Cal Poly earns $37,000 in commission for student commencement photos, employing facial recognition technology

Written by Jezzia Smith and Lindsey Shepard 06/08/2022 for Mustang News

Each year, Cal Poly students flock to Spanos Stadium for a pivotal moment in their lives: commencement.

The sun beats down on thousands of graduates and their families as names are read for what feels like an eternity. Once it’s time to walk across the stage, graduates stop for a quick photo with President Armstrong, as well as a selfie holding their diploma. 

But who takes these photos? At many universities, including Cal Poly, it’s GradImages, a company that specializes in commencement photography. GradImages takes photos of nearly 2 million graduates each year, according to their website.

Cal Poly signed a three-year contract with GradImages in April of 2019, according to an official contract obtained by Mustang News. As part of this agreement, Cal Poly earns a commission for each graduate photographed at the ceremony, regardless of whether the graduates purchase their photographs. The university earned $37,416.25 from last year’s spring ceremony alone, according to University Spokesperson Matt Lazier. GradImages also utilizes facial recognition technology to identify graduates, which Cal Poly does not directly disclose to students. Students are expected to research the company on their own accord.This is Cal Poly’s third year of utilizing the company.

How Facial Recognition Works

“There's one kind of core technology that's behind modern facial recognition, it’s deep learning. But in facial recognition, basically, you have images that are fed into the algorithm, and then the algorithm is trained for a couple of different outcomes [like identification],” explained Dr. Derek Riley the Program Director of Computer Science Milwaukee School of Engineering who researches deep learning and computer vision algorithms. 

Using the face instead of a fingerprint is a more accessible  form of identification because individuals typically have more readily access to others' faces as we look at them more often than other peoples fingerprints.

In the case of facial recognition, the photographs taken by gradimages have markers within them that can be run through an algorithm and turned into data points. These data points of the images captured at commencement can then be compared to others in the gradimages database. Automated systems are then utilized to check an individual's identity in both individual profile shots or within candid crowd shots. 

There are two main subcategories of facial recognition technology. One type utilizes a face-print and the other does not. A “Face-prints “ encompasses measurements of various facial characteristics, including location of eyes, nose, mouth and chin. For these subtypes there are trade-offs between privacy and misclassification. 

“Faceprints “[are] sort of an intermediate step to improve the accuracy of them. But certainly not all of them do[utilize this technique],” said Riley. 

Facial recognition with biometrics boosts a 99.7% recognition accuracy. This is the subsection of facial recognition that utilizes a face-print. While GradImages says they do not utilize face prints for their technology, they also do not provide any more facial recognition model information on their website. 

How GradImages Works

Cal Poly determined that GradImages “met or exceeded CSU data protection requirements” back in April 2019, according to Lazier. At the time the contract was signed, Cal Poly joined 12 other CSU campuses, along with five UC campuses, that were already using GradImages.

GradImages only focuses on commencement photography. For commencement the company does two different types of photographs: ceremony and PR. Ceremony photos include the handshake shot and a profile shot; whereas, PR photographs images before, during and after each event of the graduate and other commencement guests. GradImages then utilizes a customized facial recognition system, GradTrak, to identify them and make their photos available on a public-facing website. 

Cal Poly processes and utilizes the data themselves for PR and these photographs are subject to privacy rules in this notice. But, the notice does not apply to information collected by current or former contractors working with the university, like GradImages. 

The company alerts the graduates of the ceremony photos via email approximately 10 days after they were taken. The holding process of this data is also not clear, as the company’s Frequently Asked Questions states they hold ceremony photographs for two years and the public facing site contains photographs dating back to 2017. 

The company does not email the PR photos taken for the university to the students identified in them. Instead, the University itself has a client portal with access for 48-72 hours following the ceremony to these PR photos, according to the Resources section of the GradImages website. 

GradImages were contacted by Mustang News for a statement about their data policies and holdings but did not offer a response. 

What Data They Collect

In the contract obtained between GradImages and Cal Poly, the details of the commencement ceremony services says the company will provide “two photographs of each student during the commencement ceremonies, one shaking hands with an administrator, and one holding their diploma,” but there is no detail about the separation of ceremony versus candid shots during the commencement ceremony photography noted within the contract. However, both are being taken by the company for the event. 

After students’ names are read aloud at the ceremony, GradImages can identify their faces. Using this information, GradImages can then identify graduates in group pictures, also known as PR images, using facial recognition technology.  

“The objective is to scan every PR image using computer software, and attempt to match the person (or people) in each image with a person who has already been identified using our primary identification from the names being called,” according to a GradImages blog post.

