Made in NY, Loved Around the World: Getting to Know Jean Pierre

5 Tracks from Up-and-Coming Artists on Jean Pierre’s House Label, Pakate Records

If there is one word that could collectively describe the talented DJ/Producer Jean Pierre (Hot Creations, Cuttin' Headz), it is passion. Born and raised in the concrete jungle of New York City, this "Borough Beatman" from Queens has done nothing but live and breathe music for over fifteen years. And he has no intention of stopping it right now. 

Lost Souls - JJ aka Jean Pierre & Jesse Calosso Remix

Coming off a stellar 2023 which has seen him playing in some of the biggest venues in the world, including Space Miami, BPM Festival, and Buena Vida Festival, not to mention Ibiza shows at renowned clubs like Hi, Space, Pacha, Privilege, and Amnesia, this year is looking even brighter for Jean Pierre.

Jean has always been focused on finding unique records that transform his sets into riveting musical journeys, fusing house and groovy percussive patterns with the more modern minimal and techno sonorities, giving life to a unique sound also thanks to both his NYC upbringing and his Colombian roots, he has successfully created a unique style also influenced by the factors of his multi-cultural upbringing. His background, mixed with a two-year experience working at "Halcyon" - Brooklyn's legendary vinyl shop - truly helped him define and sharpen his musical taste, now finally mature and well-defined. 

Live recording of my set in Amsterdam for Loveland & Music ON

Nothing like ADE much love guys!

Jean Pierre Live from Loveland - Music On - ADE2023 by Jean Pierre

His hard work and dedication in the studio led to recent releases on industry-leading imprints such as Hot Creations, Cuttin' Headz, Desolat, Mindshake, and Defected, to name a few. Jean Pierre has thus garnered industry-wide support with his driving and powerhouse sound, making himself one of the hottest names to watch in the electronic house music panorama.

United States

Jean Pierre

United Kingdom

Cloonee

Francis Mercier

Netherlands

Franky Rizardo

HoneyLuv

Joshwa

Martin Ikin

Melé

Curaçao

Shermanology

Spain

Toni Varga

The Brooklyn Mirage

Elrow NYC: Summer Festival 2022 Far Rowest

Daniel Orpi

Damelo

Gray Area is pioneering the "Doubleheader" event series, drawing inspiration from back-to-back baseball games to showcase artists with similar styles but unique fan bases. By having one artist follow another and culminating in a collaborative back-to-back (B2B) set, Doubleheader aims to create a powerful platform for musical discovery and cross-pollination. Embracing the "B2B" spirit, the initiative seeks to introduce audiences to new sounds while strengthening the dance music ecosystem.

Doubleheader

Superior Ingredients Roof

Doubleheader: Daniel Orpi & Jean Pierre w. Angie Ocampo

Italy

Marco Carola

The Martinez Brothers

Jesse Calosso

Pacha Ibiza

Music On Week 15

Music On

Russia

Elena Pavla

Sad Money

Tyler Young

Daylight Sessions 004 w/ Sad Money, Jean Pierre, Tyler Young, Elena Pavla

Music On week 17

Benin

AMÉMÉ

France

Apollonia

Archie Hamilton

Türkiye

Carlita

DJ Tennis

South Africa

Black Coffee

CamelPhat

Switzerland

Deer Jade

Iran

Dubfire

Francesca Lombardo

Guatemala

Gordo

Germany

Konstantin Sibold

Layla Benitez

Loco Dice

Maher Daniel

Brazil

Mochakk

Ms. Mada

Natalia Roth

Rossi

Tony y Not

YokoO

Saint Martin

Happy Bay

SXM Festival 2023

De La Swing

Mikayla Wolf

Quantum Brooklyn

Doubleheader with De La Swing & Jean Pierre

Jamie Jones

Skepta

TSHA

Ben Sterling

Alan Fitzpatrick

Alisha

Mason Maynard

Chicks Luv Us

Amnesia Ibiza

Paradise Week 13

Paradise

Nigeria

Nicole Moudaber

Serge Devant

Hot Since 82

wAFF

VNSSA

Josh Wink

Israel

Guy J

Luna Mar

Gerd Janson

Canada

Jennifer Loveless

Enzo Siragusa

Belgium

NightFunk

Alex Kennon

Alex Mills

Success did not come overnight for NYC DJ and producer 

. His path took him to Colombia and back again, steeping him in the underground club scene of the Big Apple before sending him to stages across the globe by way of Miami. It’s a career that stands as testament to the power of perseverance, and it’s only begun to unfold.

