Jae Mak...the man behind it all

They say behind every great man is an even greater woman; I echo the same sentiments in musical circles. Behind every great musician is an even greater producer. That man or woman who labours before and after your favourite artist records. This is the person that creates the environment for any artist to shine. This is that person who brings together the ideas that an artist has, this is the person who smoothens the rough edges after the artist has finished their part. Today we have the pleasure of interviewing such a man. Josh "Jae Mac" Makoni. This is a man I have had the pleasure of working with on a couple of projects that are yet to be released. His instrumentals has a distinct difference from any other producer. He is a man who loves what he does and does it very well. All the way from Zimbabwe...I give you Jae Mak.

Me: Jae Mac, the pleasure is mine...let me start by thanking you for the time you have set aside to make this interview a reality. Tell us Mac, how long have you been producing?

Jae Mac:Well umm,I started making beats when I was 16.and I'm 21 now btw..lol..made my first proper beat,proper arrangement ad all when I was 16

Me: Obviously people are drawn to music for various different reasons. What would you say pulled you to making music? And nowadays everyone wants to be in the spotlight, what about being behind the deck brings you satisfaction?

Jae Mac:I have a brother who loves music so much and when I grew up he was connected to so many DJ's and he used to DJ as well and so I just picked u the inspiration from there.always told myself I wanted to do better though.I started off making my own mixes of other tracks,went on to recording myself on international beats.however rapping wasn't really my strength!lol..decided to move to making beats after I saw my brother installing Fruity Loops on our home computer.I just started playing around with the program and that's when everything started

Me: What would you say makes the perfect instrumental for you?

Jae Mac: mmmm,id say the Piano.I love keys especially when being played by someone who really knows how to handles em scales!

Me: Obviously everyone would like to know what software and hardware do you use in your craft?

Jae Mac: for the software part I use FL Studio.just use it as a host though.all of my sounds aren’t the defaults that come with the software. Hardware I don’t got much.its just a MIDI controller and my laptop

Me: How did it all begin for you?

Jae Mac:it all started when I met up wit my boy Q Rigga!dude been my inspiration since day one.he really pushed me to be a better beat-maker.I can say my 1^st track that was recognized by quite a number of people was a track called Testify I produced for Q rigga and it featured MetaPhysics.From then I just started making music and things just started happening.Meeting up with some of Zims best artists and getting to work with them

Me: I understand you are studying...what are you studying, and how do you strike a balance between your studies and the music?

Jae Mac:I'm doin IT..and well it is quite a challenge balancing the 2!lol..but I am managing.I just make music when I am free.when its time for the books I tend to forget bou the music thing completely

Me: What has been your greatest challenge to date...in your musical road?

Jae Mac:My greatest challenge has been people who be discouraging you and telling you African artists are irrelevant.Trust me,some of my own so called friends have told me that I'm wasting time because there is really no way I'm going to leave a mark in the industry.there are so many times id think of quitting but however Id just find the strength to keep on pushing and I am proving all those people wrong each and everyday that comes

Me: Considering those challenges you have faced, how would you say is the ideal way to overcome these challenges?

Jae Mac: Well,I just ignore all the challenges and move on..it has really been helping and that's the reason why Jae Mac is here today

Me: I personally have opportunities that I have allowed to pass me by, that I often wonder how different things would have been had I captured them. Is there anything like that in Jae Mac's life?

Jae Mac:mmmmmmm at the moment I cant think of any to be honest..if there are any situations like that I think they were too minor I cant even remember

Me: You've obviously worked with a lot of artists in several different genres. Who have you worked with the most? And who have you enjoyed working with the most?

Jae Mac: I've worked wit Q Rigga the most.we have quite a number of unreleased tracks that we gon release I dont know when!lol..but when we do,u sure gon LOVE em..I always enjoy workin wit him too coz he is CRAZY..he just has this vibe that makes working on music fun!

Me: Which 5 artists and 5 producers would you like to work with in the future?

