Jay Daniel

Emerging rapidly through dynamic performances behind the decks and lean yet groove-driven productions, Jay Daniel quickly established himself among the most talked-about talents in the Detroit techno scene. As the son of house vocalist Naomi Daniel—who issued the Carl Craig-produced singles “Stars” and “Feel the Fire” during the early ’90s—he first gained notice by co-launching Fundamentals, a recurring monthly Detroit house night, alongside fellow prodigy Kyle Hall. The pair shared the stage at Movement, Detroit’s yearly electronic music festival, in 2012 and later staged Fundamentals events in Chicago, San Francisco, and eventually across Europe. Daniel began issuing his own gritty yet introspective house material in 2013, making his first appearance on Theo Parrish’s Sound Signature imprint with the Scorpio Rising EP. Early the following year, Kyle Hall’s Wild Oats label put out Daniel’s double EP Karmatic Equations. He also reworked Four Tet’s “Aerial” and joined FunkinEven (Steven Julien) for the “Discipline” 12″ released via Apron Records. In 2015 the 12″ School Dance inaugurated his own Watusi High label, and 2016 brought his first full-length album, Broken Knowz, on Ninja Tune’s Technicolour imprint. Compared with his earlier work, the record displayed a richer, jazz-inflected character, its tracks constructed entirely from Daniel’s own drumming.