A long time creator of various types of music, Jason Begin (Vytear, Black Unicorn, Ice Castles) has steadily been composing and arranging a myriad of styles and sounds for a decade or more. Currently residing in Philadelphia, he lived most his life in rural Vermont and New Hampshire, famous for maple syrup, lush foliage and snowmobiles. Jason credits wood-working (an accomplished luthier in his own right), seasons, technology, forests, and delicious local produce, as being his earliest and perhaps only influences for all things; music, design, health, and humor. “Musical trends and innovations come and go, as with any art-form. I definitely have my favorites; artists who have achieved something classic, but I wouldn’t say they directly influence what I’m doing in a musically exclusive way. Technology, my mental state, and my surroundings seem to have more of a ‘direct’ influence on my art. I don’t shower much.”

Jason's first 2 albums (as Vytear) were somewhat quick to be grouped into the breakcore sound, though couldn’t fit comfortably there due to a strong sense of melody and intricate programming found within the songs on both albums. Even the self-proclaimed rave anthems of his yet to be released Black Unicorn EPs are likely to drift away from any dreaded pigeon-holes that haunt the modern electronic music dictionary these days. And then there’s the crisp melodic pop lushness of Ice Castles, a veritable monster of guitar/synth driven hot licks and tongue in cheek (are they?) lyrics.

Playing regular gigs throughout the major cities of the Northeast, Vytear has made many an audience sweaty with his attention to aural detail and hyper-kinetic delivery. Not one to sit quietly behind his gear while absorbing the cold blue haze of a laptop monitor, Jason brings the ruckus, himself known to rave wildly while rhythms and sounds ricochet around the venue. Vytear has shared the stage with 8fm, Drop the Lime, DuranDuranDuran, End, William Fields, and Nintariman amongst others.

Whether it is homemade guitars or homemade software patches, for a musician the tools are considered a means to an eventual end. For Jason, who is comfortable knocking out riffs on his guitars or huddled behind racks of gear twiddling knobs, it is the idea of the musician (dare I say musicianship) that rings soundly throughout his varied output.

Written by Scott Caligure (Gears)