Creating Catharsis through Community: A Conversation with Jack Faulkner
Long before he was a DJ, Jack Faulkner (AKA JMF) was a dancer with the utmost appreciation for the sanctity and healing power of the dancefloor. Throughout the early-2000s, Faulkner was regular at the world-renowned Montreal club, Stereo, founded in 1998 by DJ-producer Angel Moraes.
Over the course of many long, sweaty, euphoric, and cathartic nights at Stereo — an institution known for its state-of-the-art, “temple-like” speaker stacks and notably the favorite club of the house music legends the likes of Danny Tenaglia — Faulkner came to realize the purifying power of community and crystal clear sound.
Today, the LA-based DJ, curator, party-producer, promoter and real estate agent by day, has been on the frontlines of paving a new path for soulful, deep, high-energy house music on the West Coast, and beyond. On November 17, Faulkner makes his New York debut at UltraMaroon at Blue Midtown. UltraMaroon DJ Sainte Francis caught up with Faulkner to discuss his artistic journey and the energetic, groove-infused, gag-filled set to expect this Sunday.
Sainte Francis:
Jack, you’ve spent a lot of time in New York, but Ultramaroon will actually be your first time spinning here. We’re excited to have you! Let’s start there: How did the New York music scene influence you as a DJ and dancer?
Jack Faulkner:
I grew up in Connecticut. I started going to underground raves in high school in the 90s. In the early 2000s, a friend of mine from New York City started taking me to Danny Krivit’s 718 Sessions in Brooklyn. That party was pure magic — incredible, soulful house. It was a defining moment for me the minute I stepped onto the dancefloor. I felt so welcomed and free to express myself as a dancer. It was like a whole new world.
Sainte Francis:
What eventually inspired you to take up DJing?
Jack Faulkner:
Later in the 2000s, I was living in Vermont for about 12 years. I started driving up to Montreal — which was only an hour-and-a-half away — and going to gay clubs. It was all so new to me! Eventually, I kept hearing about this place called Stereo, an amazing afterhours club with a pure analog sound system that was supposedly otherworldly.
The first time I went to Stereo, I didn’t quite “get it.” I wasn’t partying. I went alone. It opened at 2am. And I was like, ‘2am! What?” Your head explodes, right?
But months later, I returned with a friend. We smoked a joint on the stairs in the main room by one of the iconic speaker stacks (back when you could still smoke inside). We partied and danced all night, before heading downstairs to the after-8am club, now called Stereo Bar.
I had never heard a sound system like that. I had never felt so free. I had always been a dancer of sorts; but I had never danced like that. It was total euphoria. You could fully let your guard down at Stereo, people worshiped those speaker stacks. They were temples, and they still are.
Sainte Francis:
Who was spinning that night, do you remember?
Jack Faulkner:
I believe it was David Morales.
Sainte Francis:
One of my all-time favorites!
Jack Faulkner:
I remember that I had vision that night of being a DJ. It was like a premonition that took a long time to come to fruition. But for five years, I got totally sucked into Stereo. Letting my mind and soul expand with sound, music, dance and community.
Sainte Francis:
What happened next?
Jack Faulkner:
Eventually, I moved to San Francisco around 2007 to 2008. There were some really good underground parties, and a lot of really bad ones. Stereo completely ruined everything else, in a way. It set such a high bar. I found it hard to compete with that experience.
I moved to LA around 2013. Eventually, I got tired of complaining about how uninspired I was at some of the parties. So, I taught myself to DJ! Like Honey Dijon says, “create the beauty you want to see in the world.” I truly believe that.
Sainte Francis:
Literally one of my favorite quotes!
Jack Faulkner:
Exactly. You can be a complaining, whiny victim, or do something about it. Get off your ass, focus on your passion and create the vibe you want to experience in the world. Eight years later, here I am.
Sainte Francis:
You are now a founder, promoter, and resident DJ of several community-oriented parties in Los Angeles. Could you tell us about those?
