jonteal

Jon Jackson, the Fayetteville electronic producer formerly known as AttA, has released his first EP by his new stage name, Jonteal. The EP, titled Aquatica, features three new tracks.

Jon discussed the transition from Atta to Jonteal, his influences, and future plans on the Episode 26 of the Shindigmusic Podcast in February. As explained on the podcast, stylistically, Jon’s new project uses less samples and more of the “tools he has at hand”, even though as far as I can tell, the saxophone playing he’s known for is missing from his EP (though I assume he will still employ the saxophone during his live shows). Regardless, the name change is mostly a rebranding, and I look forward hearing how Jon’s style continues to transform. Jon credits Griz, Big Gigantic, and Late Night Radio as some of his biggest influences, most likely due to their pioneering of electronic music combined with live instrumentation. Those names don’t come to mind when I hear Jonteal’s new music even though he also uses live instrumentation during performances. His music reminds me more of a combination of Emancipator, Tipper, Thriftworks, and TroyBoi.

As a human being, Jon Jackson is someone I’ve only had minimal interaction with (though he has always been as friendly as can be), yet he is someone I’ve often heard friends of mine, from many different friend groups, talk often about admiringly. Anytime his name is mentioned, it is usually followed with phrases like, “he’s the nicest person I know,” “he’s such a good dude,” or “I love that guy!” He even confessed to being a Francophile on the Shindigmusic podcast and that “Jonteal” is a play on the French word “gentil,” meaning nice. I bring this up because his music, on the other hand, can be dark and creepy with wonky, distorted bass, a slow anticipation of the beat, and meandering downtempos.

His introspective tracks on Aquatica make me think he’s gotten to know the depths of his own mind, which translates easily to the depths of the sea with this aquatic themed EP. With each sea creature titled song, Tardigradez, Eel Feelz, and Axolotl, I can imagine myself traveling to other realms and dimensions as well as simply swimming through the ocean as if I were actually each of the Pokémon-like beings his tracks are named after.

Tardigradez is chill and melodic with a consistent 808 drum, trap beat throughout. Since my roommate first said it, I can’t stop thinking of the idea of wanting to hear someone rap over this chill, trap track. The most upbeat track, Eel Feelz, is irresistible, head bobbing music. The trance vibes suck me in for the journey. Jon concludes the EP with a banger; Axolotl is the most musically diverse track on the EP, falling under a glitch/dubstep genre. The relaxed tempo and low vocal effects remind me of the Thriftworks album, Red Leopard. The beat tiptoes through the song, accompanied in the middle by a rumbling, dubstep bass line that is not heard in the other tracks on the EP.

If you’re ready to hear more from Jonteal, catch him in Fayetteville tonight at Axis Lounge or on May 27 at Last Sunday at George’s. - ShindigMusic.net

What first drew you into music?

My dad suffered an injury at work when I was about 6 or so, which left him stuck in bed for many months. He bought a guitar to give himself something to focus on during his recovery. I loved spending time with my dad, and so watching him learn to play gave me the inspiration to do the same thing. I’ve been playing music ever since!

You are one of the best up and coming musicians we have encountered on the internet! And your track “Time Diffusion” is probably your best track yet! Could you tell us more about the story behind that track?

Recently, I sat down and just wanted to make a track with only a few simple elements (most of my songs tend to have a lot going on). Some tracks take a long time to produce, regardless of the number of instruments going on within them. But I got really lucky in that this track just poured out in a couple hours, all beginning with the tense/wonky piano you hear when you start the track. The rest of the beat just sort of followed that ebb and flow of tension and release. It’s definitely one of my favorite songs I have out right now.


Going over your soundcloud, we can tell you love experimenting with new sounds. Can you tell us more about your studio set up and some of your favorite plugins/instruments?

That’s very true! I love experimenting with many styles. My current studio setup revolves around Ableton and a few midi keyboards. I tend to do most of my synth work in plugins such as Serum or Massive. A lot of the processing I do on my synths and other sounds are customized effect racks within Ableton that I design. I also use some effect racks from AHEE, drum sounds from Keota, as well as many others. Xpand2! is a plugin that is my go to for any kind of strings!

Your signature sound is already very professional and amazing to listen to! How did you manage to achieve such a professional sound in such a short time? Can you tell us more about your musical background?

That’s very kind! I’m always learning more, and I hope to for as long as I’m in it. To answer the last question about my musical background, I began as a kid playing guitar, moved into playing with a couple friends in high school in our own band for some years. We all played the different instruments and just had a good time, but never intended to take it anywhere. Once we stopped sessioning, I became roommates with a dj around my age named Jason Dub. He was making tech house music on his laptop, and the program he was using was Ableton. That was my first introduction to it, about 8 or so years ago. I got a laptop and started making tunes around 2011. I played saxophone and made tracks under a previous moniker for about 4 or 5 years. I played saxophone for my buddy’s project ‘Fractal Sky’ for a couple years. We travelled and played a lot of gigs together, getting in front of some pretty crowds. Eventually we started to find that our efforts as a band were coming to a conclusion, so I started really focusing on my own project. I decided to rebrand, at the beginning of 2018 for a fresh start. From there, I’ve been fully devoted to my Jonteal project, and because of that, I’ve seen a massive jump in progress these last 2 years. I’ve found it’s really all about the time you devote to it. Anything is possible with patience and dedication.

All of your tracks are very melodic. Do you play any real-life instruments?

That’s how it all started! Guitar, piano, bass, drums, saxophone have all been in my hands at some point. I never accomplished any sort of mastery over any of them I would say, but I love to play. My main focus has been the keys as of late. Just bought a new Casio digital piano that has stolen my musical heart.

What are your goals for the coming months? Any upcoming projects we can get excited about?

I’m really looking to take the project more on the road in 2020. I’ve been locked away most of the last 2-3 months just cranking out music, working on polishing up a slew of releases coming over the next couple months. I have a bunch of heavy music, chill music, and some things in between that’ll round out the catalog in the coming year. Be on the lookout for something official beginning of January! - HBT Magazine