Biography

Discover more about j:dead and the artist behind the act.

j:dead is the creation of UK based artist Jay Taylor. j:dead’s style of music could be described as dark electro, but also encapsulates many differing influences that are a catalyst to the overall sound. Taylor brings a wide range of musical tastes and perspectives to his creations. Whether this be softer melodies from 80’s pop, harsh synths from 90’s trance or powerful and somewhat aggressive vocals from 00’s metal - j:dead finds the space, synergy and alternation to combine these elements within their music.

Taylor has been writing and performing music since he was 14 and found his first professional opportunity within the act Tactical Sekt, founded by artist Anthony Mather - who took a leap of faith with Taylor as a young and professionally inexperienced drummer at the age of 17. However, after a short period of time Taylor gained notoriety as a charismatic live performer - and ultimately brought a focus on high energy audience engagement into his performances. Taylor’s presence and awareness spread over the years which saw him perform as a live member in acts such as Tyske Ludder who he still performs with presently as a live drummer. Over this period of time Taylor was also crafting his art and ability as a frontman and vocalist - focusing on more aggressive acts within thrash metal, death metal and electronicore. With over two decades of live exposure across this wide range of acts, Taylor felt it was time to solidify his own creations and outreach with j:dead. The focus: creating music which he loved, and building on his experiences to entertain audiences in the live arena under his own name.

j:dead’s high energy performances are not only integral for the events themselves but a decisive element of how songs are created - as they are meant to be played in a live environment rather than a club environment. To achieve this, Taylor has worked with some key individuals who have become intrinsic to this overall goal. Motel Music are the production team behind the scenes supporting Taylor in his final creations, however have become more than this over time as the two owners form key roles within j:dead’s live performances. Hilger Tintel (known for his live guitar work for Diary of Dreams) plays live bass, and Andreas Schmitz (known for his drumming work for Heimataerde) plays live drums. Live guitars are provided by Matt Dunne - a fellow band mate in various projects alongside Taylor since his musical inception.

Shortly after the release of the debut single Haunt in December 2019, j:dead signed to the label Infacted Recordings. Since then j:dead and Infacted Recordings have collaborated on three feature length releases in the form of: A Complicated Genocide, Vision of Time and the lastest release Roots - as well as a range of singles and artist remix/collaborations (Aesthetic Perfection, Faderhead, Mesh, L’Ame Immortelle, Rotersand, Grendel, Tactical Sekt, etc).

j:dead continue to build on their growing notoriety with a string of upcoming releases as well as performing at established festivals such as Resistanz, Wave Gotik Treffen, Amphi, Plage Noire, etc.

The name j:dead is an embodiment of what the act represents in its lyrical content and outreach. j:dead is a deliberate play on words rooting back to a feeling Taylor had in his life at the moment of creation: feeling “jaded” to his surroundings, lack of creative outputs as well as a lack of understanding on how to progress in life.

Taylor treats the project and its subsequent creations with importance and a cathartic way to understand himself. Therefore j:dead’s music is something truly personal and a reference to his own life experiences - something that audiences can relate to in his music.