Jamie Justicz ’20 attended the
Summer Electronic Dance Institute
(SEMI) in New York City
Since discovering electronic dance music (EDM) in middle school, Jamie Justicz ’20 has written, produced, and released his own music, which has helped him form close relationships with other aspiring producers.
Zach Richardson ’20, one of Justicz’s friends, said, “I’ve had an opportunity to work alongside [Justicz], and his experience with music software is top notch. He just imagines a song and he knows just how to create it, arrange it and mix it into a finished product.”
Justicz credits his best friend at home and an elective course he took on classical music technology for inspiring him to start producing EDM. According to Justicz, although he started off his music career with playing piano and saxophone, he didn’t anticipate ever producing music.
“At the age of twelve, I had really thought that songwriting was just something I couldn’t do. It seemed completely alien to me. But through the help of my elementary music technology teacher, I was able to complete my first composition in Logic Pro 9,” said Justicz.
Justicz has since furthered has passion by attending the Summer Electronic Music Institute (SEMI) in New York City. There, Justicz attended lectures by top electronic music producers while exploring city life and going to concerts. According to Justicz, his experience at SEMI was life-changing.
“We got lectures from top producers including one from J. Chris Griffin, a producer that has worked with all the top artists in the world, [such as] Kanye West, John Legend, [and] Madonna,” said Justicz.
At Andover, Justicz is a part of the WPAA Radio Club, which runs an online radio station. Last year, Justicz took on the role of head of the radio station, but since has left the position to focus on recording and producing EDM. According to Justicz, EDM production allows him to create bridges cross multiple genres.
“[In EDM] there’s no strict structure. You can kind of do what you want and make whatever you are thinking. Even [as] you’re putting things together, there’s no one solution or one answer. I keep experimenting and doing things that you normally wouldn’t want to do. Like if I am doing some genre like electronic music, I will also try other random stuff like independent music,” said Justicz.
According to Justicz, while he loves producing EDM, he sees it as a hobby in the future. He hopes to release a full album on Spotify, Apple Music, and other music streaming platforms next summer.
“I think [EDM will] always be an important part of my life as I really love it. However, I still have to think about [EDM as a career] but at least for the near future, it’s going to stay a hobby. I’ll intern at a music company this summer, so that could change things. I’m pretty much just having fun with it and I don’t know where it’ll end up taking me,” said Justicz.
