We got pretty excited about Justin & Johnson a few weeks back when we he premiered “Atoms,” a track off his fresh new EP, Night Shift. Well, now the EP is out and we caught up with the up-and-coming producer via email.
We got pretty excited about Justin & Johnson a few weeks back when we he premiered “Atoms,” a track off his fresh new EP, Night Shift. Well, now the EP is out and we caught up with the up-and-coming producer via email.
His beats are modern – fast, melodic, and unique. Justin Johnson said he grew up playing piano and alto sax; he picked up his composition skills through these early days.
He said he got bored playing other people’s music and started creating his own. He added the guitar into his list of playable instruments in college, and picked himself up a Maschine and a copy of Fl Studio 10 to build samples.
Most of Night Shift EP was recorded at home, but he got some support from Zac Sims of Savior Boys on “Muse,” and got vocal tracks recorded at Track Meet Studio by Joesph Ritzik.
About a year in the making, Nigh Shift EP is an impressive collection of tracks with some weird influences that are sure to make any fan of modern hip hop excited.
Jonhson said inspiration for the EP came from his own night shift work, as a traffic operator for the highway system. He was one of the guys who changes messages on over head signs along 95, 64, and 288.
“I tried to capture Night Shift. 8 hours of hanging around looking at a bunch of screens, looking for an anomaly,” said Johnson. “Night Shift is a timeless zone where nothing is happening. Yet, it encompasses my life at the current moment.”
Ironically, Johnson said those night shifts gave him the chance to make this album during the day.
He gave us a track-by-track break down of the EP, check it out below the Soundcloud embed. “Chain” stands out to me as the album’s best track, but it’s all pretty damn solid:
All words below via Justin Johnson:
Bells intro– 10-11pm. The first hour of work. Things are starting to die down. I’m still setting up my desk for the night.
Atoms– 11-12am. The beginning of the Night Shift. It’s the first phase of the nothingness. I feel the twilight zone setting in where you sit and nothing happens. I’m usually staring at my laptop trying to figure out what I want to learn for the night. I have ADHD so I have to focus myself to sit and concentrate on not running around the room.
Palm Trees– This song is partially my ode to weed. I grew up taking Adderall but when I went to college I weaned myself off of the medicine. Weed has helped me condition my mind to focus without medicine. But on the other hand, I tried to capture the actual Twilight zone of Night Shift–I would say between 12-4am. At this point, I’m leaning back in my chair with my shoes off. That usually turns into me drinking absurd amounts of coffee and dancing around the building while listening to some of the music I’ve created.
Venus– Venus is 4am for me. Nothing is happening, yet I am beginning to see all of the early risers starting their commute. My mind usually starts to wander to my love interests at this point. I’m kinda tired of the quiet of Night Shift at this point. I want to talk but 4am isn’t an appropriate time to hit up… anyone.
Muse Remix– This is 5am. It’s the quiet before the storm. Everyone is leaving for work. Accidents are starting to occurring at a slow pace. I’m also tired out and ready to leave. I have to put my shoes back on, make my desk look neat, sit down, stop drowning myself in coffee, focus on the accidents beginning to occur, and be a responsible adult again.
Chain outro– This is 6am for me. I feel triumphant. I made it to the end of my shift. I realize that I’m capable of anything if I try. I never thought I was cut out for the real world workforce, yet I’m here. I don’t want to live in this world too long, though. I want to be an artist. Every time I walk out of the building after a successful shift I envision myself walking onto a stage with thousands of people ready to take a music filled drive with me.
