julian vilante- master of jam

By the success of Master of Jam part I, the road for Part II was already paved and shortly after winding down from promoting his release, Vilante headed back to the studio to prepare for what was going to be a life as well as a career changing experience. By now, Vilante had established himself as a unique and unconventional artist to say the least. As one producer who worked on the album states “We had no idea what was going to happen… every time Julian began to work on a new track no one knew if it was going to be a rap song, dance, techno or what…. he just went with what felt right at the time.” As Vilante points out “me and Cyco just came in to the studio without any creative ideas. As we laid down each track we just listened to it and let the music lead us to where it wanted us to go.” As Vilante eloquently defines the moment “it was the most eclectic creative freedom any artist could ever ponder.” This is simply was a no-no at the time when major labels invested heavily in to promotions and marketing of their artists. Allowing such uncontrolled freedom into the creation of an album was unorthodox. Usually, such artists on major labels with a hit music become slaved to their style or sound that made them famous with little creative room to venture out.

Seven months in to the project the dynamic duo were rolling out of their sleeping bags in the studio and started working from early morning to wee hours of the night. “We just made sure they did not die from lack of food says laughingly one of the executive producers of the album…. they were so deeply invested emotionally and creatively that we just left them alone without interference ”

The next task on hand was to create an artwork worthy of its content. The cover photo that eventually made it to the final cut has become a visual eye candy, and a master piece symbolizing its non conformance to the norm. To this day the cover photo intrigues even the most avid photographers who spend their entire life looking for that one good shot!

After completion of the project, everyone who were involved eagerly waited to see the reaction to the album. One of the record promoters who was tasked to promote the release recalls, “ The challenge for us was how to promote different styles of music from one artist. I would meet with a music director regarding airplay on a rap song on the album, and then next week I would come back to get airplay on dance song from the album.”

But this dilemma did not slowdown the album sales which quickly gained accolade from the music pundits. Major record store chains such as tower records, and the Warehouse show cased the album with promotional billboard ads and radio commercials. The notoriety and recognition of its uniqueness soon gained mass appeal and the reviews exceeded all expectations. Vilante was no longer just another run of the mill artist, but rather a trend setter who established himself as one of the diversified talents who dared to cross the line of normalcy by producing Master of Jam Part II.

Edited by Sam Azbey

1. Intro