For the last five years, Justin Jay’s Fantastic Voyage has fostered a platform where artistry can flourish, boundaries can be broken, and musical communities bridged. Defined by feeling not genre, the label’s first half a decade around the sun has been marked by cosmic odysseys, technicolor sunsets, and friendships between a wide-reaching cast of musical characters. In commemoration of this milestone, the imprint offers ‘Fantastic Voyage: 5 Year Compilation’, an eclectic and diverse three-disc, 100 track journey into sonics bound together by a yearning for creative freedom at all costs. This past Friday, November 19th, listeners are treated to Disc 2 featuring longtime labelmates and newcomers alike.
Disc 2 outlines the wide-reaching styles of house, UK garage, and disco, which stand as key pillars in the Fantastic Voyage universe. The disc offers a coming together of long-time label favorites and newcomers alike, a true representation of the anything-goes nature through which Justin A&R’d the project. In fact, the release is dotted with feel-good success stories like a collaboration between Justin and his middle-school friend jahjaylee, who had never produced music before the session. About half the disc is made up of Justin’s music production students, many of whom had never finished a song a year ago. The courses have become stuff of legend for rising producers, with Justin pouring his knowledge over three terms spanning from a free one-weekend free class over Thanksgiving weekend 2020 followed by 5-week and 6-month editions. Aimed to free young producers from the plights of being over-critical of their work, the courses will continue in 2021 – watch this space.
‘Fantastic Voyage: 5 Year Compilation’ Disc 1, which dropped November 5th, represents the singer-songwriter capabilities of the outfit, seamlessly fusing rap, punk, R&B, indie, and singer-songwriter stylings. This first taste of the compilation features label-mainstay Henry Was, lo-fi duo PVLMS, new-age R&B upstart Boylife, and Lord Pusswhip. The project was led by the symbolic single, ‘Colors’, which features pop/R&B vocalist Oli-J. The track highlights the anniversary’s core theme of “showing your true colors,” while touching on gay pride and self-doubt. The single challenges the label’s peak creativity, combing through its eclectic style to create a sound greater than the sum of its parts.
Disc 3 explores Justin Jay’s more recent interests in left-of-center club music and rave revival anthems, described by him as ‘Nu Rave’. These fast-paced productions combine modern sensibilities with old-school rave nostalgia, a melting pot of styles and influences that span footwork, breaks, happy hardcore, and more. Those who have seen Jay play out as of late will recognize his ability to break these tracks out in unsuspecting environs, always with a smile on his face and a feeling of open-mindedness in tow. The disc features notable names such as Nikki Nair, AK Sports, Anna Morgan, DJ Earl, Black Loops, and Stones Taro.
Launching his music career from his freshman dorm room, the Los Angeles-based Producer/DJ, Justin Jay, has already seen success that extends well beyond his years. As one of the youngest early members of the Dirtybird family, Justin has seen support by the likes of Claude VonStroke, Jamie Jones, Disclosure, and George Fitzgerald, while also being recognized as a “Future Star” by trusted tastemakers such as Pete Tong. Evolving from the house world that helped kick start his career, Justin Jay has gone on to release with Patrick Topping’s Trick label and Nicole Moudaber’s techno-savvy Mood Records, while finding a place with more avant-garde purveyors of rave revival sonics like Shall Not Fade and Childsplay.
Fantastic Voyage’s 5 year anniversary has a simple mission – get out of the artists’ way and let them create what feels most authentic to them. The result is something that feels fun yet progressive, forward-thinking yet inclusive. It’s a something for everyone journey into the heart and mind of Justin and his constantly expanding and perpetually evolving platform for creative freedom. Come and get it.
