I first heard of Jacques Greene over five years ago through a track called "Another Girl" which blew me away with its presentation of Ciara's "Deuces" vocals in a whole new world. Since then, the Montréal producer has gone from strength to strength, continuing to be an innovator and one of the most reliable names in dance/electronic music.
Regularly sampling R&B and pop vocals, there is a warmth and personality to his tracks that is often missing from electronic music—even the sleek electronic minimalism of his most recent tracks "You Can't Deny" and "Afterglow" is kept grounded by the chopped vocals.
As is made clear in Jacques Greene's recent Red Bull Music Academy lecture, which you can watch above, this warmth isn't an accidental byproduct of the way he makes music but a clear aim, a reaction to living in the internet age. If you've been following Greene for a while, the talk provides great context and understanding of why and how his music is as it is. And if you're less familiar, this is a great entry point which also includes some good-humored pearls of wisdom on the importance of risk taking, the power of local scenes, and staying true to yourself as an artist.
Watch the Red Bull Music Academy Montréal lecture above and listen to some of Jacques Greene's music below.