“I was born in Queens,” Jean says. “I mostly grew up with hip-hop culture and was really into that … My older brother started putting the bug in my ear that he was going to the Sound Factory and telling me all these crazy stories about what happened in that club. I was intrigued by it.”

Before Jean had a chance to dive into dance music, though, his mother had different plans. “During my freshman year of high school I was a little more rebellious and going out — you know, crazy stuff that you get into when you’re going to high school — and my mom said, ‘You know what? I’m sending you to live with your dad,’” he says.

 story of sorts sent him to Colombia, where his father lived. Jean had been visiting every summer, so he already had friends and knew his way around. The synchronous pull of club culture managed to reach him a continent away, however.

Colombia’s two biggest clubs were Privilege and Mission — the latter of which had sound and lighting specifically designed to emulate New York’s legendary Sound Factory. Mission introduced European DJs like Carl Cox and Marco Carola to the country’s dance music fans during that time.

By comparison, Jean’s first experience behind the decks was far more modest.

“A year later, I was at a friend’s house and they were partying,” he recalls. “They said, ‘Hey, we can’t play because we’re too drunk … There were no CDJs, just two boomboxes playing CDs. They were like, ‘Yo, this does this, this does this, just figure it out.’ I did, and it was one of the experiences that changed my life. I was 15 years old.”

Red Lion

Four years later, Jean Pierre returned to NYC — but he chose to hone his craft before getting his feet wet. “I came back and I was just watching, not really pushing myself,” he says. “I felt like I still needed a lot of work DJing and getting more experience. My older brother had a lot of friends, so I started building my little network, going to Pacha and all these other clubs that were open at that time, looking and listening.”

Jean first performed at after-hours events in Queens before landing a gig in the Pacha basement courtesy of the late promoter Robert Hernandez. “He did a lot for me and my career,” says Jean. Rob would get him gigs at Cielo, the Pacha main floor, and Asseteria, opening up for the likes of Oscar G, Boris, and Chris Vargas.

“I just kept on doing my thing with my head down, trying not to get lost in that New York City scene,” Jean says. “It was intense and pretty nonstop — every weekend there was something.”

The 2010s saw Jean Pierre build a home studio and produce music as often as he could, releasing on Nervous Records and Victor Calderone’s Waveform Recordings. When the rise of social media platforms triggered a shift in the scene’s power structures, Jean remained relevant by landing a job at the since-shuttered NYC record store Halcyon.

“It helped a lot for [NYC club] Output to see my face consistently,” Jean says. “They started giving me sets in the Panther Room, brought me into the main room, and that’s kind of how the whole story went until Output closed and the record store closed a couple months later.”

Jean then relocated to Miami and built another music studio with a friend. The timing of the move turned out to be advantageous, as the COVID-19 pandemic gave him no option but to stay at home and focus on writing tracks. He honed his skills in the studio and tapped into a new revenue source by offering mixdowns as a service, stocking up on his own music before restrictions eased enough for him to hit the ground running again.

Introducing our brand new LIVE series - Live set recordings from selected TRMNL parties…

#002 - Jean Pierre LIVE from TRMNL 27/08
Arch Sessions August Bank Holiday Weekend
Night Session
LAB11 Warehouse

Also available to listen via our YouTube channel.

#thisisTRMNL

TRMNL Live Series 002: Jean Pierre by TRMNL

Calling Miami his home base has allowed Jean to travel easily between South America and Europe, solidifying his presence as an international artist. He also now runs his own record label, Pakate. It has given a home to releases by up-and-coming talent such as FLETCH, Daniel Orpi, and Reelow.

