Max Glazer - Federation Sound, New York

[Contributor : Shamari]

A world-travelled disc jock who loves to spread reggae and dancehall music, is how one can easily describe one of New York's finest, Max Glazer.

Glazer has had his hands involved in a number of projects on the hip hop as well as reggae/dancehall scene. He is widely known in New York on the club scene, having played for the likes of noted celebrities P Diddy, Rihanna, Naomi Campbell, Missy Eliott, 50 Cent, Brandford Marsalis and Jay Z. Yet, Glazer hasn't been afraid to work on the other spectrum of music, working with the likes of Sean Paul, Cham, T.O.K, Vybz Kartel, and a number of upcoming artistes.

Playing on East Village radio, which is streamed online, Glazer is also a founding member of the Federation Sound. The Federation sound has taken their music playing and production world-wide, rocking parties throughout Europe, Australia, Japan, Jamaica, and across the globe.

A New York native, Glazer told The Sunday Gleaner recently, "I'm basically a DJ that gets to travel the world doing what I love. I'm heavily influenced by dancehall and reggae. I do production and I'm back and forth to Jamaica working with various artistes. I'm doing cool creative things and it's kinda fun."

Glazer started out on the music scene years ago, playing for fun at house parties and events until he decided to get into music full time. Growing up in New York, Glazer said he was influenced by the sounds of the streets: hip hop, dancehall and reggae. In 1999, alongside Cipha Sound, Kenny Meez, as well as other friends, he formed Federation Sound. Now the sound consists of Meez, Glazer, and local selectors Alric and Boyd.

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While he plays all types of music, he likes to bring the unusual to the ears of his listeners. "I like finding things and playing them for people who haven't heard them, so I like bringing dancehall stuff up here to New York where people haven't heard them," he said. With his combination of hip hop and reggae flavour, Glazer has become renowned for pushing the envelope and bringing the two styles together with unmatched creativity and energy.

Glazer is widely regarded in the industry as a key player in helping dancehall songs cross over to the urban market. Not content to just heat up the clubs, Glazer and the Federation also keep things hot in the studio with remixes. The sound has done dancehall remixes of Pharell Williams' Frontin to Beyoncé and Cham's Crazy, and more. More recently, they released their 'Flatlands' rhythm which featured Kartel'sWhine Wine, and currently have online, their 'Flatlands Remix Project', which remixes the dancehall rhythm with an electro-style sound.

Outside of playing and making music, Glazer is also a journalist, having written for The Source, Vibe, The Fader, Blaze, and On The Go. For two years he held down the position of DJ/ Music Director on HBO's boxing series, 'K.O. Nation', which was hosted by Ed Lover. He was also featured in Rolling Stone's 2003 'cool' issue, where he was dubbed "the hottest reggae DJ in New York". The DJ was also the musical director for Rihanna for several years, travelling around the world with the diva, and now plays mainly at her birthday parties and special events.

Liking to keep things interesting, Glazer has more in store on the touring, radio, and especially the music scene. After a number of years' break from playing in Jamaica, Glazer graced the Smirnoff Project Exchange stage last night, spinning music for the masses. He continues to be in and out of Jamaica, working with a number of new artistes.

Source: The Jamaica Gleaner

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