Introducing Jaydev

Jaydev Mistry is a guitarist, percussionist and music technologist from Stalybridge, Tameside. Jaydev's work spans a multitude of musical styles, and he frequently works as a composer for multimedia projects and in collaborative, community music-based settings. "

For me as a musician, even now... People ask me, “what sort of music you into?– I say I'm not into any type of music. I'm into good music. That's it." 

Jaydev's Musical and Life History

Jaydev grew up in Stalybridge during the 1970s. His family are originally from Gujarat in India, and his father came to Tameside in 1956. Jaydev recounts that: 

"He was literally the first brown face in that town, back in 1956, so you can imagine how that must have been." B

oth the backdrop of a 1970s Northern mill town and Jaydev's own family background have had considerable and varied influences on his own musical styles and tastes. 

"Rock music was the predominant form of music as I was growing up, so I really got into heavy metal bands like AC DC, Led Zeppelin, you name it- you know, the classics. I'm old enough to have been around when they were still young people... But I also grew up with the music of my parents as well. Both my mum and my dad were really into the old Hindi Film Music- not the Bollywood that we know of now- it was it was the Hindi film music, films like Awaara— classic, absolutely classic stuff. Beautiful. And then, so I had that going on in the background as well, but you know... Growing up, I got into rock, and I got into punk, and you know, when hiphop came around in the ‘80s, I really got into that. So I've had a really eclectic, musical, sort of, listening experience, growing up." 

The music Jaydev came into contact with in school, on the other hand, was less varied in its musical influences, and his school music education was far from an encouraging musical environment. "

At school, I really wanted to do music, but at the school I was at, let's say it was really low on their priorities, music. You know, the first three years it was one of one of the classes that was compulsory. And our music lessons consisted of just standing around the piano singing hymns... But I really wanted to learn to play the guitar." "I don't know how the system works now, but at the end of the third year, you take your options for what exams you're going to take, going forward. And I put music down as one of my options. Back then you used to something called a careers teacher... She looked at what I’d written down, and she said, “why have you put music down? Because you're going to work, you're gonna end up working in a factory, there’s no point in you doing music"... And, she was right- I left school and ended up working in a factory, but it wasn't by choice." 

Although Jaydev worked non-musical professions after leaving school, his drive to become a musician continued to grow. 

"So at this point, I still didn't play any instruments, but I just had the passion, I really wanted to play guitar. So I left school, got an apprenticeship as an engineer- my dad was an engineer, so he was chuffed that I was sort of like, following in his tradition. The company I worked for, it was going to be a three year apprenticeship, and at the end of that, they were going to send me to university to study to become a design engineer. So it was, it was a hell of an opportunity. I knew, I was doing this job, my passion was, “I wanna play guitar, I wanna play guitar.”" 

Around the age of eighteen, Jaydev had purchased a guitar with the money he had earned, and began teaching himself to play. The moment where he decided to leave engineering after a year of his apprenticeship proved a vital turning point in his musical career. 

"I'd been playing [guitar] for about two months, three months, so you can imagine I wasn't very good... I used to have to get up at five in the morning, to get to this job on time... This one morning, I didn’t get up to go to work. My Dad comes in the room, and says, “son you're going to be late for work”– I said, “I'm not going in.” He said, “are you ill?”, I said “no, no, no, no, I’m not ill.” He goes, “well why aren’t you going to work? “Because I'm not doing that anymore.” He goes, “what do you mean? What are you gonna do?” I go, “I'm gonna be a guitarist.” [laughs] He lost his rag, he just lost his rag. And I'm from that day on, I just, I was just, I’ve just been like, stoic, that’s what I’m doing. At first, my parents were like, “what the hell are you doing, son?” So I think over the years... They sort of like, saw how serious it was, and then were really quite supportive."

Teaching and learning music through collaboration

As a professional musician, Jaydev is self-taught, and plays by ear and through collaborative performance rather than by reading sheet music. His musical education has been informed both through collaboration with other artists, and through the gigging culture of the Manchester music scene that he has been immersed in. "

So I've never learned to read music, to read or write music. I’ve pretty much learnt to play by ear, or listening to records, working stuff out, and getting into situations with other musicians who were much, much better than me– that was my university... I've learnt from being around people like Clive [Hunte]- great musicians like Mikey Wilson and Aziz Ibrahim, you know sort of like, absolutely phenomenal musicians. So I've learnt by literally throwing myself into the fire, and dodging the flames." "I'd say a lot of my musical training happened in Band on the Wall. I was in the house band for that. So every Sunday, Band on the Wall, the house band would get together, and we just got to play with some of the most amazing musicians, every Sunday night. You know, to me, that was so valuable. Not only was I playing with amazing musicians, but also the range and styles of music that would occur each night was huge. So that in itself was a massive, massive, valuable experience. And for many musicians, and a lot of the musicians that I currently know, and I've known for decades, I met through that process, through Band on the Wall. So that's, that's been a massively important part of my life." 