Jack Faulkner:
Of course! I started throwing a party at Akbar in Silver Lake called House, Disco’s Revenge. The name honors Frankie Knuckles’ iconic quote and the concept of house music taking the torch from the disco era. We just had our seven-year anniversary this past March.
About three years ago, Mario Diaz — an LA-based promoter — called me and said he was resurrecting a party called Hot Dog at the club, El Cid. He wanted me to be a resident. I was honored, and I can’t express how much it has helped me grow as a DJ.
Similar to UltraMaroon, it’s a Sunday day-into-night party, but weekly. Playing almost every Sunday of every month for three years, you grow a lot. Hot Dog has really challenged me to become better and keep pushing my sound. You can get stale so easy in a setting like that. So, I consume a ridiculous amount of new music regularly.
I’ve figured out my formula, my stride. So many people come through Hot Dog every week. It has opened up so many new doors and opportunities – like coming to play UltraMaroon, which I’m incredibly excited for! It’s my first time playing in New York and getting connected with the queer community across the country is always awesome.
Sainte Francis:
What about your latest venture, AXIS?
Jack Faulkner:
AXIS is one of the most exciting things on my plate. Me and Aram Kirakosian (co-host of Hot Dog) started throwing our own secret location after-hours warehouse party in Downtown LA, which has been a total dream come true: High quality sound, sexy, inclusive, friendly, thoughtfully curated — with the focus being on the music first and foremost. We host it every three months on equinoxes and solstices. Our next party is on December 21, and we’re going all analog for the sound system, baby!
For all these parties, it’s important that we’re able to create an environment for people coming into the scene to feel that community and sense of belonging. My hope is to continue to throw these very thoughtful, intentional, curated parties with exceptional sound.
Sainte Francis:
Right? That could be their personal “Stereo” moment.
Jack Faulkner:
Exactly.
Sainte Francis:
You mentioned that your sonic vibe is a lot of classic house, contemporary disco, deep house, Afro house, and melodic techno. You have a pretty wide-reaching and eclectic music taste. So, turning now to UltraMaroon, what can the partygoers in New York expect from your set and what are you most excited for?
Jack Faulkner:
I think being a good DJ is really about being a good selector in the appropriate moment. I do my best and I hope it lands. One of the great things about parties like UltraMaroon is that it curates a thoughtful crowd that allows you as a DJ to take risks.
I love “a gag,” as we call it, something totally unexpected that sweeps across the dancefloor and changes the entire mood. I try to create powerful, unexpected moments that make you go, ‘What the fuck just happened?’ I’m an old hippie, so I will always draw from my psychedelic era when I was younger going to Grateful Dead and Phish shows. I love a trippy, psychedelic moment with big, rich builds, that create tension and orgasmic releases.
Lately I’ve been playing with an effects pedal and RMX-1000 , which the UltraMaroon team was ready to provide, that helps me create beautiful, rich sounds and builds.
Sainte Francis:
As Rimarkable, who we interviewed in our last feature story, says, it’s important to be a dancer, lover and appreciator of this music before you’re a DJ. I’m curious to hear: How does your original perspective a dancer and lover of music influence your style as a DJ?
Jack Faulkner:
I always play from a dancer’s perspective. I want people to feel moved on the dancefloor when I play. But no matter when or where I’m playing, my basic rules are always the same: soulful music that moves the heart, mind and feet. Deep grooves that make you want to lose your mind on the dancefloor, and dance hard. I mean hard, hard. Like, New-York-style-baby-powder-on-the-dancefloor-hard.
I stand behind everything I play. No fillers. If it doesn’t make me want to move — I don’t play it. Period. Music that makes you feel things on the dance floor. Makes you let go of things. Something special happens when you’re dancing and listening and responding to music that is inspirational. It’s healing. It helps us transcend stress, pain, sadness, loneliness, anxiety, and all the things we carry in our daily lives. Especially with other people experiencing the same thing. We need that. I feel so lucky to be able to provide that space for people. It’s an honor and a gift. A gift that that I hold very sacred, and one that I never take for granted.
~JMF
