Jason K. Levine has worked at The Saltmine Studios since 2007. Jason started down his audio path at the age of 12, when he picked up his first guitar. It wasn’t long before he grabbed a bass and also began to play the piano and keyboard. As the years went by, he worked hard to improve his skills on these instruments and began to write his own songs and program his own sounds on the synthesizer.
In 1995, he shifted his focus towards the art of turntablism, and the multifaceted dynamics of the world of the DJ. As he worked to sharpen his skills on the turntable and the crossfader, Jason began experimenting with computers, and quickly began to put it all together on a grander scale. Year after year, he was determined to obtain a higher level of sonic creativity and manipulation. As the artist in him began to take root, he put in many long hours and late nights writing and recording his own songs and helping others produce their songs too.
It has been almost 15 years since he first began to combine his love of the guitar, keyboard, turntable and computer. As an artist, Jason has created a sound which has it’s own unique intricacies and melodic format, and yet follows the same basic grooves we feel in modern music. He applies this experience in his sessions and when an artist asks him to, he will compose and perform guitar, bass or keyboard parts “on the fly” to enhance a client’s music.
By 2006, he knew it was time to make a serious commitment to the art and began studying audio engineering at the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in Tempe, AZ. He graduated at the top of his class and as he was looking for studios to complete his internship requirement, he felt an immediate draw to The Saltmine. As a Saltmine intern, Jason proved himself quickly and was able to sharpen his skills in our studio C in between taking care of his intern duties. When it came time for him to be “thrown into the fire,” he was ready to do a real session and take care of Saltmine clients.
Since then, Jason has worked with some heavy hitters in the music industry, including Che Vicious, Sha Money, Ice-T, DMX, Royce Da 5’9, Young Buck, DVD, Storitella, Joni Sledge, Camille Sledge, Nobility Oblidged, Pokafase, Cinque, Flossi Gunz and many more. He also helped us build our new Studio D “Villa” and assists John Gray with technical work, repairs and wiring, and manages The Saltmine’s intern program when he isn’t in session.
Besides his obvious talents on both sides of the glass, people say that it’s his charisma and personality that keep his clients coming back. Jason says, “I try to absorb the vision that the artist has, and then tweak the heck out of it, giving them the sound that they want and the freedom to explore the avenues which they may not have thought possible.” When asked if there’s anything else that he’d rather be doing, he replied, “No! I love working at The Saltmine, nothing else compares, that’s it!”