's musical palate. Singles from the album soon found their way
into the playlists of Paul Oakenfold and other top djs.
Following on the heels of The Listen Project, Jamie's work as a remixer
and producer was gaining attention from a worldwide audience. With remixes
for Sneaker Pimps, Lords of Acid, Miles Davis, Phillipe Saisse and many
others on his resume, Jamie soon directed his energies toward producing
and co-writing trance diva Jan Johnston's "Emerging" LP on Perfecto/Mushroom
UK. This collaboration also yielded a track ("Unafraid") on
the Oakenfold-compiled soundtrack for the movie "Swordfish".
If that wasn't enough, Jamie also found time to quietly release the full-length
album "Lift Me Up" under the pseudonym of Sky City. While the
album looked back on Jamie's drum & bass roots, the incorporation
of live instrumentation and intricate programming would help pave the
way toward a very different era in the Jamie Myerson portfolio.
With demand for his talents increasing, Jamie decided in 2000 to relocate
to Los Angeles, a decision that would have a profound impact on his music.
While he still payed his bills with production and remix work, his own
songs were quickly evolving from his dance music roots toward a more traditional
singer/songwriter approach. While working with songwriter David Poe, Jamie
was introduced to Gary Jules (of Donnie Darko/"Mad World" fame),
who encouraged Jamie to get involved with Hollywood's up-and-coming Hotel
Cafe venue. Armed with an acoustic guitar instead of a bank of synthesizers
and drum machines, Jamie's talent for clever lyrics and smart arrangements
soon generated a whole new group of fans.
It was also during this period when Jamie's remix work would climb to
the next level. His remix of Duncan Sheik's "On A High" reached
the coveted #1 rank on Billboard's dance charts, and the two singles he
remixed for Karen Lehner ("Made to Order" and "Nothing
Personal") both cracked the top five on the UK's Record Mirror dance
chart. High-profile remixes for Jewel ("Intuition") and Dido
("Life For Rent") soon followed. In addition, Jamie was also
tapped to provide programming skills and help demo tracks for Elton John,
Anastasia and Johnny Reznick of the Goo Goo Dolls. And if that weren't
enough, Jamie also found the time to release a second Sky City album entitled
"Going....Gone". Inspired by the cross-country drive that brought
him to Los Angeles, it was an eclectic blend of moody synths and guitars
that showed off Jamie's ability to swing between the dancefloor and the
stars.
Even with such accomplishments, Jamie still wasn't content to tread water
and relive old glories. In a surprising move, he decided in 2003 to leave
Los Angeles and return to New Jersey. While some questioned the reasoning
behind such a decision, the picture came into sharp focus when Jamie unveiled
his latest projects—Blackwood
Recording, his clean-sheet studio; and 42 North, his new record label.
Jamie has indeed come full-circle. While building on a decade of experience and influences,
the music is not not beholden to them; Jamie's ability to blend electronic
and acoustic instruments with heartfelt songwriting indicate that his
greatest achievements are yet to come.
—P.R. Pointe