Jae Mac:Artists,id say Cindy.I thnk she got a beautiful voice.Roki,Carlprit and this new guy by the name Taps!dude is amazing! Producers id say Croft,Begotten Son,already workin on a track with Shayzar,T Collar,and KANYE WEST!!!Kanye is a music magician I tell u.

Me: Obviously a lot of people do not do music full-time because it doesnt pay the bills or they are conditioned by society's diminished view of such careers, is this the case with you...if music pays the bills would you make a career of it?

Jae Mac:NO DOUBT!!if the music starts paying the studio is goin to be my second home!

Me: I find it amusing that most producers are fans of musical genres that they do not produce themselves? Is this the case with you?

Jae Mac:Yeah t is..I'm an Avicci fan!I'm ssoo in love with his music but I aint never tried making a euro-house type beat.

Me: Which artists do we find on Jae Mac's ipod?

Jae Mac:eish a lot man!!I listen to everyone!I'm just a fan of good music.ul find local content,international content,number one hits,underground tracks by almost every artist!

Me: Out of all the genres that you could have been producing what would you say influenced your choice of genre?

Jae Mac:I major in HipHop and I think just the fact that I enjoy HipHop music so much influenced me into making HipHop music too.

Me: I get a lot of music links and links to beats and such everyday. However when I heard a track with one of your beats I was so captivated by the artistic mastery and how unique your production is. What I wanna know is what keeps Jae Mac distinctly original in an industry that is filled with copies of Timbaland, Dr. Dre, Swiss Beats and so on?

Jae Mac:wow,thanks a lot man! Haha..well I think my sound is a bit different because of the sounds I use.like I mentioned earlier,I use FL Studio but I do not use its default sounds.not at all.I hav so many VSTs and at the end of the day,I end up not having sounds and samples that everyone who uses the same software has.and for my style I always experiment a lot and I ges that's what brings out the creativity.I discover something new almost everytime I made a beat.I just dont stick to what I know or what someone else would have shown me.

Me: How does a beat come by for you? How do you create your beats...from the idea to that time you sit back and say "This is good"?

Jae Mac:it all depends..sometimes I just sit and I start playing around with keys and if something nice comes out of it I will lay it down and sumtyms a melody just starts in my head,I grab the keyboard and I lay it down.it just comes in so many ways man.sometimes I cant even explain it!lol

Me: Let's talk time wise...I mean personally I can not give an exact time frame of how long it takes me to complete a track, as it is never the same for any two track. How long does it take you to work on an instrumental?

Jae Mac:all depends on my mood man and how much I'll be paying attention..sometimes I start on something,leave it and only finish it after a number of days.I finish some projects in a mater of minutes,some a matter of hours.

Me: So I'm sure many would like to know...is Jae Mac looking to be signed or is there something of that sort cooking in the background?

Jae Mac:well id wanna be signed if and only if I'm goin to be paid really good!!lol..

Me: I have learnt that it does not matter how good you are as a producer if you do not take your stuff out there. If you do not make it known...What methods are you using to get the music out?

Jae Mac:well the internet has been helping out a lot.social networks are really playin a major role in music distribution.and the songs I've produced been getting airplay too.

Me: I'll make an inquiry on behalf of all artists out there who would like to work with you. What services does Jae Mac offer as a producer? Do you mix and master or are you focused merely on the instrumentals?

Jae Mac:I used to focus on instrumentals only but I'm moving into the mixing and mastering field too.its a field I really dont want to major in at the moment as it requires a lot of time.I dont want to push so much pressure on myself as I'm still studying.so if its just beats,feel free to holla anytime.

Me: As a producer what were your goals for 2012? And have you achieved everything you set out to achieve? If so congratulations...if not I would like to know what has hindered you from doing so?

Jae Mac:well I have achieved quite a lot.I so wanted to get frequent airplay and I been getting messages from family and friends telling me when my track is on radio and I been getting those messages quite a lot.however I feel I can even do better!.I managed to produce a track that made it on the Power Fm charts.last I heard it was on number 12 though.I worked with some artists I always used to look up to way before I started being serious with my music.an example is ill Ceey.I had 3 productions on his album and 2 on his mixtape.I also have a number of projects with Nox Guni who happens to be one of the top musicians in Zimbabwe at the moment.

