DJ Joe Kay to mash up good vibes at the Masquerade on Friday
In 2015, DJ and producer Joe Kay performed his first show in Atlanta at Terminal West.
He played mashups of R&B vocals over ambient, electronic and hip-hop tracks like his sets on Soulection Radio, his weekly show that debuted on Apple Music’s Beats 1 Radio that year featuring blends of undiscovered acts, rhythms and occasionally classic tunes.
Kay was surprised to see a crowd show up to the venue anticipating what he was going to play. It proved he created a vibe and community of music lovers beyond social media.
“I learned quick the people that come out to the shows are very passionate and hungry for music. My job, or duty, is to put people on to other artists,” Kay told UATL.
A decade later, Kay is returning to Atlanta to share his new music at the Masquerade on Friday. He’s performing songs from his debut EP, “If Not Now, Then When?” released in April.
Tracks on “If Not Now, Then When?” combine soulful vocals from emerging artists like Isaiah Falls, Cruza and Dylan Sinclair over electronic, dub and Afrobeats.
Kay incorporates local artists’ vocals over experimental sounds based on where he performs. His mixes are his strategy to encourage listeners to have an open mind.
“I use them as ways to reel the audience in, and that’s when I hit them with a lot of different artists and sounds they’ve never heard from around the world. It’s my way of educating people,” Kay said.
“I’ve always pushed others before myself, but they (my managers) convinced me two years ago over dinner that I was missing original music connected to my name and the Soulection brand with artists that I believe in.”
In 2007, Kay created “IllVibes,” a podcast of rare grooves recorded in his grandmother’s basement in Southern California. A fan of BBC Radio 1, he wanted to create a platform that showcased avant-garde sounds and creators.
“I was fresh out of high school and very curious about the world. I found this deep experimental sound of future beats and instrumental music that couldn’t just remain underground. I wanted to get it into more people’s hands, so I had to create my own opportunity” he said.
Four years later, he co-founded Soulection, an artist discovery platform, through his college radio station, KBeach at California State University, Long Beach. He posted mixes on Soundcloud, social media and built a following.
Soulection introduced listeners to artists Bryson Tiller, SiR, Daniel Caesar, Brent Faiyaz, Anderson .Paak, Kaytranada, Smino, Doja Cat and Snoh Aalegra. It led to the creation of label Soulection Records, merchandise and live events.
In May, Kay performed a curated set at a launch party for Crown Royal at Cam Kirk Studios. His set included Atlanta artists Future and Usher over feel-good melodies.
Kirk, photographer and studio owner, was impressed by Kay’s dedication to the art.
“It was the most people we ever had in our space, and he was able to move the crowd through his craft. He takes what he’s doing serious,” Kirk said.
Several Atlanta-based DJs performed with Kay at Arts Beats and Lyrics, an Atlanta-based traveling art and hip-hop show, in September.
DJ Sean Falyon, a Philadelphia native and curator of monthly parties Sum’n Good and Skip Day, said they share a common goal to put the audience first.
“He’s doing a great thing for the world. It’s dope sharing the stage with someone who equally cares about the music and getting it directly to the people, which is something I stand on and live by. It’s the same thing that I do with my events where we create connections through sound,” Falyon said.
DJ Wally Sparks, who organizes the Southern hip-hop party Twankle and Glisten and New Jack Swing-themed party Hi-Top Fade, said he appreciates Kay’s audience expecting something unique from him.
“His true talent is curation and having people come to hear something they’ve never heard before. He’s a tastemaker and an architect behind a sound that can’t be understated,” Sparks said.
Kay was regularly DJing at a time when influencers began purchasing hardware and landing gigs because of their followers. He said listeners must use discernment when distinguishing between professional music curators and novices.
“There’s an oversaturation of people chasing viral moments by blending anything. Just because something is in the same tempo, it doesn’t mean everything should be remixed or flipped. The virality gets them in positions, but when you put them in front of a room, they can’t hold a crowd for more than 20 minutes,” Kay said.
“You got to let the records play, learn timing and how to read a room. You’re not taught that from a bedroom. You’re only taught from experience.”
Soulection is preparing to celebrate its 15th anniversary next year. Kay said he wants to continue learning where and how listeners are being introduced to him.
“There’s more music to put out and artists to help,” he said.
“I’m constantly finding ways to push my identity, because I never know where people are finding me.”
IF YOU GO
Joe Kay: “If Not Now, Then When?” world tour
8 p.m. Friday. $46.10. The Masquerade-Heaven, 75 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SW, Atlanta. 404-577-8178. masqueradeatlanta.com
About the Author
Christopher A. Daniel is a Black Culture reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He is an Atlanta-based, award-winning journalist, cultural critic and ethnomusicologist. He previously taught courses at Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University and Georgia State University.
