Started in 2017 with a creative suggestion from his then-manager RUN DMT, Justin Augustus Fay, also known as J. Augustus aka Saint Jae, completed the project in 2021 and is now releasing his first non-drum and bass release on his imprint Quaziscience Recordings XX catalog line.
- Augustus has created a masterful 7-song audio biography titled Tuned In and raised the bar to unimaginable heights. Tuned In reveals J.'s ambitions for the future, and it's not all drum and bass, as so many people associate J. with.
In a recent interview with BLANG from Bell Ringer Records Podcast, J. explained, "Starting this record label was never just about Drum and Bass. I've been producing hip hop for longer, and both genres are equal parts of who I am, and after many drum and bass releases, I figured I'd show what I'm best at and surprise everyone with the drop of Tuned In".
The EP's first track, "PHAT", has a nonquantized intro that is seductive and intoxicating, with the breaks percussive swing as the focal point. Imagine DJ Krush's "4109" meets Damion Marley's "Welcome To Jam Rock." The horns and musical accompaniment are reverbed into a massive space sitting over a gritty, unforgiving drum to which you must carefully nod your head. To top it off, the low end is super booming, with the sub-jumping octaves with the trumpets. Put your trust in J. to bring the noise to nod your head to. "PHAT" quickly establishes the epic beat-maker vibe to take you on his journey.
"SPOOK TIGHT" arrives just in time for the fall season. With its eerie vocal pads and Halloween vibes, J. creates a genuinely spooky atmosphere with deeply versed fx that seem to drip down from above onto a squashed and compressed drum break reminiscent of the early days of hip hop. Sharp piano keys and a solid, overdriven upright bass complement a throwback vibe and show deep respect to the producers who came before him.
"CHILDRENS CHOIR" is a focal point of the EP's shift in direction, as it features an automated and gated choir that is fully verbed and kept beautifully as an acapella. The theme of the tune's deep 808 bass hits is a heavenly choir pad of glorious children's voices. It feels like magic as this song keeps rising onward and upward to a place unexpected by the vocals in the next song.
"SO DEE" introduces you to the voice of J. Augustus himself as you hear, "So you want me to rap?" then another voice replies, "Can you rap with that?". Here, we see the comical side of J. Augustus and his use of a mandolin lead and a kazoo stab versed and delayed to fade into the song's depths. Clean subs round out the witty dialog back and forth as it works into the title track, "SIMPLE PLAN".
"TUNED IN" is the purpose and peak up to this point of the EP. We can hear his musicality with his instrumentation and vocals, all pushing the message of remaining peaceful and loving toward one another. This tune feels like love as the horns and pads all come together to form "a breeze" as J. encourages everyone to "keep it easy and stay breezy."
"OK!" feels like the washing away of everything holding us back. A distant, beautiful voice is held back by clever use of white noise and filtering. As the filters turn off the immense power and vibes of rebirth, this composition rises from the ashes like a Phoenix. It truly conveys to the listener that everything will be as stated in the title...OK!
To recap the body of work, "XAN XAN," a floaty gem of minimal trip-hop, is meant to show that perhaps the anxiety J. has dealt with his entire life can be washed away. "XAN XAN" is J. Augustus' formula for purging the soul of anxiousness and static.
