LISTEN: Franklin Jonas Debuts New Track "Hoboken"
Franklin Jonas’ solo musical journey began when he started experimenting with beatmaking in college, crafting samples directly from vinyl and diving deep into the world of music production. After studying audio engineering under mixing mastermind John McBride—whose distinctive voice appears at the beginning of “Cocaine”—Jonas took a break from music, until inspiration struck during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was roommate and fellow musician Clint Michigan who encouraged him to pursue his creative streak; and it was a peer who, after hearing Jonas’ work-in-progress, connected him with the guys behind Pizzaslime Records.
Jonas takes inspiration from a bevy of foundational influences—the cinematic boom-bap of legendary producer the Alchemist, the synth-y zest of Passion Pit, Allen Ginsberg’s classic work of poetry Howl, Bon Iver’s electro-acoustic experimentation—to craft his own sound. More music is imminent.
“Hoboken,” the new song from rising artist Franklin Jonas is out now on Pizzaslime Records (via Mad Decent). Franklin wrote and produced the track with Charlie Brand (Miniature Tigers, Weezer, Skizzy Mars) and Dave Weingarten.
“The original demo for ‘Hoboken’ started with a sample coupled with my normal barrage of torrented drum samples; OutKast/Nas kicks and snares and a whole lot of Earl Sweatshirt percussion. On the first day of production together, Charlie and I were listening to all of the demos, and we were sharing ideas. When it got to the bridge I said, ‘Here’s the children’s choir.’ He laughed thinking I was joking. I stayed true to the idea and eventually, it became clear that the famed Musyca Children’s Choir was willing and excited to be a part of ‘Hoboken.’”
“Hoboken” follows Franklin’s first-ever music release, his debut single, “Cocaine,” named “a dreamy, shoegaze-y tune with hints of doo-wop” by Rolling Stone, while Ones to Watch hailed the single as “a celebration of who he dances as today and a declaration of hope that he’ll meet more of himself tomorrow.”
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FRANKLIN JONAS