“Ghetto-house is exactly where I am creatively” Moneyjaw interview

Moneyjaw and ZEALE reunite with “Go,” a no-nonsense cut that pulls straight from the Dirtybird bass-house playbook—wonky, low-slung, and dripping with ghetto house attitude.

Where previous collaboration, Adderall / Imposter, toyed with off-kilter grooves and cheeky vocal snippets, “Go” pushes the formula further into high-gear. Built around a rolling sub, chopped-up vocal hooks, and twitchy percussive swings, it’s a track engineered for maximum energy.

With the track doing damage all around the globe, we caught up with Moneyjaw to get the lowdown.

“Go” feels like a focused departure – was the goal to make something leaner and more immediate?

Thank you for listening to the song. There was only one goal with this song: to make something that didn’t completely suck. It was one of these productions that could have gone either way. I’m still not sold on the drop. But to answer your question in more depth, I did try a different production technique on this one. Firstly, I used busses to mix down the main groups of sounds. Secondly, I used a new type of effect processing that gave it the more liquid bass timbre. It sounds more professional to me, however there are still songwriting issues. Hopefully my next batch will be a bit more refined. But yes, with every single new song, my goal is to simplify and trim down – to become “leaner.”

The vocal arrangement is bold without dominating. How do you decide where vocals should sit in club-oriented tracks?

This vocal was processed differently than most. I noticed that it is a bit quieter than a normal vocal driven song. I like that. Usually vocals dominate the track but in this case, it blends in with the beat. With house and techno, I like to arrange vocals in such a way that they create the most impact in the DJ mix. My early inspirations come from Derrick Carter and Mark Farina etc.. My favorite moments in a mix are when there is a steady groove and then a vocal comes in over the top. I fell like Go! does this.

How do you see bass-heavy, vocal-led club music evolving right now – is the ghetto house influence here to stay?

I have no clue. I’m just super excited that it is popping right now because it is exactly who I am creatively. The way I knew it was great was when I played a closet party at my buddy’s penthouse in Miami and all of the hot girls were in the closet with me dancing to the dirtiest of beats. So as long as there are shorties dancing to ghetto house, then my hunch is that it will remain.

There’s more crossover between rap and electronic music than ever – do you think that boundary’s dissolving for good?

Sadly, I don’t. I know a lot of house and techno heads that are scared of rap and think it’s ghetto. I’m always surprised at who shows their true colors when rap comes on the speakers. Rap is very masculine as well. That is one thing that is off putting to some electronic music lovers. Much of the modern mainstream electronic is feminine.

When you and Zeale collaborate, what tends to come first – the groove, the hook, or just a shared idea?

With Zeale, it is super easy. Since we live in different cities, I just send him beats and he flows over it. In general, he leaves it up to me from there. I like how lightweight it is. Plus he’s super professional. His recordings are always perfect.

As someone straddling different corners of the scene, how do you navigate changing trends without getting pulled off-course?

I don’t have enough time to pay attention to the intricacies of “the scene” for a few reasons. Firstly, I’ve aged out of clubbing for the most part. Secondly, I have limited time to put towards attending events. If I go to an event it is mainly to enjoy myself rather than network. Lastly, I don’t get fucked up anymore, so “the scene” is nowhere nearly as fun as it once was. On top of that, I’m looking for a wife rather than a club ho, so even going out to meet women is done for me through dating apps rather than “the scene.”

Do you think the U.S. scene is starting to embrace weirder, more left-leaning club sounds, or does it still skew toward the big-room formula?

I think in LA and Miami, which are the only scenes I really have exposure to, there is a wide variety of adoption of varying sounds. As we discussed earlier, the underground ghetto house sounds is attracting Miami models. Same as when I go out in LA, there are super beautiful women listening to dirty underground music. It’s like heaven is happening now. When I started in ’91 in Texas, it was almost impossible to find great underground music outside of an underground rave. Now, it seems that everyone has access and is open to it.

What’s next for you both – more studio work, live shows, or something completely different?

Zeale and I will be playing a string of gigs in Austin TX in September/October. I also have a collaboration with Chuurch coming soon, hopefully on Rez’s label. Zeale is always doing cool shit – Gary Clark Jr., Kill Tony, Blackilac.

Go! is out now on Chrome Friends