Jaydev feels that his own particular musical development has brought its own challenges, such as in musical scenarios where written notation is more usually relied upon. At the same time, however, this has also led to freer forms of collaboration within musical projects, and has formed the basis for his diverse range of musical interests, genres and styles. "

I recently did a couple of projects with the Manchester Camerata... I was writing the music for theatrical productions. Of course, you know, the Camerata musicians are used to having the notes put in front of them, they come to rehearsal, and they just play it, which is, I find just brilliant, know what I mean? Just, they’ve never heard it before, but they look at their music and they’re playing it. So there’s a disadvantage [to not reading sheet music] in that respect- I think there's been barriers for me in entering that world. But luckily, you know, the projects that I was working on, the musicians that they assigned- the Camerata assigned to me- were really keen to work in the way... I like to work in a way that's more collaborative, because they said that they're not allowed to be creatives in that situation. They show up, they’re given the music, and they have to play it. And they were really appreciative of the fact that I was giving them the creative space to contribute to the actual compositions. And for me, that's what it's about- music is about collaboration, expressing, every individual playing together has the opportunity to express themselves in that way. And for me, it's just a rich, really rich experience." "I think the amount of time it took me to learn was probably longer, not having a teacher. But at the same time, I think going through that, or going through that process, has maybe given me a more individualistic [style]. I sort of like play traditional guitar and percussion, but I also do a lot of stuff with electronic music. I build instruments as well with electronic sensors and electronic instruments, as well as acoustic instruments and electronics are added onto them. And, you know, over the years, I've really got fascinated by more avant garde electronic music, which feeds into my composition work. I've got, I think, one of the advantages of learning how to just explore has given me a massive palette, sonically." 

Jaydev's artistic portfolio also reaches beyond music, and into the multimedia realms of theatre and technology. Having also worked as a composer for theatre, Jaydev has found that this form of artistic work has greatly informed his own practices as a musician. 

“I started getting the odd job- very badly paid jobs- writing music for theatre. And somehow, I just, I just loved it... One, you had a narrative to write to, and in each production, you're going through all the emotions, musically, stylistically, genre wise, you know, you, you're really going on a journey. And I found that fascinating, so I got more and more into that. And as the years have gone on, that's, that's probably become my main, main area of work. And I love it. It's sort of like, it is a bit of valuable training in a way, just to have my ears open, you know what I mean. Every single project demands something of me– something I haven’t necessarily done before. So it's helped me to learn how to research music, how to… Work to a brief, and deliver to a very tight schedule... It’s been invaluable in that respect. I think working in the world of theatre as a musician, not just developed me as a musician, but as, as a holistic learning experience in every aspect of just functioning as a professional." 

Jaydev's affinity for collaborative musical performance has led to his involvement in a variety of participatory arts and music projects, where musical performance is facilitated and collaborated in community settings. His firmly-held beliefs in community music are informed by a desire for better access within music education: 

"I really got heavily into the community arts. And it's always been really important to me, no matter what I do otherwise with my music, that I keep that groups connection. It’s important to me that I continue doing that. Because I didn't have those opportunities growing up, and they're still young people who don't have full access to, to music in that way. And I think it's really important that we try and maintain access for young people well, for anyone you know. You could be ninety, and say you want to learn to play guitar."

