Interview with Upful Life Podcast
Thanks The Upful Life Podcast for having me on to talk about my whole musical ride.
Here’s the scoop:
The Du-Rites’ JAY MUMFORD, formerly known as the producer/emcee J-Zone, has worn many hats throughout his career—rapper, beat-maker, DJ, author/journalist, and finally drummer. J-Zone developed an underground rap following during the early 2000s indie hip-hop explosion. As he got older, Mumford grew increasingly jaded with the rap industry, before bottoming out. Sitting on the throne of a drum set, Jay would rediscover his passion for the funk music that first inspired him as a teenager.
The major transition began to take shape in 2011, when J-Zone attempted to quit rap, write a hip-hop memoir, and start over as “Jay Mumford on drums” in his mid-30’s. An unlikely story, but one definitively his own. On Episode 065, with no holds barred Jay Mumford takes us through this roller-coaster journey, career highlights, lowlights, battles between his ears, and a-ha moments along the way.
- 2:30 – Thanks to Discovery 2023, Bicycle Day, Electric KoolAid for sponsoring ep.065
- 6:30 – The Upful Update
- 9:45 – Introducing JAY MUMFORD (fka J-Zone)
- 13:30 – INTERVIEW w/ Jay (119 mins)
Currently, Jay Mumford holds down the drumkit in a few bands, his main gig is The Du-Rites, a garage-funk duo with Tom Tom Club guitarist Pablo Martin. Mumford has been working with Adrian Quesada’s solo projects, including a performance on Austin City Limits with an 18-piece ensemble, an evening Jay refers to as the best experience of his 25 year career.
Mumford remains renowned for his ‘Royalty Free Drum Breaks’ drum packs, ideal for sample-based producers to mine meticulously-crafted breakbeats laid down in his late grandparents’ basement. For a few years, he moonlit as a music journalist, blogging nuanced topics in hip-hop and drummer culture. Jay hosted the phenomenal ‘Give The Drummer Some,’ – an illuminating interview series for now-defunct Red Bull Music Academy. The talk radio-style program highlighted the songs, lessons, and legacies of underground/unsung heroes from the ‘60s and ‘70s.
