Former Black Eyed Peas artist Will.I.Am called Toon and Jef Martens, known collectively as Lazy Jay, at Jef’s home studio in Holland and asked the duo to provide the beats for his latest track with Britney Spears ‘Scream & Shout’. Formed as an open ended, anything goes outlet for brothers Toon and Jef, their Lazy Jay project soon caught the attention of some very heavy hitters. Azealia Banks was an early convert to the Lazy Jay technique and style, utilizing their musical acuity for the un-conventional sound of her global hit ‘212.’
With the success of Lazy Jay, Jef Martens ramped up his production star-power with the advent Basto. In this production alter-ego, Jef has made an impact in the European electronic music market, with the US dance industry possibly ready to follow suit. Jef has received several awards for his studio work and as a DJ in Belgium, Sweden and France and even caught the attention of French President Sarkozy who invited him to play after picking up his NRJ Award. The official video for ‘Scream & Shout’ premiered on FOX’s ‘X-Factor’ last Thursday night. Jef confirms that a second single with Will.I.Am is already underway.
Jef Martens: “I mostly work till late in our studio and when my phone rang at 3 in the morning, I answered and heard: “Hello, it’s Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas, how are you?” – I was speechless of course. He explained that he listened to some of our music and wanted to use one of our beats for his single with Britney Spears. Before we knew, we were on a plane to Los Angeles to record the track with Will and Britney.”
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