Contributing Writer
Rising electronic talent Jay Crusoe has been making waves with the release of his latest project, Mysterious Happenings EP on cutting-edge imprint Modern Delivery. A statement of intent, the EP captures Jay’s forward-thinking sound across three tracks that balance hypnotic grooves, deep textures, and an unmistakable sense of atmosphere. From the shadowy, late-night pulse of the title track, to the intricate layers of Mainframe and the driving rhythms of Selection Malfunction, the release cements Jay’s reputation as one to watch. Following the drop of Mysterious Happenings, we sat down with Jay to dive into the inspiration behind the record, his creative process, and his evolving sound.
You were the artist to launch Modern Delivery Xpress with your single ‘Mainframe’, and now you’re back with a full EP. How does it feel to be the artist setting the tone for this new label?
It’s been such an honor to release on MDX, especially being the first release on the label. After speaking to their team I felt so confident in how the releases would go. I couldn’t be more grateful that they trusted my music and artistry for their first release the same way I trusted them with these tracks that mean so much to me as an artist.
The ‘Mysterious Happenings’ EP seems to push your sound into new territory while keeping that stripped-back, club-functional core. What did you want this project to say about where you’re headed as an artist?
This EP was crucial to my artistic direction because I wanted to show how much fun I can have making original tracks that are both for the club and for the car. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of producing whatever feels most comfortable so I viewed these tracks as a challenge to my status quo as an artist and it seems to have been a great way approach my songwriting!
‘Mainframe’ has already been championed by artists like Fisher and Gorgon City. Did that early support give you additional confidence heading into the release of the full EP?
It absolutely boosted my confidence in the tracks ahead of the release. You never really know how a track or body of work is going to be received when it’s sent out to DJs or played out live, so seeing artists I’ve always looked up to show a track I made some love was incredibly validating as an artist, especially on a track I consider one of my personal favorites because of what it means to me.
Each track on the EP has a different personality — from the low-slung energy of ‘Mainframe’ to the warped builds of ‘Mysterious Happenings’ and the looser swing of ‘Selection Malfunction’. How do you decide when a track “fits” into a project like this?
The Mysterious Happenings EP is literally a story; I have been writing a sci-fi story to follow up the EP. Like any good book has ups, downs, and different settings, I felt like this EP created a natural flow and variation to it that makes it sound like a complete body of work instead of 3 random tracks thrown together.
If someone who had never heard electronic music asked you to play them one track from the EP to explain your sound, which one would you choose and why?
Definitely Mainframe. I enjoy the space it sits in and how it incorporates so many different elements of various EDM subgenres. The aggressive sustain synth and high energy from bass house, the bassline and drums from the current wave of minimal tech house, the call and response of the melodies and vocals like the current mainstream tech house sound. Mainframe shows my playfulness in production and provides context on how moody my music is.
Your sound has previously blended Latin textures, whereas this EP offers darker, minimal-driven sonics. Where does that duality come from, and how do you keep it balanced?
This EP is a big step to balancing both sounds. When I saw everyone going copy/paste on the latin sound (which as a Latino myself was interesting to see) I knew it was my sign to keep experimenting with how to develop my sound past the hype trains of the industry and this EP was born from that drive. Now I have both Latin and darker/minimal vibes under my belt and it allows me to be more flexible in my sets. I’ve also experimented with bringing both sounds together since the release of the EP and let me just say there are some exciting tracks that resulted from that.
From your perspective, how does the ethos of Modern Delivery Xpress align with your music?
“Guaranteed Fresh, Always Hot” caught my eye the first time I saw it in the Modern Delivery instagram bio. I can’t think of a better way to describe the music I make so I knew it would be a great fit between my music and MDX from the start. Their desire to target and help smaller, talented artists was so clear and really showed me how much they care about the music and the scene. I have nothing but the highest regards for the MDX team and on the strongest of terms urge everyone to keep an eye out for their upcoming releases.
You’ve already played at some notable festivals like EDC Orlando and Sunset Music Festival. Has performing at events of that scale changed the way you think about building tracks for the dancefloor?
Music doesn’t exist in a vacuum, I’ve come to learn that and I’ve had to adjust my production and the songs I release to be able to translate equally from my headphones to a festival. Playing such large events where any person can stumble on your set while you’re playing an ID really kicked the game up a notch for me and showed me that the quality of my music has to be up to par with the music I play out.
The title ‘Mysterious Happenings’ is evocative — beyond the club context, what’s the strangest or most unexpected “mysterious happening” you’ve experienced behind the decks?
Probably the night I played at The Ground @ Club Space as direct support before BUNT. We shook hands and I was getting off the stage and gathering my stuff, the crowd rushed the stage and I lost my prized possession: Black Versace sunnies that I bedazzled myself. Still not sure what happened to them to this day. I miss them 🙁
Looking ahead, do you see yourself continuing to refine this functional, club-driven sound, or are there other stylistic directions you’re keen to explore in future releases?
As an artist, I like to think of myself as a combination of all the styles I like and produce. The style of this EP is going to be a sound that will, at the very least, serve as a foundation to where I’m going next. I have more tracks of the same character that I’m excited to release to the world but when it comes to my production I feel that this EP was very formative to how I work on music, so definitely expect to hear similar elements hidden in some of my upcoming tracks!
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