Kill the Noise

Among electronic music’s silos, where micro-genres bump against generic club music, Jake Stanczak made a name for himself as an omnivore. The Los Angeles-based DJ called Kill The Noise keened his mixing talents on various styles of dance music, while tuning into what was going on around him.

For a sense of the guy’s approach to DJ life, look at his associates: Through his new label, Slow Roast, he hooked up with DJ Craze, a master turntablist and bass music aficionado who sat in for A-Trak on Kanye West’s tours; the label is distributed by Fool’s Gold, co-owned by A-Trak.  All these men favor music with one overriding concern—body-moving. Stanczak messed around with electro-house for a while, but now he’s going into heavy territory, with big beat drama and thick-filtered synthesizer wobble. The yo-yo bouncing of his effects manipulation on record masks what must be a frenzied scene in person, as he yanks the invisible cord, cueing those moments of suspense that any dance floor dweller craves. You know, release. —Chris Toenes