Moneyjaw and ZEALE have reunited with “Go,” a no-nonsense cut that pulls straight from the Dirtybird bass-house playbook—wonky, low-slung, and dripping with ghetto house attitude.
Where previous collaboration, Adderall / Imposter, toyed with off-kilter grooves and cheeky vocal snippets, “Go” pushes the formula further into high-gear. Built around a rolling sub, chopped-up vocal hooks, and twitchy percussive swings, it’s a track engineered for maximum energy.
The pair’s chemistry is easy to spot. Moneyjaw, the LA-via-Texas producer and DJ with a sharp ear for playful sampling, brings the kind of stripped-back swagger that’s become synonymous with labels like Dirtybird and Psycho Disco. Zeale, whose background spans rap, live performance, and sync deals with everyone from Coca-Cola to the Dallas Cowboys, adds a vocal presence that feels as comfortable in a sweaty club as it does in a halftime show. Together, they lock into a mode that’s equal parts functional and unhinged.
Read EDM Cave’s interview with Moneyjaw below
Working with Zeale clearly brings out a particular energy in your sound. What does collaboration unlock for you that solo production doesn’t?
When I work with Zeale, I am able to take advantage of his vocal talents and songwriting abilities that I don’t possess on my own. We have also made a recent concerted effort to remain in the tech house genre. So I guess it unlocks more ability but also locks me into a genre.
How do you think your sound has evolved since your earliest releases? Are there through-lines that still matter to you, or have your reference points shifted entirely?
This is a great question. So in one way, my earliest productions (Midas, Doubledown, Select) laid the precursor for this sound. I started out making tech house in 2000 before tech house was actually called tech house. I had a strong influence from Dallas crews and Brett Johnson that when taken to Southern California, set me and my friend apart from the existing artists there at the time. But many things were missing back then, mainly my ability to mix and master the songs. Allo f those old songs have a ton of low end noise that was never removed from the recordings, so they all sound like dogs hit. Additionally, there was no intention in the songwriting. Not saying that my songwriting is much better now, but the sonic quality is lightyears better.
A lot of club music right now leans into irony or self-awareness – does that resonate with you, or do you approach things from a different angle?
I definitely like to use irony in music. I hadn’t noticed it was a trend, but that makes sense. I feel like my OG sound is currently trending, not sure for how much longer. But yea that does resonate.
Looking around at the U.S. underground, are there particular cities, crews, or scenes that feel exciting to you right now?
I think the Miami scene is exciting. There are so many places to hear underground music. Club Space is a world class club. Ibiza seems like it’s still popping, same with Vegas. My buddies are doing cool stuff in LA. I think Austin has it going on as well. Any of the places I am familiar with seem to have great music happening. It’s definitely not dead.
There’s a strong sense of physicality in your music – it feels built for movement, not just listening. Is that rooted in your own experience of clubs, or something more instinctive?
Probably more instinctive if you are picking up on it. I have made no conscious effort towards this. Also I don’t go out dancing that often, maybe once per month. But I do exercise constantly and I am a very physical person. My love language is physical touch 😉
Do you find yourself more influenced these days by older records or by what’s happening in the current wave of producers?
Honestly, I hate to say it, but I am super influenced by modern music. I have a great foundational understanding of the classics. I even have a sick house music vinyl collection. But I get excited by all of the new artists and sounds that are coming through my feed each week. I feel like there is something about to happen that will break the game again. Hopefully I am a part of it early on and stick with it as it evolves.
When you look at where electronic music is heading, do you feel like there’s space for weirdness and risk, or is everything being pulled back into the algorithm?
No way, of course there is space for risk. Right now as long as you do something that is authentic and professionally made, you can grow your following. Keep it as weird as possible. Seriously, non conformity all the way!
Beyond this single, where do you see your sound going next? Are there ideas or directions you’ve been holding back that you’re ready to explore?
I have a new project coming out with Chuurch which is a slower, more bass heavy sound. But when I was in prison, I learned a bunch of christian songs. I think that I am going to revisit that style. So maybe like a Christian EDM style. I want to make something more meaningful than what I am currently making.
Go! is out now on Chrome Friends
