jza Interview | No Quantization: Drums Built by Ear and the Warmth of “jzaturument”
English translation of the Japanese interview published on October 12, 2026. References to time follow the original interview.
Interview and words by Cook Oliver
jza (pronounced “jay-gee-ay”) is a Tokyo-based beatmaker. With his album “jzaturument” as our starting point, we spoke with him about unquantized drums, sampling, and live beat sets using the SP.
I sold it once. But I bought it back.
The first piece of gear he bought was Roland’s SP sampler. There was a time when he let it go because he was short on money. Even so, these days, he is once again using an SP for live beat sets (performances where he plays his own beats while manipulating them in real time).
“The effects for live performance are pretty good. It’s easy to use, so I use it all the time.”
His answer was unassuming. Perhaps the reasons someone keeps using a particular tool come through in words like these more often than we might expect.
jza has been teaching himself to make beats for about seven years, since he was 17. On “jzaturument,” released in September 2026, the drums were the first thing that stayed with me. They sound a little dusty and grainy, yet easy on the ears. How does he create that warmth?
The key is that he does not use quantization, the function that aligns the timing of sounds to the beat markers on a grid. jza places his drums by ear. Starting with the eight questions he had answered in advance, we talked about his everyday creative process.
Key Points in This Interview
- What makes the drums feel good: He adjusts their timing offsets by ear rather than relying on quantization.
- Sampling and how many sounds to use: When in doubt, take sounds out. jza explains how he made “g” and “i’m fallin.”
- When the music won’t come: He steps away from music for a while and turns to books and films.
Note: Drawing on his advance responses and our conversation during the interview, we have reordered questions and consolidated repetition while preserving the substance of his comments.
jza’s Beginnings—Seven Years of Self-Taught Beatmaking, Starting at 17
Cook Oliver: First, tell me about when you started making beats. You’ve been doing it since you were around 17, right?
jza: Yeah. I was around my second year of high school, so I was 17. I’m 24 now, and I’ve kept at it for about seven years as something I love doing.
Up until now, I’d only been putting things up on SoundCloud and places like that, but this time I wanted to release the stuff I’d built up.
Cook Oliver: And that became this album. Did you teach yourself how to produce, too?
jza: Yeah. I use Ableton’s plug-ins. For EQ, compressors, and limiters, I found a good book a while back. I read that and went from there.
Ableton Live and Maschine 3—The Gear Behind the Music
Cook Oliver: Could you also tell me about the main gear and software you used for this album?
jza: For gear, it’s the AKAI MPK49 and Maschine Studio. For software, Ableton Live and Maschine 3. Ableton Live in particular is something I’ve been using all along.
Cook Oliver: Does the sound change depending on the gear?
jza: I do think different gear sounds different, but I don’t have any strong, specific preferences.
Cook Oliver: So you’ve been with Ableton a long time. Is there something about it that just feels right?
jza: No, it’s not really that. DAWs (music production software) are pretty expensive, right? I bought Ableton first, and I’ve just kept using it since then. I’ve never even tried the others, so I don’t know what they feel like.
These days, Ableton has gotten really sluggish. It takes two or three minutes to load a track, so when I want to make something right away, I open Maschine and work in that instead.
Cook Oliver: Across your gear and software, what is it that feels suited to the way you make music?
jza: I don’t need to picture the finished track. I can play around, make loops and fragments, and piece together things that happen by chance. That suits me.
I don’t think there’s really a right answer with sampling, so I just try to make it feel good, I guess.
The SP He Sold and Bought Back—Why He Uses It for Live Beat Sets
Cook Oliver: You use Roland’s SP as well, right?
jza: Yeah. I use the SP for effects sometimes, and for live beat sets.
Cook Oliver: Was there something that led you to start using it live?
jza: Back then, it was kind of like, “Live beat sets mean the SP.” The first piece of gear I bought was an SP.
Cook Oliver: That was your first piece of gear?
jza: Yeah. I sold it once because I was short on money, but I bought it back. It’s what I use for live beat sets.
