A master in mixing – This is Jason Payne!

He is a true master when it comes to mixing skills within the hard dance scene. He love’s it raw and hard! His sets are always diverse and outstanding, as he combines well known raw tracks, his own music and hardcore in an unique way! In today’s interview Jason Payne talks about his mixing, music and time at Theracords, as well as about 3 The Hard Way and his Family. 

Hey Jason Payne, we hope you had a great summer season, with many great events! So, when looking back on the outdoor festival season, which event did you definitely enjoy the most? Which one was the most impressive in your opinion?
Hey guys! First of all, thanks for having me! The festival season was epic once again! I definitely had the most fun playing at the Decibel Afterparty and the mighty Defqon.1 BLUE stage! 😀 But I think closing the Supersized Kingsday RAW Stage with Unresolved was the most impressive experience for me, I loved playing while the fireworks were going off!

We think the people are definitely interested in 3 The Hard Way, it’s formation and of course your upcoming plans! What can listeners and fans expect from the future of 3 The Hard Way?
At the moment we are working hard to bring you some intense new stuff in 2017!

How did you come in touch with Requiem and Regain? What made you three feel like you have to team up for a superior live act?
We grew into the scene around the same time, and quickly became friends, seeing eachother almost every weekend at parties in 2015 and playing b2b’s together! We feel with 3 The Hard Way we can combine our already explosive solo energies into 1 nuclear bomb! 😀

Can you remember your first booking as a DJ? Where did it all start for you?
My first booking as a real DJ which I can remember, is playing at a party in de Melkweg in Amsterdam when I was around 16 😀 I was already playing at small houseparties, but this was my first gig in a real club! It was crazy, I loved the vibe so much and really felt this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life!

It took me around 10 years to actually make it as a DJ, and in that time I’ve played various genres, like Hiphop, House, Dubstep, but also Hardcore and Hardstyle. I’m really happy things turned out the way they did and that I am one of the lucky few to do this for a living!

Known for your crazy energy on stage, and really rough sets, what makes a good set a good set for you? How do you normally build up a set? Do you prepare something at home, or do you mix how the crowd wants it?
I think it’s important to make an impact when you get on stage! So my first track will always be something ruff ‘n tuff! I don’t really believe in starting soft and then going harder, I think a nice mix should be like great sex, and take you on a trip with waves of rough tracks and softer tracks, only to end in an explosive climax! 😉

When looking at the scene, do you feel there is a balance between the producing skills and DJ skills, regarding the appreciation? Or do you think one of these two is rated higher?
I think both are extremely important. You can be a great DJ, but if you only play stuff from other people, you will never have the fulfilment you get when you play a track you have made yourself. That feeling you get when people go crazy is just fucking insane!

Credits @Joris Raaijman – https://www.facebook.com/jorisraaijmann/

How did you learn to produce and master? Did you get any help or..?
I’ve been producing on a very low level for many years, and have always been interested in producing. However, the rest of my life (dj-ing, friends, family, education and work) always took a lot of my time but since 2 years I’ve been really focussed on getting better. I’ve been getting a lot of help and insights from the people I do collabs with, but I also can just watch Youtube videos about mixing technique all day ☺ My mastering is done by Delete nowadays, and he is just crazy good at mastering RAW tracks!

Lately many youngsters try to produce their own music, it seems like DJ’ing and Producing became a bit of a hype, or it’s just in everybody’s reach because of the technology and innovation. What do you think about that? Is it good for the scene, or is it an overkill?
It’s great! The more people have means to make music, the more music there will be. There will always be a division between good quality and bad quality music, and quality tracks that have no soul and bad quality tracks that do have soul. I think making music is good for you if you are into it. For me, it gives me a way to express my emotions and have a good time in the process. I would recommend it to anyone!

If you are allowed to pick an artist to make a remix for a track of yours, which track and which artist will it be?
I would love to have Delete make a remix of Violence!

Let’s focus on your personal side. You recently became daddy, congratz – Did the whole world change for you? How do you handle your personal life, DJing and producing now?
Thanks dudes! The whole world did change for me – ever since I heard I would be a dad, I set out to be a Superdad 😀 I want to make sure my little girl is always happy! At first it was hard to focus on both, but now we are getting used to our little girl and things are getting easier 😀

Let our readers know: Do you sometimes have to change your baby’s diaper?
Man, I change my baby’s diaper like 100 times a week! 😀 Superrrrrdad!

Last but not least, can you give an overview of what’s upcoming for Jason Payne? Any interesting news we could share?
There’s a lot of juicy news coming soon, because last year was not a big year for me production-wise, I decided to go full throttle starting next month! But more on that soon…! 😀

Thanks Jason Payne! We wish you all the best with all the upcoming stuff and with your baby! <3 

Click here to win 3×1 hardcope of Thera’s album “The New Era” and 3×1 hardcopy of the 7th edition of our Hardstyle Mag!