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: Jay King

: In the times of Club Nouveau

: Band Photo

JAY KING THE PHANTOM OF THE BEAT

Born: January 27. 1962
Real Name: Jay King
Artist Name: Frost, Sorcery, Phantoms of the Beat, Active Boys, Timex Social Club, Club Nouveau

In 1984 Jay King moved from Alaska to Los Angeles. One year later he released his first record called Frost "Battle Beat" on the Triangel label, followed by the song "Woo Baby". The productions "The Freak" and "Earthshake" on the same label were only done as Test- pressings. 1986 he released several songs on his own label Jay Records like Active Boys
"Hey Jo D.J." and the well known song Timex Social Club "Rumors". With the sucess of this record Jay King changed his music style from Electro Rap to more dance orientated songs.

1986 he founded "Club Nouveau", perhaps one of the most distinctive distinctive and original groups to influence the contemporary music scene. Since their formation the group has sold over ten million records, toured worldwide, charted 11 Billboard hit singles and garnered numerous awards and prestigious nominations. The release of their new project, The Collection Vol. 1, chronicles not only the many successes of Club Nouveau, but also rouses our unconscious as the magic of their music once again hits home to our very hearts.Singer/songwriter/arranger, Valerie Watson and producer/writer/singer and entrepreneur, Jay King formed Club Nouveau.

It was King who created a new chapter in musical history when he independently produced, pressed, marketed and promoted the million selling smash Rumors by the Timex Social Club, turning it into the biggest selling 12 inch single in history. The Timex Social Club parted ways, but King remained undaunted. He went on to pull together a collection of talented local musicians and formed his own band. Club Nouveau was born!

Their debut album, Life, Love & Pain, was a certified phenomenon, beginning with the single, Jealousy, which raced into the Top Ten in ten short weeks. It was followed by Situation #9 which shot to the Top Five in even lass time. Lighting struck a third time when the young ensemble recorded their updated version of the Bill Withers classic Lean On Me, and found themselves with the hottest Pop/R&B/Dance crossover hit of that year!

Lean On Me not only dominated the charts at #1 for five consecutive weeks, it was also named Song Of The Year in the 1987 Grammy Awards. In addition, Club Nouveau was nominated in the Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo Or Group category and landed a pair of American Music Award nominations and two NARM nomination for the million-selling album project, Life, Love & Pain. BAM Magazine named Jay King one of the 100 most influential people in the music business and he was one of the Top Black Single Publishers honored by Billboard that year.

Considering the fact that Club Nouveau was in the infancy of their careers, it becomes quite apparent as to the legacy that was quickly evolving. Not one to rest on laurels however, the group went on to release a second album, Listen To The Message, which revealed music with more of a social-political theme. Listen To The Message spawned the singles Its A Cold Cold World, which went to #25 on the R&B charts, Envious which landed at #76 and Francis, a Club Nouveau fan favorite. Fans were pleasantly surprised as the press made comparisons to the likes of Tracy Chapman and Terence Trent DArby.

Club Nouveau toured worldwide, returning to their third album project on the Warner Bros. Records label, Under A Nouveau Groove. No Friend Of Mine from the album went to #12 on the R&B charts. The legacy continued with the release of A New Beginning, which saw the remake of Oh Happy Day go to #40 on the R&B charts, and the album Everything Is Black, which charted the single Let It Go at #101, both on the groups own JVK Records imprint. The Collection Vol. 1 covers the tapestry of work from the various albums from Club Nouveau. Joined by newcomer Walter Phillips, Valerie Watson and Jay King offer a mixture of twelve tracks, including the #1 single Rumors as well as hits like the 1987 Lean On Me and the 1992 sleeper I Like Your Way from A New Beginning.

Brand new songs included on the project are Keep Using Me, What Kind Of Love (Secret Rendezvous), and Why You Wanna (Make Me Cry) possess that unique Club Nouveau flavor that make their tunes so indelible in the brain and heart. Club Nouveau is not just a group, expresses Jay King. Our music marks an era and still boasts a one-on one, very intimate relationship with the hearts of millions. Club Nouveau is an energy field that just keeps evolving! Passion, depth, and warmth...the music of Club Nouveau reigns on.

Can you give us a short timetable of your music live from the beginning to now ?
I started in the music business in 1985 my first single was the Battle Beat with the group "Frost" we were from Alaska and moved down to Cali to pursue our careers in music. I am now still writing/performing and producing with Club Nouveau, but I also consult people who want to start their own independent record companies.

Which music (Artists/Style) you have been influenced by ?
I have been influenced by many, but the names that come to mind are ConFunkShun, Marvin Gaye, Earth, Wind & fire, The Beatles, Kraftwerk and all Bossa Nova Music...

We know that your first songs was released under a sublabel from Macola called Triangle. If our informations are right was Macola the only change back in the days to get a own record release for a small amount of money. Can you describe how this works ?
Macola was the only independent distributor at that time who would give small labels like ours a chance to release our music to the public. the way it worked was like this: we would bring a mastered 12" lacquer to Macola Records and pay for our 12" records to be manufactured, Macola would solicit the Chain stores and small independently owned music stores for us, ship our product to them and pay us the wholesale price minus 20% off the top every sixty days. that's who we started.

One question to your early productions. We kown two titles from your Triangle Label
(Frost/Battle Beat and Sourcery/Woo Baby). Are there any others ?
Yes there are many unreleased Songs and some Testpressings, we're just going through a lot of boxes in search of these lost treasures, it's amazing people still want to hear this style of music. I love you guys for keeping it alive.

How often was for example a song like Frost/Battle Beat pressed ?
Frost/Battle Beat was only pressed once and we only pressed a few thousand, so it's a very rare record to find.

What was your part in these productions ?
I arranged, produced, wrote and rapped on these productions.

Do you still have contact with the other artists you worked with ?
Yes.

Can you describe the music movement in LA those times ?
It was very fun,exciting,adventurous and new. I think that's when music was really alive and growing on the west coast

What sound equipment did you use for your productions ?
We used linn drum machines, emulator 1 and 2, 808 drum machine, mirage, juno 106, juno 60 and DX7

Where did you play and sell your songs those days ?
Anywhere we could, mostly clubs and places we performed

What were your favourite tracks in Hip-Hop/electro in the mid 80s by other artists?
Looking for the perfect beat, planet rock, pack jam and anything kraftwerk made

What was your greatest success as a musican ?
Just being part of the music scene, but my biggest hits were "Rumors" and "Lean On Me"

How does it happen that you change your style from the electronic rap songs to stuff like you did with Club Noveau ?
I love all types of music and it was just one of many styles I had embraced

How does this success change your life ?
It afforded me a comfortable lifestyle, i was able to travel around the world and meet new and interesting people and cultures like now...

What do you listen to today ?
I listen too Carlos jobim, Stan getz, Marvin Gaye, Sting, Sade, real music

What new projects are in the pipeline; musically and otherwise?
We have a new Club Nouveau project and we each have solo projects and we continue to write for other artist

How old are you now ?
I am 41 yrs old Birthday is January 27th, 2003
Thanks for your interest in my music