Me: Finally what can we look forward to hearing from Jae Mac in the future? Any thing in the pipeline?

Jae Mac:well just expect good music!!lots and lots of good music coz that's what I'm about!

Me: Many thanks for taking your time to let the world know more about Jae Mac. God speed with all your plans bro.

Jae Mac:Thank you!its been a pleasure!

If you would like to contact Jae Mac you can hit him up on

Facebook: www.facebook.com/joshmacony

Twitter:@jaemacbeatz

Or to listen to his work:

www.soundcloud.com/joshmacony

March 2013 Prayer Points

Prayer Relay Movement-March 2013

 

 

 

 

When he came to this earth to live among us, our Lord Jesus Christ submitted himself to the rulership of this world. Not as a subject, he came to live out the scripture "In this world but not of it"...In flesh he knew that the harvest was plentiful and that it was ready, but he also realised that if he was to be effective he had to raise stewards who would push on his legacy long after he had returned to his glory. You and I are his stewards, the baton has been passed from generation to generation...it is our turn to run the race and at the end to pass the legacy to the ones he will call after us.

 

Brethren the harvest is ready, but the labourers are few. I charge you in the name of our saviour Jesus Christ to submit yourselves to him as labourers, and to encourage others to do the same. The time is now. Don't wait for tomorrow, the word of God says the devil knows that his time is limited so he is out to mess up as much of the crop as possible before it is harvested. We have little time to minister to our children, the world is ministering to them daily. We have little time to minister to our family and friends, no one knows when they may be taken away. In my spirit I have no doubt that God wants to set a generation on fire this month. He wants to set out radical labourers in this month.

 

Let us pray:

Heavenly father we are grateful for the time you have given us to minister on this earth. Lord I thank you for setting a generation on fire this month. Father I see a generation calling on your name like never before in this month. Father I see multitudes giving their lives to you in this month. I feel a move of the spirit in the hearts of the lost. Father I see convicted hearts calling your name and being saved. I see this fire catching on from town to town, from city to city according to our obedience. Lord I ask for boldness in your labourers. That spirit of fear that the enemy will raise against them: I nullify it in the name of Jesus. That self-conviction, I nullify it by your word, that is written, "There is no condemnation for them that are in Christ." Clothe us with your righteousness Lord.

 

All Glory and honour be unto you

 

In the name of Jesus Christ

AMEN

 

Without any further ado, let me welcome you to the prayer relay movement for March 2013.

 “where we run our race and God moves on our behalf.”

00:00 to 01:00 UNDERSTAND THE MOVE OF GOD

 

l  Lord may you open our eyes that we may be aligned with your movements  Acts 1:4

l  Give us a heart that is filled with expectation, and willing to wait on you for only your time is perfect Acts 1:4

l   Father thank you for such a time as this, where you will move mightily among those who desire to serve you Acts 1:4

 

 

01:00 to 02:00 REVELATION OF GOD'S WILL

 

l  Lord your ways are higher than our ways, reveal your will to us and direct our movements in this season Acts 1:24

l  Make our hearts receptive Acts 1:24

l  Lord raise in us obedient hearts that will move only according to your direction Acts 1:24

 

02:00 to 03:00 OUTPOUR OF THE SPIRIT

l  Father as per you word, pour out your spirit in these last days Acts 2:17-19

l  Consecrate us that we may be worthy vessels to carry that glory that is your Spirit Acts 2:17-19

l  Open the eyes and soften the hearts of this generation, that they may not miss your outpour Acts 2:17-19

03:00 to 04:00 SIT AT HIS RIGHT HAND IN CHRIST

 

l  Father we are glad and grateful to sit in your presence in our Lord Jesus Christ Acts 2:34-35

l  Lord thank you for raising us high above our enemies. Acts 2:34-35

l  Thank you Lord for you will make footstools of our enemies. That they may look up and see your glory Acts 2:34-35