Cook Oliver: What makes it easy to use?
jza: The effects for live performance are pretty good. That makes it easy to work with, so I use it all the time.
“Live beat sets mean the SP.” There is a little background to those words from jza.
Roland’s SP-404 is a sampler introduced in 2005. Even the original model included “DJFX LOOPER,” which can repeat a portion of the sound and change the playback speed and direction. (Official Roland product information)
Roland Articles describes “Low End Theory,” the club event that began in Los Angeles in 2006, as one of the places where producers using the SP-404 experimented with live performance. Those experiments helped shape today’s “live beat sets.” (Roland Articles)
The same article names J Dilla’s “Donuts” as one of the works that etched the SP series into hip-hop history. As we will come to later, J Dilla was also the first name jza mentioned when asked about his favorite artists.
The photo shows him operating a sampler from Roland’s SP-404 series. We did not establish exactly which effects he uses in this interview. Still, his words—“The effects for live performance are pretty good”—convey its appeal as a tool for manipulating sound on the spot.
Drums Without Quantization—How He Made “catharsis”
Cook Oliver: When you actually start making a track, where do you usually begin?
jza: I don’t have a set starting point. When I come up with some good drums, I start with those. When there’s a melodic sample I want to use, I chop that first. But I might start with the drums about half the time.
Note: A melodic sample is a melody or chord sample layered over the drums. Chopping means cutting a sample into smaller pieces.
Cook Oliver: How did “catharsis” come together?
jza: For that one, I first imported some drums I’d played on an MPC before, and I had a good melodic sample, so I put that over them.
I wanted the beat to have some weight, so I played the same melodic sample across three tracks and put reverb on each one, that kind of thing.
Cook Oliver: The way you put the drums together really stayed with me when I listened to the album. You can tell right away that these aren’t the usual patterns.
jza: Oh, really? I’m glad to hear that.
Some tracks on this album are soulful, and some are a little experimental, but overall, I think the drums are something I’ve paid particular attention to. I think the drums are what stay with you, after all.
Cook Oliver: Is there anything you keep in mind to make a rhythm that feels good to you?
jza: I don’t use quantization at all when I make music. I do both the drums and melodic samples by feel. I do look at the grid if things get too far off, though.
And it feels good when the snare really snaps into place.
Cook Oliver: Could you tell me a bit more about why you don’t use quantization?
jza: It’s hard to explain, but there’s something about quantized tracks that sounds mechanical to me. That’s why I don’t use it.
If things get too far off, I fix them, but even then, I bring them into place while still leaving them slightly off.
Sampling and Sound Selection—Dusty Sounds, Quieter Melodic Samples
Cook Oliver: What about choosing sounds? Is there something the sounds that make you think, “I want to use this,” have in common?
jza: Rather than pristine, brand-new-sounding instruments, I prefer sounds with some dust and distortion to them. Of course, it depends on the mood I’m trying to create.
Cook Oliver: Do you also like older beats, like boom bap, and that old-school feel?
jza: Yeah. I prefer that side of things. The trap that’s popular now doesn’t really catch my ear.
Cook Oliver: I felt a lot of warmth in this album too. It’s like the digital quality doesn’t come to the foreground.
jza: Yeah. This album doesn’t really have much of a digital feel.
Cook Oliver: I get the impression a lot of people are using sample services like Splice these days. What do you think?
jza: Splice is that paid sample site, right?
Cook Oliver: Right, exactly.
jza: I think it’s fine as long as you can make good music with it. I’ve never bought anything from it myself, though.
Cook Oliver: So it’s more like you’re building everything with your gear, then.
jza: Well, I do sample. I take things from records or YouTube. I haven’t had much time lately, so I’ve been using YouTube a lot too.
Cook Oliver: Do you get that warmth when you sample from records?
jza: Yeah, there is some of that.
