Jason Burns: ‘The US bass music scene is much stronger and more energised than ever before’

I first heard of Jason Burns last year having come across his track, Back 2 You, on influential music site XLR8R. The track, featuring RnB vocal samples and synth hooks, would then go on to make the site’s top 100 downloads of 2011. A quick look at his Soundcloud reveals the track is still being blogged, even ten months later.

“I’m relatively unknown so it was obviously great to be noticed by XLR8R,” Burns says from his Cleveland home, “It really seemed to strike a chord with people and it made me realise that if a tune was emotionally resonating with me, than it would likely resonate with other people as well.”

The track was made available for free download and while some producers are apprehensive about giving away their music, Burns realised the advantages of doing so.

“If I didn’t give music away, we wouldn’t be doing this interview – Back 2 You would just be sitting on my hard drive,” he says. He thought about the free download a lot having had a conversation with American producer Distal.

“He thought I should have reserved it for a label instead – maybe he was right, but at the same time before the XLR8R feature, labels would just ignore me.”

Burns is based in Cleveland but says the UK scene is a massive influence in his music, especially producers such as Skream and Benga, SBTRKT, Silkie, Zomby and Deadboy.

“I’ve never been to the UK but I’ve admired the scene there for a long time,” he says, “It’s always seemed like the barrier between mainstream and underground was much thinner than in the US and so sounds can cross over much faster.”

Burns can be grouped with a set of American based producers such as Distal, Kastle and Dubbel Dutch whose music is set to make a big impact on the UK soundscape in 2012.

“The US bass music scene is much stronger and more energised than what we’ve ever experienced with electronic dance music in general,” he says, “My only complaint is that fans in the UK seem to be more sophisticated than we are when it comes to bass music.”

He points to the explosion of the more aggressive sound of bass music across the Atlantic.

“The best, most original and freshest artists are being overshadowed by other hyper aggressive, less melodic and less talented acts and that’s really a shame,” he says.

The last ten months have thrown Burns under the bass music spotlight and the good news for his new fans is that he expects to release more music in the near future. He has just finished working with Kastle and his hopeful a release materialises.

But the plan, right now, is continue developing as a producer. “I look at music as something I’m learning how to do – it’s just trying new things and learning the craft of it,” he says, “It’s like unlocking a giant puzzle bit by bit – each tune is like a study, or an expression of what I’ve learned up to that point.”

Listen to Back 2 You on Soundcloud

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