Influences, Assumptions and Challenges as a British South Asian Musician

As a British South Asian musician, Jaydev has found education, collaboration and mentorship from other British South Asian performers. He considers that these bonds have had significant influences on his work, although Jaydev himself does not perform Indian Classical music: 

"When I was about 19-20, I met a guy called Kooj Chuhan... He was the first Asian I met who played guitar, to quite a high standard. And he used to work for a company called- what was then called Community Arts Workshop- but it's now called Community Arts Northwest... They did a project- he was doing, he was doing some music workshops, and that's what I've met him. And I just, I just latched onto him, like a, like a leech [laughs]. Like, “you're going to teach me as much as you can”. And he was brilliant... He was, he's really good jazz guitarist, or generally a great musician. I mean, he no longer plays, but he sort of like, he got into making films. So, being influenced, being exposed to people like Kooj, and I met, through Kooj, I met someone called Aziz Zeria, who's an Indian Classical vocalist. And his brother, Kalu- he was a tabla player, both phenomenal musicians. So they were an inspiration. I've got absolutely no training in Indian Classical music, but it does come through in my music, even though it's very Western... People say they can hear the Asian, the Indian influence when I play. And I've written scores that include Indian instruments, but I would highlight that I cannot– I am not an Indian classical musician." 

Jaydev has also found that in his navigation of the British music scene, he has been on the receiving end of assumptions, generalisations and stereotypes over the music that he plays. There have been occasions where he has been assumed to perform as an Indian Classical musician, rather than a multi-genre composer, performer and practitioner, as a result of his ethic background. "

Around the same time I got the guitar I bought some percussion. I started playing Latin percussion, so congas, et cetera, mainly Cuban stuff. And then I got into the Brazilian samba later on in life. So I'm actually better known as, more known as a percussionist. And I started to get stereotyped as South Asian. I'll give you an example- I was, I was on the books of this session musicians agency in London, and they rang me up one day, and said, “we've got a gift for you in London, at a club in London, to play percussion with DJs- can you do it?” I go, “yeah, I'm free on that day- can you tell me a bit more about the gig?” He goes, “well, you're going to be playing tabla.”- Indian percussion. And I go, “well, I don't play tabla. You know, I play percussion, but I'm not a tabla player.” And they go, “ah it’s alright, you just have to play a few beats, you can play percussion.”... It's a highly complex instrument." I think they just thought, “He’s Asian, he looks the part- we’ll get him to bang out a few beats.” I probed a bit more, I said, “what's the venue? What’s the night?” and he said Anokha... Now Anokha was quite a famous club night in London, in the 90s, right... You know, when you have the Asian underground scene, going on in the ‘90s. It was a massive part of that, so the punters knew the stuff, right. And the main guy behind it was Talvin Singh— one of the world's most famous tabla players, right. And he couldn't do that night for some reason, so they were asking me to be his replacement. So I left that agency... There's been that issue throughout my career, “It’s Jaydev, he’ll do the Asian stuff.” You know, it’s not true.” 

In addition to facing these forms of discrimination from outside the British South Asian community, Jaydev has also faced pressure from within the community for his career choices as a musician. He also reflects on the impact of caste systems within India, and the differences he may have encountered in his career path had his family not migrated: 

"I mean, my entry into music hasn't been an easy one. As a son of migrant parents, you know, there were certain expectations. You know, they came here trying to build a life– I mean, the example of me, giving up my engineering career. All the parents who come here want to build a better and more secure life for their children. So I met resistance- not just for my parents, but from my community, the Asian community at large. You know- “what are you doing that for, giving up a career, blah di blah di blah, it’s not something that we do”. So I had to fight that- that was quite difficult. And... Musicians don't get rich- only a few get rich. And sometimes our lives can get quite tricky, financially. We don't necessarily start buying fancy cars and fancy houses, which, you know, unfortunately, you're judged by what you own. Because I’m not in that [lifestyle], I’ve had a lot of criticism, you know what I mean, from people in the community- which I don't have much to do these days. And also, if I'd have been born in India, because of the social makeup in India, the caste system and all that, I wouldn't be a musician. So being in Manchester, being in the UK, has afforded me- regardless of all the other negatives, racism that I’ve faced, it has given me that- I would not be a musician. I probably would be an unemployed engineer, know what I mean. So, so there's been that difficulty."

Music, COVID and Brexit

In terms of music-making in the UK, Jaydev remains concerned about the impact that current UK issues such as Brexit will have on the freedom of movement of musicians for touring and performing in Europe. 

“I've got a lot of experience of playing around Europe. And my experiences of playing around Europe have always been amazing- the way I’ve been treated as a musician, the venues and promoters have shown quite a lot of respect, actually. And they've made sure we're okay- financially, sort of like, they’d make sure we were comfortable. Maybe I've been lucky- but that's, that's been my experience, playing abroad. And that's something I'm sorely going to miss, because it's going to become so difficult to maintain that. Once we’re out of COVID, playing in Europe, is going to be really difficult. And I think, you know, I'm really quite angry about that. What I feel for... I've been lucky enough to experience that, many times, but there's a lot of young people coming through the industry now who are going to miss out on an amazing experience and learning opportunities. I just feel like, you know, we- I say we, as a collective of people in the UK- are letting those young people down." 

