Gramatik
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Gramatik | |
---|---|
Birth name | Denis Jašarević |
Also known as | Gramatik, Exmag |
Born | Portorož, Slovenia |
October 19, 1984
Genres | Chillhop, instrumental hip hop, downtempo |
Occupation(s) | producer, songwriter |
Years active | 2008–present |
Labels | Lowtemp |
Associated acts | GRiZ, Pretty Lights, Big Gigantic |
Website | www |
Denis Jašarević, better known for his stage name Gramatik, is an electronic artist from Portorož, Slovenia. His current sound falls under a mixture of hip hop, jazz and electro.
Contents
Early life
Jašarević’s began his interest in music at the age of three,[1] when his mother would catch him listening to American funk, jazz, soul and blues from his older sister’s cassette tapes. As he got older, he was entranced by hip-hop culture and listened to artists such as DJ Premier, Guru, RZA and Dr. Dre.[2]
At the age of 13, Jašarević started producing hip-hop music using an early PC. He later began sharing his tracks through the online music store Beatport, which helped him create his following throughout the U.S. and Europe. Beatport is what Jašarević cites as his gateway to emerging as an electronic artist and landing his first agent in the United States, Hunter Williams.[1]
Career
After Jašarević signed with his new agency, he moved to New York and released his first hip-hop album, Street Bangerz Vol. 1, in 2008. This album was on Beatport's Top 100 Chill Out chart for six months. In an interview with Britt Chester, Jašarević said, "I didn't even expect the album to sell one track on Beatport, nothing else was sold on beatport except techno and house. When I dropped my album and it started selling, I was really surprised, since I'd never seen a hip-hop album sell on Beatport. So when it sold, I was like 'Wow!' These were hip-hop beats, but it was labeled 'Chill Out' on Beatport. People saw it and thought it was awesome good chill out music, which is fine for me. I didn't expect it at all, and I didn't expect someone to reach out to me as a booking agent."[2]
A year after releasing his first album, Jašarević signed to the label Pretty Lights Music. At that time, the label consisted solely of American electronic artist Derek Vincent Smith, also known by his stage name, Pretty Lights.[2] The Pretty Lights Music label utilizes a fee-free music model. Jašarević has stated his belief is that it is "morally right for music to be primarily free", and has been vocal about his history with digital piracy and how it has benefitted his career in multiple ways.[3] Jašarević devoted his album #digitalfreedom to "the fight against severe internet censorship bills", citing ACTA, SOPA and PIPA as examples.[1]
In 2013, Jašarević announced his departure from the Pretty Lights Music label in order to form his own label, Lowtemp. The name is an abbreviation of "low temperature", which Jašarević has explained is meant to indicate that music from his label will be "cool".[4] Lowtemp now consists of artists Exmag (a side project of Gramatik),[5] ILLUMNTR, Gibbz, BRANX, and Russ Liquid. In 2014, Jašarević reissued his first seven albums—including the Street Bangerz series, renamed as SB—on the Lowtemp label with new or updated artwork.
Awards, Nominations, and Accomplishments
- Three "Best Track" awards - Beatport Music Awards (2012)[citation needed]
- Nomination for "Best Chill Out Artist" - Beatport Music Awards (2010)[citation needed]
Discography
Albums
- Street Bangerz Vol. 1 (2008) (reissued 2014 as SB1)
- Street Bangerz Vol. 2 (2009) (reissued 2014 as SB2)
- Street Bangerz Vol. 3 (2010) (reissued 2014 as as SB3)
- No Shortcuts (2010) (reissued 2014)
- Beatz & Pieces Vol.1 (2011) (reissued 2014)
- Expedition 44 (2011) (reissued 2014)
- Street Bangerz Vol. 4 (2013) (reissued 2014 as SB4)
- The Age of Reason (2014)
- Epigram (2016)
EPs
- Dreams About Her (2008) (reissued 2014)
- Water 4 The Soul (2009) (reissued 2014)
- #digitalfreedom (2012) (reissued 2015)
Singles
- "You Don't Understand" (2013)
- "Brave Men" (2014)
- "Hit That Jive" (2014)
- "Native Son" (2016)
Compilations
- Official & Bootleg Remixes, Colabs & Rare Tracks (2009-2010)
- Coffee Shop Selection (2015)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.