Jay-J

Joseph John Hernandez, operating as producer and dance music artist Jay-J, drew notice across the electronic music community by means of his own tracks and joint projects with leading figures drawn from both within and beyond dance music circles. Moulton Studios came into being under his direction in 1998, founded on the belief that command of a premier facility would let him shape the evolving direction of dance music styles. Record labels headquartered in San Francisco, Chicago, New York, and the U.K. subsequently approached Jay-J for production assignments and collaborative efforts. His earliest broad recognition arrived through engineering work undertaken for the San Francisco artist Naked Music. Moulton Studios quickly rose to prominence as a defining influence on the San Francisco house sound, achieved via partnerships involving Miguel Migs, KasKade, Marques Wyatt, Halo, and additional contributors. Crossover appeal also materialized for Jay-J through remixes created for Joss Stone, Alicia Keys, David Gray, and Lil' Kim. Recognition arrived in the form of a Grammy nomination in 2003, tied to his remix of Jill Scott's single "He Loves Me." A live appearance on the MTV Australia Video Music Awards broadcast in 2006 placed Jay-J before millions of viewers. Manufacturers of recording equipment likewise took note of his forward-looking applications of studio technology. Works by Jay-J were selected as theme music for sound design tools offered by Digidesigns, Sony Oxford, and Apple. Mix albums such as Reflections and Loveslapped kept guiding the stylistic direction of West Coast dance music. The studio albums Love Alive and Electronic Discussions followed in 2009 and 2011, respectively.