Even after two decades in the house music game, Jean Pierre’s story feels like it is only just beginning. Time has told that nothing will stop this persistent talent from taking anything he pursues to the next level.

Hungary

Reelow

Success did not come overnight for NYC DJ and producer Jean Pierre. His path took him to Colombia and back again, steeping him in the underground club scene of the Big Apple before sending him to stages across the globe by way of Miami. It’s a career that stands as testament to the power of perseverance, and it’s only begun to unfold.




“I was born in Queens,” Jean says. “I mostly grew up with hip-hop culture and was really into that … My older brother started putting the bug in my ear that he was going to the Sound Factory and telling me all these crazy stories about what happened in that club. I was intrigued by it.”




Before Jean had a chance to dive into dance music, though, his mother had different plans. “During my freshman year of high school I was a little more rebellious and going out — you know, crazy stuff that you get into when you’re going to high school — and my mom said, ‘You know what? I’m sending you to live with your dad,’” he says.




Jean Pierre’s Fresh Prince story of sorts sent him to Colombia, where his father lived. Jean had been visiting every summer, so he already had friends and knew his way around. The synchronous pull of club culture managed to reach him a continent away, however.




Colombia’s two biggest clubs were Privilege and Mission — the latter of which had sound and lighting specifically designed to emulate New York’s legendary Sound Factory. Mission introduced European DJs like Carl Cox and Marco Carola to the country’s dance music fans during that time.




By comparison, Jean’s first experience behind the decks was far more modest.




“A year later, I was at a friend’s house and they were partying,” he recalls. “They said, ‘Hey, we can’t play because we’re too drunk … There were no CDJs, just two boomboxes playing CDs. They were like, ‘Yo, this does this, this does this, just figure it out.’ I did, and it was one of the experiences that changed my life. I was 15 years old.”




Four years later, Jean Pierre returned to NYC — but he chose to hone his craft before getting his feet wet. “I came back and I was just watching, not really pushing myself,” he says. “I felt like I still needed a lot of work DJing and getting more experience. My older brother had a lot of friends, so I started building my little network, going to Pacha and all these other clubs that were open at that time, looking and listening.”




Jean first performed at after-hours events in Queens before landing a gig in the Pacha basement courtesy of the late promoter Robert Hernandez. “He did a lot for me and my career,” says Jean. Rob would get him gigs at Cielo, the Pacha main floor, and Asseteria, opening up for the likes of Oscar G, Boris, and Chris Vargas.




“I just kept on doing my thing with my head down, trying not to get lost in that New York City scene,” Jean says. “It was intense and pretty nonstop — every weekend there was something.”




The 2010s saw Jean Pierre build a home studio and produce music as often as he could, releasing on Nervous Records and Victor Calderone’s Waveform Recordings. When the rise of social media platforms triggered a shift in the scene’s power structures, Jean remained relevant by landing a job at the since-shuttered NYC record store Halcyon.




“It helped a lot for [NYC club] Output to see my face consistently,” Jean says. “They started giving me sets in the Panther Room, brought me into the main room, and that’s kind of how the whole story went until Output closed and the record store closed a couple months later.”




Jean then relocated to Miami and built another music studio with a friend. The timing of the move turned out to be advantageous, as the COVID-19 pandemic gave him no option but to stay at home and focus on writing tracks. He honed his skills in the studio and tapped into a new revenue source by offering mixdowns as a service, stocking up on his own music before restrictions eased enough for him to hit the ground running again.




Calling Miami his home base has allowed Jean to travel easily between South America and Europe, solidifying his presence as an international artist. He also now runs his own record label, Pakate. It has given a home to releases by up-and-coming talent such as FLETCH, Daniel Orpi, and Reelow.




Even after two decades in the house music game, Jean Pierre’s story feels like it is only just beginning. Time has told that nothing will stop this persistent talent from taking anything he pursues to the next level.

Jean Pierre

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