The COVID-19 pandemic has also had considerable effects on Jaydev's work, as most of the music he is producing now takes place working from home and through online collaboration. Jaydev is grateful to have maintained music work during this period, but has found that socially-distanced methods of communication that take place between music present specific challenges. "

Through COVID, I think I've been very lucky as a musician, to be honest. I've had a reduction in work, but it’s not all disappeared... I've had enough to keep myself going, through this COVID situation, which I'm very grateful for. Because I know other musicians and artists have really fallen flat." "I just finished a commission for HOME... it was a piece I was commissioned for, called Empty. It was online. I’ve had that, and other bits of work- I've got a project called Code Seven , which is based in London, it’s an album that’s being made that I’m executive producer on... It’s quite weird, though- I mean, it’s not weird, it’s hard. Obviously we can’t book studio time, so it’s trying to work out ways how to actually get the project finish

ed. You know, there was talk of buying equipment and sending it to the vocalists, so they can record themselves. But there’s complication with that- they don't know what they’re doing with the kit, so I’m going to have to put together some training videos so that they can- so I’d buy the kit, and I'll make some videos specific to that kit, so they can learn how to use it. Which you know- it's difficult, but at the same time, someone else is gaining a new skill." 

Although there are many difficulties for musicians working during the pandemic, Jaydev also feels that the periods of reduced social contact that we are experiencing have the potential to give way to outbursts of new creative and artistic projects. 

"We’ve got to deal with this situation as best we can, and stay, stay positive, you know. My advice to young people- or anyone- is use this time to make yourself better at what you do. So when we do get out of it, you've got- and create something that's ready to be launched, when we do come up with this, so that you've got an advantage." 

Jaydev's approaches towards music-making Throughout his extensive musical career, Jaydev has faced both the highs of collaborative performance, and the lows of financial insecurity and creative interference from record labels. Amongst everything, his principle of making music on his own creative terms has remained the same. 

“I've played in so many bands, you know, some big venues, you know, some quite well-known people, you know what I mean? So it's like, I've had, I think I’ve had a really rich music life. There's been times when I've been on my arse, you know, I’ve had to sell guitars to pay the rent, et cetera. There's been times when people have said... "Why don’t you get yourself a proper job?” You know, it's like, this is a proper job, it's what I do, it's who I am." “When I was younger, I was driven by, I was just following the model that was normal. You get in a band, you try and get a record deal, you make records, you play gigs, I’ve been in bands that have had deals. And they, like the record companies got involved, and they started dictating what the music is going to be. And at that point, I've left. And the other band members have gone, “what are you doing, we’ve got a deal, we’ve got this much money?!” and I go, “it’s not our money, we got to pay it back, you idiots.” But the main thing for me was that the record company was dictating, so we're no longer the band that we formed. So one of them was a really sort of like, political hip hop outfit, that got signed in the 90s by London records. When I looked at the contracts, I just thought, “I’m not having it!”– I walked away from it... And of course, everyone, not just the band, the other people in your life, were saying, “what are you doing?!” Anyway, out of the five other people in the band, I'm the only one still doing music. For me, it's not- that's not what it is. It's about how I live my life, rather than what people think of me. That does matter, obviously, but it's not- I think what I'm saying is the fame thing isn’t important, know what I mean." 

For Jaydev, being a musician is a life-long pursuit. Irrespective to what the future may bring, he maintains that he will always be playing music. "

My objective in life is to still be doing music when I'm 95. Whether I'm earning money for music is irrelevant. You know, people say, “what can you do when you retire?” I say, “what do you mean, retire, I don’t understand?” You retire from a job you don't like doing, yeah? Something that you want to get away from. I never want to get away from music, so I never want to retire. And I’ve done other jobs where I’ve earnt money, you know, that’s got nothing to do with being a musician. And if I have to do that, again, that's what I'll do. I'll always be a musician."

Empires of Dub (see video)

Empires of Dub is a track written by Jaydev Mistry for the project Electronic Empires, in collaboration with bassist Clive Hunte and guitarist Glenn Sharp. The piece aims to fuse a variety of musical cultures and disciplines, with this performance taking place live at Band on the Wall in 2018, 71 years after the partition of India.