An interview with the artist who is constructing a new kind of Trans-Pacific Partnership — this time for the underground.
On a crisp Friday night, JVLES sips on a beer and flicks through his phone to play one of his new beats. As he’s doing so, numerous notifications come through — direct messages, comment replies on Twitter, and more. He’s in a bar crowded and bustling with young people, just outside of Sydney, Australia. Dim lighting casts long shadows throughout the large room, and multiple TVs are blasting radio hits from the ’80s.
Showing a strong sense of pride for his craft, the experienced producer, vocalist, and engineer points out the drums on the beat, the instrument he’s best known for utilizing in his productions. He’s wearing his own hat, emblazoned with his name ‘JVLES’ on the front. The 20-year-old musician is versatile, seemingly wary of sticking to one path.
Here in Australia, the music scene is still emerging, trying to create an identity for itself independent from outside influences. Sydney was once a prospering city for music lovers to go to live venues to listen to bands and musicians until the early hours of the morning. On February 14, 2014, the New South Wales government put in placea law that forces venues to stop people from entering their premises after 1:30AM — and stopping drinks from being served after 3AM in Sydney’s CBD. 176 venues have down since the law has been authorized, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. This lockout law has made it harder for musicians to earn an income from their craft, or even find venues to perform at. It’s caused an overabundance of creatives with not enough venues that can cater to the needs of the growing population.
Yet JVLES appears unfazed, believing his job is to bring together the Australian underground with the United States equivalent, opening doors for musicians on both sides. Using his DAW of preference, FL Studio, the producer is well known for his dark melodies composed of drums ripe with heavy 808’s, and at times, smooth rhythmic melodies. JVLES’ vocals appear light on the surface, and fun — although the lyrics can deviate from this path, and depending on the song, can be dark, and emotional. However, he comments that his sound is very different from the sounds present within the Australian underground and the music industry found there. It’s one of the predominant reasons why he finds himself feeling isolated. “Many Australians are still rapping over boom-bap beats,” JVLES admits.
It isn’t surprising that the young musician has produced hits like “90210WESTWOOD” for BBY GOYARD, or collaborated on “Send It” with ITSOKTOCRY. Having over 5 years of experience with vocals, production and engineering, JVLES has a deeper understanding of music than perhaps many of his contemporaries. He also has a large discography of quality songs due to the diverse range of artists and producers he has collaborated with, including EyeKeem, Steele11 and CashBentley.
He’s also a part of the close-knit Australian collective 1st Fleet featuring musicians dontsleep, Thrillboy, Jayoh, 2wenty7, and his blood brother Kappa. 1st Fleet is composed of artists, musicians, graphic designers, and engineers who don’t fit into the Australian underground and instead focus on creating art with their international friends. The collective has only been around for a year but hopes to grow and expand alongside its roster.
Yet being involved in Australia’s underground scene is a stark contrast compared to the rest of the world. Most of JVLES’ time is spent networking with musicians overseas, producing music in his bedroom studio, and doing odd jobs for work, delivering food for both UberEats and Nutrition Station. The young musician’s main audience is located in the United States, a far cry from his hometown of Penrith.
JVLES shares that he is hardly associated with the Australian underground community, “I don’t have many connections here. I check my SoundCloud stats, and it’s 95% American listeners, but I do have a role here. I am bridging connections between Australia and the US underground hip-hop scene.” One of the end goals for JVLES is to move to America, and live there indefinitely. “Ever since I was a kid, I’d put on an American accent with my brother, Kappa, while on the trampoline, and we’d talk in an American accent, because of the TV shows we watched.”
His recent trip to America at the end of 2018 only furthered his strong desire to move to the States. He stayed in New York City, and almost instantly noticed the extreme difference in temperature. It was in the middle of winter and snowing, a vast difference from the simmering heat of Australia’s summer at the same exact time of the year. A typical summer in Australia consists of visits to the beach, many cold beers, and late night road trips with friends; in the US, JVLES was shocked by how isolated he felt with his negative reaction to the cold weather. He was not prepared.
In NYC, JVLES met with fellow friends and musicians that he had been working with for some time. He shares that it was almost instantly evident that he would be happier living in the States. He linked up with Goji Bean Bryant, BBY GOYARD, and Steele11, among others, the first time JVLES met his fellow members of Big Muscle Gang or BMG. He describes BMG as the “family” that he has been a part of for many months. While he was in the US, one of his highlights was visiting studios and holding lengthy sessions within them, recording vocals, producing beats, and networking with others. The members of the group would wake up at midday and head directly to the studio, recording until the early hours of the morning. This was the first time in which he had direct and unrestricted access to a studio and its equipment. Being able to bounce ideas off his friends with no delay in communication certainly helped JVLES experiment with new sounds that previously may have been not possible without his friends being physically in the studio.
The musician is also hoping to move to the US as quickly as possible so that this connection can be created – the only thing stopping him is financial stability from music, and increased visibility by the industry. With his new tape titled JVLES that dropped May 22, featuring the production of revered producers like Charlie Shuffler, Nick Mira, John Petruccio, and Thrillboy, among others, JVLES hopes this dream will soon become reality.
The self-titled tape is composed of 20 tracks, including fan favorites “Fake Friends” and “Big Time Rush.” Both songs sound light and upbeat, with production that inspires positivity. Josh Petruccio also makes his first appearance producing for JVLES on “Fake Friends,” complementing the artist’s vocals with a smooth melody and hinting at what listeners can expect on the further 3 tracks he produces on the tape. With the track “Big Time Rush,” he reaches vocal ranges that he has not attempted before; showing that the artist is capable of experimenting with his vocals, and pushing past expectations. “This tape is the most tracks I’ve ever dropped. This is my best work at the highest quality I’ve ever done,” says JVLES.
With the tightly constructed US network in which JVLES has established, and his love for making experimental sounds, the highly versatile musician will continue to push boundaries that have not been seen in Australia — or the United States — ever before.