 

04:00 to 05:00 TEACH US WHAT IT IS TO FEAR YOU LORD

 

l  Lord teach us to revere you, as the fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom Acts 2:43-44

l  Lord may we be wholeheartedly devoted to you and your teachings Acts 2:43-44

l  Father may you bring us together in love Acts 2:43-44

 

05:00 to 06:00 RECOGNISE THE POWER WE POSSESS

 

l  Lord open our eyes that we may see the plot of the enemy Acts 3:6

l  Give us revelation and wisdom to know the ammunition that we have to pull down strongholds and cast down imaginations Acts 3:6

l  May we recognise your power that was entrusted in us through Christ and your Spirit Acts 3:6

 

06:00 to 07:00 SOFTEN THE HEARTS OF THOSE WHO HEAR YOUR WORD

 

l  Lord as you send us out, may you prepare the ground to receive the seed you have entrusted in us Acts 4:4

l  Teach us the best ways to sow your seed, that it may bear fruit Acts 4:4

l  May your word that we carry bring healing to the hearts of many Acts 4:4

 

07:00 to 08:00 GIVE US BOLDNESS OH LORD

l  In the midst of all possible adversaries, may we stand by what we believe in Acts 4:29-31

l  Father may we never be silenced by this world, may we be as bold as a lion and roar Acts 4:29-31

l  We are not ashamed of the gospel Acts 4:29-31

 

08:00 to 09:00 MAY OUR BOLDNESS BEAR TESTIMONY

l  May our boldness testify of your grace and mercy Acts 4: 13, Acts 4:19-20

l  May the zeal and fire we have for your kingdom shine a light and attract others Acts 4: 13, Acts 4:19-20

l  Fill us with your spirit Lord, that we may continue to speak your messages boldly regardless of the audience Acts 4: 13, Acts 4:19-20

 

09:00 to 10:00 UNITE US IN PURPOSE

 

l  Father we pray for unity among your servants, for it is in unity that you command a blessing Acts 4:32

l  May you constantly remind us of the purpose, that we may not forget it and push our own agendas Acts 4:32

l  Make known to us the purpose of every move, as a body Acts 4:32

 

10:00 to 11:00 MAY OUR PRAYERS TOUCH THOSE WE CANT REACH

 

l  Lord we send your word out to those we can’t reach, may it heal them Acts 5:15

l  Father we declare that your word will never return to you void, it will complete that which it is sent to complete Acts 5:15

l  Father we send your spirit of love to them, may they know who you are and be drawn to you Acts 5:15

111:00 to 12:00 REJOICE IN SUFFERING

l  Lord we thank you for you stand with us in the midst of all the storms of life

l  Our joy is hidden in you, let nothing of this world take that away Acts 5:41

l  Father we give you glory for every trial and every tribulation. For every tear shed. Acts 5:41

 

12:00 to 13:00 REVEAL TO US WHERE BEST TO SERVE EFFECIENTLY

 

l  Lord may we not serve you in order to be seen or heard. May we serve for the purpose that you have called us. Acts 6:2-4

l  Lord direct us in service, may we depart from our ambitions and do your will. May we serve where we are most effective and maximise our gifts Acts 6:2-4

l  Lord may our spirits be always reminded that our reward is heavenly, that every glory of this earth will fade Acts 6:2-4

 

13:00 to 14:00 PULL YOUR CALLED ONES FROM THE CROOKED PATHS

 

l  Lord may you visit your called ones who walk in the crooked paths as you did Paul Acts 9:4-6

l  May you shut their eyes to the things of this world and open them unto your glory Acts 9:8

l  May that unquenchable fire that was in Paul be imparted to them

 

14:00 to 15:00 REMEMBER US OH LORD

l  Father though our righteousness is as filthy rags before you, remember the little good that we do Acts 10:4

l  May our prayers always be a song that plays back to you Lord, and arise as a reminder Acts 10:4

l  May you create in us hearts that are cheerful in giving, that heaven may remember us by that Acts 10:4

