“Underground and business sense doesn’t seem to work together well…but I believe the two can work together, if handled properly.” And he’s done just that. His warm personality and enthusiasm are contagious as he humbly exclaims, “success is measured on a personal level” – a mantra that isn’t adopted enough.
He was Jamie Lust before he was Jamie 3:26, as part of the crew Lust Corp. “I cut my deep house and disco teeth with this crew, starting in high school in…1987. We had a style of dress and music that set us apart plus we could all dance and mix our asses off!” Running overage events when they were underage was “serious shit” and the guys even got as far as booking Ron Hardy to play at a party for them in 1990 at AKA’s.
While his playful nature and lightheartedness don’t immediately insist upon his hard work and unfaltering ethic, it is clear Jamie has done the rounds. “It must have been around 1987 that I first made a few bucks DJing. I used to prefer to dance and DJing was more of a hobby. I actually got stage fright when I DJed then.”
Touring constantly ever since his first international booking in 2002 in Brussels, nowhere quite compares to home. “Chicago will always be my home and one of my favourite places to play. There’s just an energy and vibe that can’t be found anywhere else…especially if it’s a raw underground event”. His love for Chicago is something he tries to bring to the rest of the world when he plays, avoiding falling into the trap of playing “the same tired songs” and never compromising his own personal style “so I do the same shit abroad that I do at home”.
As an underground artist, his opinion on EDM and electronic music’s ascent (or descent) into mainstream is just as you would expect. “Hey, I am not gonna knock those guys who are doin’ it and making major loot. I never trip on success. Keepin’ it real has kept many broke.” But right now Jamie sees everything scaling back. “Going back to the roots, the true roots beginning in Chicago! There’s a revival and an influence on many from the roots of house music…and that’s Chicago, all day baby!”
Music has been deeply entrenched in his origins from the beginning, as Jamie smirks, “I preferred records over toys.” The first record he ever purchased with his own money from working a paper route was Jesse Saunders’ Real Love. “I would save up lunch money, to go buy records…like many cats I know, I just bought and still buy shit I like or want.”
Making the first record Pete Hardy released by anyone other than Ron Hardy was no easy feat and Jamie doesn’t forget this, holding it close to his heart and more so retaining an incredible amount of respect for the Hardy’s.
“The brother really moved me! I learned crowd control and timing from him. This cat was a musical voodoo priest. He could have the hardest thug, who would rob yo ass in a dark alley crying on the dance floor. That’s fuckin’ power!” In saying this, Jamie points out that many have tarnished the memory of the legend, putting “his name on some shit he didn’t even do…and it sells.”
Always touring, he finally makes his way to Australia this week only for the second time. His nostalgia in overdrive, Jamie exclaims, “It was an amazing experience…and the things I saw, oh my god!” Feeding koalas and petting kangaroos topped his list as he goes on to say that “the parties were insane and everyone was so damn cool and chill…I can’t wait to come back.” And neither can we. Jamie 3:26 is in a league of his own and his humility, honesty and unwavering passion is clearly why remains to be a legend by tastemakers and lovers of house music for decades.
BY KISH LAL
