Jonathan Dagan, (born February 16, 1982) known by his stage name J.Views, is a two-time Grammy nominated musician based in New York.
[Grammy nominee page for Jonathan Dagan.](_blank)
The Recording Academy
National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (NARAS), doing business as The Recording Academy, is an American Learned society, learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is widely kno ...
. Retrieved Dec. 29, 2012.
As a songwriter, producer,
remixer
A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...
, and art director, J.Views is known for pushing the boundaries in the creative world, constantly innovating the dialog with his audience.
[Thompson, Stephen (Sept. 27, 2012)]
“First Watch: j.viewz.”
''All Songs Considered
''All Songs Considered'' is a weekly online podcast and radio program hosted by Robin Hilton. It was created in January 2000 by NPR's ''All Things Considered'' then-director Bob Boilen and produced by Robin Hilton beginning in 2001. At first, ...
'' (NPR
National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
). Retrieved Dec. 29, 2012.
Under the alias J.Views, he has collaborated with numerous guest vocalists and musicians. His production often incorporates
nostalgic
Nostalgia is a sentimentality for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. The word ''nostalgia'' is a neoclassical compound derived from Greek, consisting of (''nóstos''), a Homeric word meaning "homecomi ...
elements through the use of
samples,
analog tapes and
synthesizers
A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
, and is often described as multilayered and detailed.
NPR's ''
All Songs Considered
''All Songs Considered'' is a weekly online podcast and radio program hosted by Robin Hilton. It was created in January 2000 by NPR's ''All Things Considered'' then-director Bob Boilen and produced by Robin Hilton beginning in 2001. At first, ...
'' said, "J.Views writes songs that whirl and clatter like tiny
Rube Goldberg devices."
In 2018, Dagan created the leading sample used in
Drip Too Hard by American rappers
Lil Baby
Dominique Armani Jones (born December 3, 1994), known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to prominence following the release of his 2017 mixtapes ''Harder than Hard'' and ''Too Hard'' — the for ...
and
Gunna. The song was certified
5× Platinum by the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
, and peaked at #4 on the US
Billboard Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), ...
.
In February 2019,
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...
released her version of the song, titled "Barbie Drip". Another J.Views sample from the same Splice series was featured in the 2019 release by Australian musician
Flume
A flume is a human-made channel for water, in the form of an open declined gravity chute whose walls are raised above the surrounding terrain, in contrast to a trench or ditch. Flumes are not to be confused with aqueducts, which are built to t ...
"Levitate (feat. Reo Cragun)".
Among his international productions, Dagan produced the album ''Orot'' by the Israeli artist Avraham Tal. The album was certified Platinum in Israel, and its leading single is the most played song of the decade on Israeli radio, according to the Israeli society of music publishers
ACUM.
Career
Early releases
Dagan worked on the first J.Views demo with vocalist Noa Lembersky in 2004. Soon after, tracks from that demo caught the attention of several record labels, and, in the following months, the first J.Views songs were released in over 50 compilations worldwide.
[Fusilli, Jim (Sept. 14, 2011]
“Out of His Funk, Music as Therapy.”
''Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
''. Retrieved Dec. 29, 2012.
In April 2005, the debut album of J.Views, ''
Muse Breaks'', was released by Deeplay Music (
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
).
''rivers and homes''
The second J.Views full-length album, ''
rivers and homes'', was released in 2011. It originated as an idea Dagan dubbed "Work In Progress." Dagan began developing it in the spring of 2010. The plan was to make an album available for pre-order, and then record and release tracks gradually over the course of a year to fans who subscribed to the process.
From early on, the project drew subscribers in, and allowed the album to be financed through pre-orders. Each song was recorded and released in the same period in which it had been conceived, giving fans an intimate real-time look at the artistic evolution of the album.
Right after the release of “Salty Air” - the 3rd track in the process - it was selected by
Revlon
Revlon, Inc. is an American multinational company dealing in cosmetics, skin care, perfume, and personal care. The headquarters of Revlon was established in New York City on March 1, 1932, where it remains. Revlon was founded by brothers Charle ...
to be used in its 2011 advertising campaign, starring
Halle Berry
Halle Maria Berry ( ; born Maria Halle Berry; August 14, 1966) is an American actress. She began her career as a model and entered several beauty contests, finishing as the first runner-up in the Miss USA pageant of 1986 and also placing six ...
.
Once completed, Dagan distributed the finished album in physical form to his subscribers, and only later made it available to the general public. In 2012, ''rivers and homes'' was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package.
The DNA Project
In November 2014, Dagan launched The DNA Project, a website presenting the step-by-step making of the next J.Views album in real-time.
The concept was originally presented as a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. Dagan had a vision to create a multi-layered player for his next album, allowing listeners to access the origins and creative processes behind every song. The campaign quickly raised $65,234 with the backing of over 1,000 fans, and with the help of digital agency, Hello Monday, the website was launched.
With the DNA Project, J.Views invites his fans to follow his creative process in its entirety, providing access to the people, places, and sounds that inspired each song, as well as exclusive videos of J.Views's writing process, recording sessions, and innermost thoughts during the creation of each song.