15:00 to 16:00 TEACH US HUMILITY, TO GIVE YOU GLORY

l  Father may you grace us to be humble and give all glory back to you Acts 10:26

l  Lord we repent of all the times that we have been praised and not directed your glory back to you Acts 12:23

l  Father when honoured in public may we not be ashamed to honour you in public. For you honour before your Father those who honour you before men Acts 14:14-15

 

16:00 to 17:00 CAST DOWN EVERY TONGUE THAT RISES AGAINST THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD

l  Father every voice that rises against us in your work, May it be silenced Acts 13:8-12

l  May those who oppose you in public be shamed in public, that all may see that the Lord lives Acts 13:12

l  May loud opposing voices be turned into even louder voices that speak of who you are as you did with Saul to Paul

 

17:00 to 18:00 GO ON AHEAD OF US LORD

 

 

l  Father strengthen us that we may never tire in doing your work Acts 13:8-12

l  May your presence lead us and show by the fruits Acts 13:8-12

l  May your voice be the one that speaks and not our own Acts 13:8-12

 

18:00 to 19:00 CAST DOWN EVERY TRAP AND EXPECTATION OF THE ENEMY

l  Father may every trap of the enemy against your people only serve as a trap for the ones who set it. May the digger of the pit be the one to fall into it Acts 12:19

l  Father may you build love in us that we may be stand up for our brethren Acts 12:5

l  May your greatness be astounding, that even we may not believe it is physical Acts 12:9

 

19:00 TO 20:00 EVERY SOWER TO WATCH OVER HIS SEED

l  Father you give seed to the sower. May your Spirit go on ahead and prepare the fields, that is the hearts of the lost, for that seed that you send with us Acts 15:36

l  Father grace us to be good stewards who keep watch and water what we have planted Acts 15:36

l  Father we pray right now for every seed that will be sown this month. That it will fall on good ground and bear fruit Acts 15:36

 

 

20:00 TO 21:00 GROWTH

 

l  Lord may your body increase in numbers. May your goodness be stretched to far places Acts 16:5

l  Father search our hearts as your body, may you prune every weakness and strengthen us Acts 16:5

l  Lord we know without faith it is impossible to please you. May you increase us in faith Father. Acts 16:5

 

 

21:00 TO 22:00 EVERY THING THAT HAS CHAINED YOUR PROGRESS

 

l  Lord anything that stands in the way of our progress, let it move this instant Acts 16:24-27

l  Every chain of generational curse, every chain of poverty, every chain of unbelief. Loose these people right now in the name of Jesus Acts 16:26

l  Father may every perpetrator of our distraction become a platform for others to be saved Acts 16:30-34

 

22:00 TO 23:00 FEAR DEPARTS RIGHT NOW

 

l  Father may your word be affirmed in us, that all fear may depart Acts 18:9-10

l  May no evil hand come close to your people. Acts 18:10

l  Lord we commit our lives to You, we put no value on them. May your glory be shown through us Acts 20:24

 

23:00 to 00:00 FATHER MAY WE BE TRULY AFTER YOUR HEART

l  Lord search our hearts, and align them to your will Acts 13:22

l  Lord break our hearts for what breaks yours Acts 13:22

l  May we be as David was, "a man after your heart" Acts 13:22

 

 

Thank you for taking your time to be a part of this movement. I assure you God is already doing big things and has even more amazing things planned for us. Let me take this moment to invite you to our facebook page: The Prayer Relay Movement https://www.facebook.com/groups/419806371379959/ . Let us stay connected through that page, share our testimonies and prayer requests. We have more plans to grow this movement, so if you would like to get involved please contact us on mkwnyd@gmail.com. If you would like to be involved in preparing the prayer points or simply widening our net, please feel free to contact us. The more the merrier...Thank you once again.

 

 

www.guardianrecords.blogspot.com

 

 

 To get this as a word doc click here or pdf click here