Born and raised in Slovenia during the fall of Communism in the Eastern Bloc, Denis Jasarevic grew up on blues, rock, and The Beatles. Learning piano from a young age, Dennis J quickly developed a passion for music, and formed a band by the 4th grade. With middle school behind him, the world of hip-hop was introduced to young Jasarevic through a chance encounter with 36 Chambers.

Producing hip-hop beats followed a quick incursion into MCing. As Gramatik, Dennis J samples the old-school funk, soul, and R&B of his youth, while giving quick nods to the worlds of house and even drum & bass. With major success on the Beatport charts and out on the road, he caught the eye of Pretty Lights' Derek Vincent Smith, who signed him to his PLM label.

On today's episode, Dennis J discusses his musical upbringing, early forays into production, and the source material for a lot of his samples. This episode contains an Architecture in Helsinki remix from The Polish Ambassador, and a cut from newcomer to the scene Sir Charles, who just last month dropped a two-track release, Distant / Escape, on Eliot Lipp's Old Tacoma label.

Today's episode was sponsored by Press Play, bringing NiT GriT to Denver's Bluebird Theater on Friday, September 2nd.

To download this podcast, right click Gramatik Part 1 - Podcast Episode 86 and save the file.

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