We were lucky to catch up with Jared Morrison recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jared thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I don’t think there was a specific day where I thought I wanted to pursue DJing and producing professionally. I just loved music and performing and DJing gave me that opportunity. Over time, I developed my skills as a DJ and bookings started to come. However, in a world now full of DJ’s due to its accessibility, producing music is something to elevate yourself even further as a DJ and allow you to stand out from the crowd.

Jared, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Jared Adam Morrison and my stage name is that’s my J.A.M., so my stage name is a play on my own name. I was born and raised in the U.K., specifically England and now reside in Los Angeles. My love for music started from a very young age. My Dad, originally from Miami Florida, was a DJ and would always have the latest Hip-Hop and R&B songs, playing them in the house or car on repeat. Occasionally, he would invite me to his gigs and I loved watching him perform and seeing how happy he made the crowd, so I learned a lot from him. At the age of 14 I started to mess around with my Dad’s decks and that’s when my DJing journey began.

It wasn’t until 2009 when I went to university in Leeds, England where I fell in love with dance music as the city has deep roots in underground music culture and is home to some of the most iconic underground clubs. I was always DJing house parties and had the opportunity to DJ in some of those iconic venues. In 2017, I moved to Bristol, England to work for a local events company as a promoter and resident DJ. Similarly to Leeds, Bristol has a massive underground rave scene and I was fortunate enough to play in a lot of the well known underground venues.

In 2022, my wife and I started our own promotion company Wyde Eyez, as we wanted to bring the U.K. dance culture across the pond, as well as introduce L.A. to the genre we both love, U.K. Garage (pronounced Ga-ridge). Over the past couple of years, U.K. Garage has started to really take off in L.A. We’ve seen events popping up advertised as U.K. Garage, and I’ve received interest from promotion companies to play at their events, so I’m hoping this will continue and I can showcase the diversity the genre has to offer.

What sets me apart from other DJ’s is my ability to read a crowd. Most DJ’s have a set playlist and stick to that. When it comes to my sets, I’ll put feelers out to see what tunes the crowd are engaging most with. I like to have a mixture of classic, throwback and new tunes in my sets to keep my sets interesting. When it comes to producing, I try to mix a blend of old school and new school Garage into my songs. This is something that has been noticed by listeners and other producers and is definitely the sound I’m going for. U.K. Garage is not just a genre, but a culture and I’m so excited for the U.S. to get a taste of that.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

The biggest hurdle I’ve had to overcome was at the age of 14. I was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor which was an extremely difficult and isolating time for me. During this time, music was one of my main sources of comfort along with my family. Music provided me the escapism I needed and allowed me to stay positive, especially on those days where I really needed it. This further intensified my love for music and gave me a deeper understanding of the importance music can have on people’s lives.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding thing about being a DJ is the enjoyment you can give others. Music is all about bringing people together for the love of music and allow them to be care free. Watching an audience react to a cut mix, dropping an iconic sound or vocal from a specific song, gives me immense satisfaction and joy. Additionally, the creativity involved in mixing tracks and carefully choosing the right song to play next, allows me to leave my mark on the night in each of my performances, making every gig a special experience.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatsmyjammusic/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thatsmyJ.A.M.
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thats_my_jam