If you want a glimpse into the mind of Jared Frazer, just take a step into his bedroom. Every corner has something unique to get lost in: hand-drawn art, posters riddled with psychedelic patterns and a Grateful Dead tapestry draped from his ceiling like a kaleidoscopic dream cloud. Take a step into a venue he is spinning at, however, and you’ll be in for more than a mere glimpse.
Frazer goes by Jizzy Fra on stage. He’s an up-and-coming DJ with a trippy, “bass-in-your-face” style. One set made an appearance at Forever Glow III: FutureHype where Frazer opened up for Bro Safari.
“That Bro Safari show was really fun,” said Frazer, a senior majoring in English. “It had the most effort put into production and it turned out to be my biggest crowd yet.”
While a skilled DJ’s ability to get a crowd moving is appreciable, it takes a diversely talented musician to make a genuine impact on the industry. For the past four years, Frazer has honed his skills as a DJ, but within the past two he has started producing his own music, striving to make his mark shine bright within the music community.
“I feel it’s very important to understand why the music you listen to sounds good,” Frazer said. “I make that effort because I want to make music that’s different. I want people to hear my stuff and say ‘Whoa!’ and to know that’s Jizzy Fra.”
That effort is resulting in real progress for Frazer’s career — the young producer has announced the release of his first EP, and Release was there to get you guys the first word. On Dec. 1, Frazer will be dropping a self-described “saucy” set of tracks that will put your subwoofer to the test.
“Whoa!” is an understatement when it comes to the material Frazer produces. His tracks are spacey and bass-heavy, riddled with rhythmic harmonies that make your head knock and low frequency mindfucks that — well, you get the point. While on the topic, “MindFck” is a collaborative piece composed by Jizzy Fra and LUZCID, another New York-based producer. You can check it out on Frazer’s SoundCloud account. As much as that track takes listeners for a wild ride, Frazer has a deep attachment to another one of his singles, titled “feels, bruh.,” which will make an appearance on his EP.
“That’s a track that has been a favorite of mine for a while because of how I associate with it,” Frazer said. “I made it in one day and only stopped once, and that was to eat a meal with my parents which was nice. My friends love it too. I feel like they’ve taken the most out of that track.”
Frazer acknowledges that his contributions and success in the music community do not place him above other emerging DJs or producers. Instead, Jizzy Fra has assimilated himself into an eclectic network of producer friends that exchange, influence and critique each other’s music as a way to advance their talents collectively. Jimi Hendrix claimed music as his religion; what better way to strengthen the faith than through community?
“Making music is really cool because it’s a hobby, but it’s way more than that,” Frazer said. “It has brought a lot of people into my life that all contribute to diversifying my taste. Don’t be a dick to people. This can be applied to life as well as the music community, but you can learn something from everyone you come across.”
Aside from spinning and producing, Frazer exercises his passion for music by attending live shows. A self-proclaimed “basshead” (a title reserved for those who eat, breathe and think in the low-end womps produced by Bassnectar), Frazer admires artists who break down the distance between themselves and the audience.
What’s next? For Frazer, it’s music or nothing. Momentum is building, and there’s no need to squash the Jizzy Fra hype anytime soon.
“I definitely want to do something in the music business,” Frazer said. “If I can make music for the rest of my life that would be a dream come true. There’s going to be a lot of new opportunities for me next year. I’ve got a lot of things planned.”