Since its launch, the DNA Project has generated buzz in digital and music communities, with over one million views. In June 2015, the DNA Project won the Cannes Silver Lion Award in the Design Category. Other awards include the Site of the Day Awards from FWA and Awwwards, as well as The Webby Awards Music Website Nominee and Awwwards & Internet Explorer Site of the Year Nominee.
The album was set to be completed in December 2015. Until then, fans were encouraged to interact with the DNA Project by commenting, adding sounds and images of their own, and downloading samples for use in their own music. The album was eventually released under the title ''401 Days'' in 2016.
''401 Days''
The third and latest album of J.Views, ''401 Days'' was released independently in May 2016. The first video from the first single of ''401 Days'', #Almostforgot, is a mobile experience controlled by the viewer's heart rate in real time.
Other projects
In 2018 he was invited by
Harman Kardon
Harman/Kardon is a brand of US-based Harman International Industries. Harman Kardon was originally founded in Westbury, New York, in 1953 by business partners Sidney Harman and Bernard Kardon.
The company is focused on three audio equipment b ...
and
Volvo
The Volvo Group (; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of truck ...
to create three songs in three European cities with the Swedish music artist
Ana Diaz. On their Amsterdam trip they met
Yuri Landman
Yuri Landman (born 1 February 1973) is a Dutch inventor of musical instruments and musician who has made several experimental electric string instruments for a number of artists including Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, Liars (band), Liars, Jad Fair ...
who build an electric table string instrument in a few hours with Views.
Live performance
J.Views performs with a changing live setup, and in 2017 the live band includes Denitia Odigie, Ofer Levy, and Tomer Rabinowitz.
[Grewal, Samar (April 2008). “Desert Vibe: Here’s an Eclectic Bunch We Should Be Hearing More From.” '']Rolling Stone Magazine
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known ...
''. This live band also launched the album ''401 Days'' along with a 30-Piece Orchestra at the
Tel-Aviv Opera Hall, as an audio-visual experience.
Awards and recognition
J.Views received two
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
nominations. For his package design of his album ''
rivers and homes'' and for his art direction, alongside designer Mathias Høst Normark, for his third album ''401 Days''. in 2012 and 2016 respectively.
For the creation of DNA Project, J.Views teamed up with Danish creative agency Hello Monday. The website has received numerous awards and nominations including;
*
Cannes Lions - Silver Lion winner
*
Webby Award
The Webby Awards (colloquially referred to as the Webbys) are awards for excellence on the Internet presented annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a judging body composed of over three thousand industry experts a ...
s - Music Website (Nominated)
*
Awwwards - site of the month
* FWA Award
* French Design Index - site of the day
* D&AD Pencil Awards
* One Show Awards
Discography
Albums
*''
Muse Breaks'' (2005)
*''
rivers and homes'' (2011)
*''401 Days'' (2016)
*''401.1'' (2017)
EPs
*''
The Besides EP'' (2008)
Remixes
*
Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, in 1999. The band includes brothers Caleb, Nathan, and Jared Followill and their cousin Matthew Followill.
The band's early music was a blend of Southern roc ...
– Birthday (J.Views remix) (White Label)
*
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...
– Peace (J.Views remix) (White Label)
*
Nina Simone
Nina Simone ( ; born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) was an American singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and po ...
– See line Woman (J.Views remix) (2008, Rock River Music)
*
Yasmin Levy – Naci en Alamo (J.Views remix) (2008, Adama Music)
*
Infected Mushroom
Infected Mushroom () is an Israeli musical duo formed in Haifa in 1996 by producers Erez Eisen and Amit Duvdevani. They produce and perform psytrance, electronica, dream trance and psychedelic music. They are one of the best-selling groups in ...
&
Jonathan Davis
Jonathan Howsmon Davis (born January 18, 1971), also known as JD, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is the lead vocalist and frontman of nu metal band Korn, which is considered a pioneering act of the nu metal genre. Davis's ...
– Smashing the Opponent (J.Views remix) (2009, Adrenaline Music)
*
Easy Star All-Stars
Easy Star All-Stars is a reggae collective founded in 1997 by Michael Goldwasser, Eric Smith, Lem Oppenheimer and Remy Gerstein of New York City-based Easy Star Records. The band is known for its reinterpretations of classic albums in reggae st ...
– On the Run (J.Views remix) (2010, Easy Star Records)
*
Moby
Richard Melville Hall (September 11, 1965), known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, disc jockey, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "amo ...
– The Day (J.Views remix) (2011, Mute Records)
*
Walk the Moon - Tightrope (J.Views remix) (2012, RCA Records/Sony Music)
*
Dido
Dido ( ; , ), also known as Elissa ( , ), was the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage (located in Tunisia), in 814 BC.
In most accounts, she was the queen of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre (located ...
- No Freedom (J.Views remix) (2013, RCA Records/Sony Music)
*
Wild cub - Wishing Well (J.Views remix) (2014)
*
RKCB – Bloom (J.Views remix) (2017, AllPoints)
*Bluetech – “Prayers for Rain” (J.Views remix) (2020, Aleph Zero Records)
References
External links
jviewz.com401Days.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:J.Views
1982 births
Living people
American electronic musicians
American art directors
Remixers
Israeli electronic musicians
Israeli record producers
Musicians from New York (state)
Record producers from New York (state)
Songwriters from New York (state)