Track by Track: Jacques Greene - jg

Jacques Greene breaks down 'jg', his most direct, dancefloor-built record yet.

Fifteen years on from 'Another Girl' - the record that made Jacques Greene a blueprint for a generation of emotive, bass-driven club music - the Montreal producer is returning to the dancefloor that made him.

After the hazy, collaborative abstraction of last year's Verses GT with Nosaj Thing, Jacques strips things back to something sharper and more direct. 'jg', his third studio album, is by his own admission, not just about the club, but unapologetically built for it.

Written in the midst of personal upheaval, 'jg' found Jacques following instinct back toward the people and places that gave him purpose; reconnecting with friends and collaborators including umru, DJ BORING, Ouri, Jonah Yano and more along the way. The result is his most hopeful, joyful record to date.

Speaking on the record, Jacques shares, "Last couple years have been really confusing. The world at large is at red alert. Personally, some real bucket list stuff has happened and projects I’m really proud of. But also massive moments of insecurity and strife. I think I wound up seeking comfort in a world I’ve called home since I was 16 years old. DJing. The dancefloor. Less so a happy record than a record about wanting to be happy and finding connection. The end result is fizzy, energetic, present. The fun stuff."

Dive into the making and meaning behind the record with Jacques Greene, track by track.

1. Closer

"Essentially wanted the anti ‘intro track’ in my mind this record drops us halfway into a track breakdown, ready for the strobes to start hitting. No better person to take it there with me than Dj Boring."

2. Presence

"One of the earliest demos made for this album but it had a completely different flavour. Stripped a ton of melody stuff and tried to strip it to the bare metal, and just made myself something that would just feel straight up GOOD to run on a system."

3. Seconds

"Ouri and I made the skeleton of this one in a day at my studio a while back. It floated around as this delicate, melancholy piece. Other legend of the neighborhood Jonah Yano hopped on to make it this twisted lil forlorn duet."

4. Two

"Another one made in a day. Sam-E’s studio in Brooklyn is one of the funnest rooms in the entire universe and he’s one of the funnest people to be around. There’s something so euphoric about this one it’s almost on the line of melancholy. So happy with the feel of it."

5. Everyone

"Los Angeles, West Addams. A few Modelos, some Sonoratown tacos, an AKAI filter and an MS2000. Noah (SEES0000) and I made 3 quick, hard hitting, sexy ideas that day. A few months later I opened this one up and added a bassline that would scrape the inside of a speaker clean."

6. Time To Go

"I had a rough demo of this one forever. For one of the first times ever I was singing on a record of mine. CFCF came in and overdubbed my vocals so i wouldn’t feel so lonely and we reworked some bassline stuff. Then back in Montreal I took it upstairs to the Jump Source studio and Patrick Holland let me run some parts thru their GodRig. Time to Go Big."

7. What You Say

"Another one 95% done in a day at my studio. Umru was in town for a show. Everytime we link up I’m so into watching him work. We operate in kind of different zones but always so excited about it coming together. The speed and intensity of this one gave me the confidence to let the rest of the album take shape. Big chords at the end kinda my love letter to early Deadmau5."

8. Breathe

"Crushed have been one of my fav bands of the last few years. I’ve gone to see them live a couple times, remixed them, and have tried to meet up with Bre anytime we’re in the same city. The vocal on this one is actually a sample from their record but it felt right to bring them in and share the credit. Big intense energy on this one. No matter what happens, remember to breathe in and breathe out."

9. Waiting

"One of the last records I made for this album and by now maybe my favorite. It’s like Sølv and i’s weird sexy idioteque or something. I had this weird patch on my Virus playing a 5th and just had it gliding up and around. Sent the simplest idea to her and she hit me back with so much magic. I wrote the bassline around what she was singing. It’s a song about being eager and wanting for something to happen. A lot of this record seems to connect to something being right here, right now, together. This track epitomizes that well."

10. Halation

"If the pacing of the album aims to loosely feel like a dj set, this is the big euphoric all the lights are on moment. It’s not huge in the festival sense but it swings for the fences with the bigger bassline and pings of joy swirling around. Tried to channel a bit of Orbital done a-la ‘jg’ here."

11. Slowly

"My other favorite. This one’s for when the party’s done. The lights are on. Most people are gone. It’s the ghost of a classic Jacques Greene type track. Reduced to its most fragile remaining DNA. Flickering light before it goes out, hold me close a bit longer before we gotta go home. Party’s over."

'jg' is out now via LUCKYME®

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