Dear Inter-web, fans, friends and JUX family,

People keep asking me what’s up with JUX. There’s been some talk,there have been some rumors. Some half true, some way off. Reports ofour demise have been mildly exaggerated. Here’s what it really allboils down to:

This year, a decade after starting DEF JUX and after overseeing thereleases of some incredible albums including the forthcoming release ofmy dear late and great friend Camu Tao’s brilliant “KING OF HEARTS” LP,I’m stepping away from my duties as artistic director for the label toconcentrate on what I love most: being a producer and an artist fulltime. This is something I’ve been contemplating for a few years now,and can’t think of a better time or, with the eventual release ofCamu’s record, a more poetic way to transition into a new direction.

This means change for JUX. Of course we’ll still have our website,we will still sell our catalog, merch and more as well as bring younews and updates on all our projects and artists. We will be releasing“KING OF HEARTS”, a DEF JUX remix compilation, a 10 year anniversaryretrospective and some other goodies. But then as a traditional recordlabel DEF JUX will effectively be put on hiatus. We are not closing,but we are changing. The process is already underway, and the lastseveral months (for those wondering what the hell we’ve been up to)have been spent dealing with the technical aspects of wrapping up thelabel in it’s current form and re-imagining our collective andindividual futures.

In 2000 starting a traditional record label made a lot of sense. Butnow, in 2010, less so and I find myself yearning for something else toput my energy into. I also see newer, smarter, more interesting thingson the horizon for the way art and commerce intersect, and as an artistand an entrepreneur, I’m eager to see them unfold. The evolution ofthis industry is, in my opinion, exciting, inevitable and it would benice to see the DEFINITIVE JUX brand be a part of it. In other words,maybe we can turn this hoopty in to a hovercraft.

All business aside, and regardless of what form JUX may inevitablytake, my focus for the immediate future is going to be back-to-basics.The fun stuff: sitting in the studio and immersing myself in music,performing it for for my fans when the time comes and whatever (orwherever) else might be out there creatively for me. Thats how it allstarted and that’s how the next phase will begin. The days of mededicating the majority of my time and energy into providing JUX with aconstant stream of physical releases from multiple artists are on holdfor the time being. My heart (and what little common sense I possess)is telling me to simplify my focus and it has always been my policy tolisten to my heart.

Truly, DEF JUX has been amazing to be a part of. So many goodpeople. So much fun. I feel very lucky to be friends and collaboratorswith people who have affected and continue to affect my life and workdeeply and indelibly. Working with the likes of Amaechi Uzoigwe, JesseFerguson, Jason Drake, and Katy Eustis at JUX as well as allies likeKathryn Frazier (biz3), Michael Bull and Lisa Socransky-Austin (to nameonly a few) has been incredible. These are people who worked forgenerally meager wages because they loved what they did and theybelieved in the artists and the idea of DEF JUX. Anyone would be luckyto have worked with even one person as dedicated and passionate as allof them are. They are true champions of indie music and they (and toomany others to mention here) have my gratitude and loyalty forever.

None of it would have existed, though, if not for the artists.Artists who rolled the dice on us the same way we did on them, and werethere with us as we battled it all out. CAMU, MR LIF, AESOP ROCK, MURS,CAGE, ROB SONIC, HANGAR 18, CHIN CHIN, CANNIBAL OX, THE PERCEPTIONISTS,RJD2, DESPOT, SA SMASH, YAK BALLZ, CRAYZ, THE MIGHTY UNDERDOGS, DIZZEERASCAL, DEL, P.F.A.C, ACTIVATOR, COOL CALM PETE … the list goes on. Iconsider them all geniuses at what they do. Every victory that theyhave had and will have will always feel like a victory for myself andall of us at JUX. It’s been a joy to create and even struggle with themall. It has not always been easy, but it’s almost always beenfulfilling. I only hope the work we put in together helped build a pathto their collective futures. They have my sincerest well wishes andgenuine respect.

Lastly and most importantly are the fans… holy shit THE FANS! Ourfans are no joke. I can’t tell you how humbled I am to have felt thelove and respect that they have shown us all. Even when we did thingsthey didn’t like, they stuck around. This was their label as much asours. We answered to them, and yet they respected that we did what weloved, nothing more and nothing less. We always will. You are why we doany of this, and I’ll never be able to express how much your supportmeans to all of us. I think I speak for all of us Jukies when I say Ilove making music for you and can’t wait to make more.

Until then, on behalf of everyone here at JUX and from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

EL-P
Founder/Artistic Director/Recording Artist
DEFINITIVE JUX