Cook Oliver: Do you have any particular preferences when choosing melodic samples, too?
jza: It gets a bit tricky when there are too many drums in it. So I guess I tend to pick quieter tracks. I’m not really all that sure myself, though.
Cook Oliver: Are there any plug-ins you use a lot?
jza: The one I use most is Serato Sample. I use it on every track.
Cook Oliver: You do your own mastering too, right?
jza: Yeah. I honestly had no knowledge at all, so I worked from a book.
Now I mostly do it by ear, but I do wonder what a professional would think if they heard it. I have my own sense of it, but I’m still practicing that side of things.
When in Doubt, Take Sounds Out—Making “g” and “i’m fallin”
Cook Oliver: You can hear the care you’ve put into the album all the way through.
jza: Yeah. I put quite a lot of care into it. I kind of threw the skits together, but I thought that was interesting in its own way.
Cook Oliver: Is there anything about the making of the album you’d like people to know that they might not pick up on just by listening?
jza: The places I made the tracks and the gear I used were all different. There are tracks I made at home using my full setup, and tracks I made at friends’ places. No two tracks were made in the same environment. You probably can’t tell just by listening.
Cook Oliver: I wouldn’t have known that without asking. When you’re making something and can’t decide whether to add or take away sounds, what do you do?
jza: When I’m unsure, I always take things out. I’ve always liked tracks with fewer sounds, so I make a point of taking things out first.
Cook Oliver: Which track on this album would you pick as one where you really felt, “I made a beat that sounds like me”?
jza: Probably “g.” I’m using a well-known sample, but there are parts where I deliberately reduce the number of sounds. I like that way of cutting up a sample.
Note: A “well-known sample” refers to sampling a widely recognized song, or to that source material.
Cook Oliver: What would you pick as your favorite track on the album?
jza: Hmm, what would I pick? There are tracks where I used well-known samples, and I used Final Fantasy too. But there’s a track called “i’m fallin,” track 14. For that one, I took a recording of someone talking on YouTube or something and changed the pitch.
Note: “i’m fallin” appears only on the streaming edition.
Cook Oliver: So it was originally someone speaking?
jza: Yeah. I raised the pitch and made it sound a bit like they were singing. It wasn’t a well-known sample, and I’d never done anything like it before, but it just happened to click perfectly.
Cook Oliver: That’s like what you mentioned at the start—something that comes together by chance while you’re playing around.
jza: Yeah. But it’s not really the sort of thing that gets you hyped when you listen to it or anything.
Cook Oliver: Even so, track 14 is definitely one we have to hear.
Favorite Artists: J Dilla, Gil Scott-Heron, and Samiyam
Cook Oliver: Could you tell me about the artists you like listening to?
jza: Definitely J Dilla.
Cook Oliver: Are you a fan of “Donuts” too?
jza: Yeah. Gil Scott-Heron too, and there are plenty of others.
Cook Oliver: Apart from J Dilla, which producers come to mind?
jza: The sound is completely different, but there’s an American producer called Samiyam. I really like him.
Cook Oliver: So you’ve done a lot of digging.
jza: Yeah. I think I’ve put quite a lot of effort into digging.
The Roland Articles piece mentioned earlier names both J Dilla and Samiyam as producers influenced by the SP-404 and its predecessors. We did not ask jza whether he is conscious of that lineage. Still, his choice to play live beat sets on the SP and the names of the producers he likes sit on the same map.
When the Music Won’t Come, Step Away from It for a While
Cook Oliver: When you’ve been doing this for a long time, I imagine there are times when things don’t work out. What do you do then?
jza: When I can’t make anything, you mean?
Cook Oliver: Yeah. When things just aren’t coming together, for example.
jza: What do I do? I step away from music for a bit. I might read a book or watch a film.
Cook Oliver: Finally, is there anything you always keep nearby when you make music? Everyday things, like coffee or cigarettes.
jza: Oh, that kind of thing. I always have cigarettes and coffee. Sometimes some snacks too.
I think it’s pretty much the same feeling as when people play video games.
