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Bulletproof.
 On Sat 24 Sept, Adelaide's dance community unites to raise money for the Royal Society for the Blind at the aptly named Blind at Earth Nightclub. Organised by the infamous French Maid Alliance the party looks like being one of the year's best, with an amazing line-up of local, interstate and international talent. One of these amazing talents is drum'n'bass DJ/producer Bulletproof aka Jay Cyanide from New Zealand, whose self-described "grimey neurofunk" sound has seen him achieve many releases on some of the most highly respected labels in drum'n'bass over the past five years, as well as on his own Cyanide Recordings imprint. This fine tradition has continued in 2005, a year of great change and consolidation for Jay, both musically and personally.
One of the main reasons for this change was the amicable parting from Jay's long-time production partner Josh Lees in early 2005. "In one sense, it has been liberating creatively, but on the other hand, I miss the vibe and mash up of creativity that co-producing brought to the studio," Jay says. "I recently went in on a track with Mayhem from Atlanta, and it was cool to have someone else to bounce ideas at, as well as swap tricks and techniques."
On the personal side Jay and his family moved from Auckland to the beautiful but isolated "Bay of Islands" in the far north of New Zealand. The move has had a profound effect on Jay's outlook on both his music and life in general. "It's been nothing but an inspiration," Jay reveals. "I'm lucky enough to look out onto rolling hills, native bush and rugged coastline in one glance from my studio, and be out fishing, kayaking or hunting within minutes of leaving the studio, and living in an environment like that can only do good things for your music, not to mention your soul."
Such idyllic surroundings must have had a huge effect on the type of music that Jay is making. "Definitely, but that's not to say my music has gone all fluffy and liquid, but I've found my surroundings encroaching on my production. One great aspect is that there's no neighbour for me to aggravate with the constant bass hum coming from my studio because I'm in such a remote location!"
Apart from his surroundings, over the years Jay has had many different influences and inspirations that have helped to shape the Bulletproof sound, although some of them might be a little unexpected! "I grew up on Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, Run DMC, and generally all cool music from back in the day. I had a real thirst for music as a kid and I was lucky enough to have folks with a pretty extensive record collection. So I guess you could say I am influenced by everything," Jay explains.
"These days, my musical inspiration in drum and bass comes from guys like Gareth and Rob from Pendulum who have such raw musical talent and have single handedly changed the face of drum and bass. Or guys like the Upbeats, Mayhem, State Of Mind, Chase and Status and Noisia, who are all really pushing the boundaries with their production at the moment."
Jay is more than just a producer making music in an ideal location. He first gained his reputation as one of New Zealand's finest drum'n'bass DJs and it's something that he still loves doing. When given the choice of either producing beats or DJing, Jay prefers to take an each way bet. He described his ultimate as, "...producing beats then going and playing them to a room full of sweaty junglist. Then seeing them go bananas when the bass drops... I compare it to the joy of child birth!"
Adelaide has a lot to look forward to during Jay's forthcoming set at Blind, with plenty of fresh Bulletproof tracks to be unleashed on the dance floor at Earth. "It may seem a little self indulgent, but I'm looking forward to playing all of my new bits while I'm in Australia, giving the Adelaide scene a proper dose of the new Bulletproof sound, as well as dropping some of my favourite bits from other producers of the moment. I'm really looking forward to it."
Ben Moroney
 | Bulletproof is plays at Blind on Sat 24 Sept at Earth. |
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