Cook Oliver: I can picture you making music a little more clearly now. Thank you for today.
jza: Thank you too.
After the Interview — Cook Oliver
“I just try to make it feel good, I guess.”
When I first read that answer, I wanted to ask a little more about it. Now that we’ve spoken, I feel as though those few words contain what he has built up over seven years.
He plays in the drums himself, without quantizing them. Only when they drift too far does he look at the grid, and even then, he lines them up with a slight offset. In the end, it is his own ears that decide where the snare “snaps” into place.
Dusty and slightly distorted, yet easy on the ears. I think the warmth of “jzaturument” comes from the layers of sounds he has chosen and adjusted by listening this way.
The source material is not limited to old records. These days, he also picks things up from YouTube. On “i’m fallin,” the track he named when I asked for his favorite, he raises the pitch of someone’s speaking voice and makes it sing. It was a track where a method he had never tried before happened to click perfectly.
Cut, layer, and sometimes take away. Even when working with new source material, he decides what stays. That sensibility also came through in his account of deliberately reducing the number of sounds on “g.”
I also remember our conversation about tools. When it comes to gear, he said, “I don’t have any strong, specific preferences,” and he says he keeps using Ableton because it was the first one he bought. Yet he bought back the SP he had once let go of, and still uses it live. He keeps it around because it’s easy to use. That relationship with his tools felt well suited to the candid way he spoke.
When the music won’t come, he steps away from it for a while. He might read a book or watch a film. That answer, too, seems to show the comfortable distance maintained by someone who has spent seven years doing something he loves.
When I asked about Splice, he said, “I think it’s fine as long as you can make good music with it.” He has never bought anything from it himself. Even so, I was struck by the fact that he doesn’t dismiss the approach of those who use it.
We did not ask him about AI during this interview. But for me as the writer, precisely because we live in a time when music can be made with AI, I am drawn to people who experiment with their own ears and enjoy those moments when things happen to click perfectly. I hope for a scene where people like jza, who has spent seven years searching for sounds, are properly rewarded rather than overlooked.
Cigarettes and coffee, sometimes snacks. Alongside them, beats are born with “the same feeling as when people play video games.”
When you listen to “jzaturument,” start by focusing on the drums. Then listen to where the sounds overlap, and where they fall away. When the snare snaps into place, you may get a little sense of what he means by “feels good.”
jza’s “jzaturument”: Release Details and Tracklist
Differences Between the Streaming and Bandcamp Editions
| Edition and Official Link | Release Date | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| Streaming edition (TuneCore Japan) | September 19, 2026 | 15 tracks, approximately 31 minutes |
| Bandcamp edition | September 5, 2026 | 12 tracks |
The streaming edition adds three tracks—“gaya,” “i’m fallin,” and “DREAMFLOWER”—to the Bandcamp edition’s 12 tracks. Some track titles are written differently between the two editions.
Tracklist (Streaming Edition)
- yanasegawa
- catharsis
- ringer
- #2000
- skit1
- jeanluc
- class one
- GHETTOWORLD
- ysatnaflanif
- skit2
- B patch
- g
- gaya
- i’m fallin
- DREAMFLOWER
Listen on streaming services / Bandcamp / SoundCloud
jza (pronounced “jay-gee-ay”): Profile
jza is a Tokyo-based beatmaker. He began making beats at 17, in his second year of high school, and was 24 at the time of the interview. He has spent approximately seven years teaching himself to produce. In September 2026, he released the album “jzaturument.”
Instagram: @jzathebeats / TuneCore Japan artist page
About the Interview and Sources
The comments in this article are drawn from jza’s advance responses and Cook Oliver’s interview. “After the Interview” presents the writer’s personal reflections.
The release dates, track counts, and track titles are based on jza’s Bandcamp and TuneCore Japan’s release page. The streaming edition’s running time is based on TuneCore Japan’s artist page. The history and features of the SP-404 are based on the official Roland materials linked in the article.