Cal Poly is free to use these PR images as they see fit, including on university marketing materials. For instance, none of the graduates featured on 24 banners around campus were notified that their images would be used. Students cannot opt out of this service unless they skip commencement entirely.

Ryan Jenkins, an associate professor at Cal Poly and senior fellow at the Ethics and Emerging Sciences group, does research on the potential for emerging technologies, and how they affect human lives. His work has appeared in journals like Techne, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice and the Journal of Military Ethics, including a recent publication about best practices for campus surveillance technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jenkins said Cal Poly’s deal with GradImages raises questions about the ethicality of monetizing student data, particularly when it comes to their faces.

“Perhaps we don't see this as a kind of surveillance, but it is surely monetizing images of students that are taken surreptitiously and with little notice,” Jenkins said.

Former GradImages CEO Denise Conroy explained the incentive behind implementing facial recognition technology in a 2017 Atlanta Business Chronicle article.

“Using facial recognition software, we can identify all of the images linked to a graduate using our core close-up shot from the graduation ceremony. This has applications well beyond graduation day,” Conroy said. “What if we could start to curate a college student’s entire experience using facial recognition? That’s a win.”

Cal Poly agreed to a “revenue sharing plan” with GradImages, according to the contract. Regardless of whether students purchase their photos from GradImages, Cal Poly still earns a commission. The fall 2021 commencement ceremony and class of 2020 celebration resulted in $15,114.50 in revenue, and the spring 2021 commencement resulted in $37,416.25 in revenue.

“I think the question for Poly is whether they're comfortable being in a position where they're not just giving away, but making money from a deal where a third party company is taking data with relatively little notice,” Jenkins said.

The university chose GradImages for commencement photography because “neither the university nor any local photographer had the capacity or technology to perform the volume of work needed to photograph each individual graduate,” according to Lazier.

How Students Are Notified

Lazier said that the Commencement Office informs graduates about GradImages in the weeks leading up to commencement, and provides a link to their website with more information. 

Tisa Tehranchi, a 2021 College of Science and Mathematics graduate who walked in last spring’s commencement did not know facial recognition was being used at the ceremony and did not remember when she consented.  “I don't remember being informed, and even if I was informed, it wasn't significant enough for me to remember it. And this feels like something that should be significant, ” said Tehranchi in an interview with Mustang News. 

As of June 6, with commencement less than one week away, there is no information about GradImages on the Spring Commencement 2022 website, nor in Commencement Office email communications to graduates. It’s unclear exactly when information about GradImages will be shared with students.

Students must do additional research to locate GradImages’ vague privacy policy and a company blog post with information to learn about the facial recognition software. 

“GradImages privacy policies, on my last review, were not just unimpressive, but worryingly inept,” said Jenkins.

On commencement day, students will receive a name card from GradImages during the ceremony, allowing them to provide their contact information for follow-up. This is how students are expected to consent to GradImages’ services.

Jenkins said he does not believe this is an ethical method for obtaining student consent to services that affect their privacy.

“[Consent] involves a careful consideration of several contextual factors, especially for sensitive data like your face,” Jenkins said. “It's not a decision that should be made in the middle of a very emotional moment.”

The card states, “By completing this card, you expressly consent to receive marketing test or SMS messages and emails from Iconic Group/GradImages at the contact information provided above, advising you when your pictures are available for viewing online. Tests or SMS messages may be sent using automatic dialing equipment. You are not required to consent to receive text or SMS messages as a condition to purchase photos, and your personal information will not be sold,” according to University Spokesperson Matt Lazier.

There is no information about the use of facial recognition technology or data privacy protections listed. 

Lazier said that students can opt out of getting their individual pictures taken by not completing and submitting the name card at the event. Prior to the ceremony, there is no clear way for students or supporters to opt out of getting pictures taken.

There will also be photo and video consent signs posted at all six commencement entrances, on the walls throughout the stadium, in the breezeway space on the upper west side bleachers, near the restrooms, and at the elevators, according to Lazier.

Jenkins said that these types of notices need to lay out who is capturing the information, where it goes or where it might go. 

“Respecting people's consent to have their picture taken is more than a matter of that kind of passive notification, especially when a policy is not being upfront about what happens to that data,” Jenkins said.

Students and supporters consent to be photographed by just entering the premises. If family members and supporters are uncomfortable about the prospect of having their pictures or video taken, they can choose to leave.

“The only way that parents can opt out of having their picture taken is by not seeing a graduate and that's not an acceptable bargain,” Jenkins said.

Further Implications 

According to Dr. Riley, the issue with using the technology is not with taking the photos of the students; instead, it is the bias that comes along with the usage of these systems. 

“It is entirely possible that it works fine for you and you find your images, but one of your classmates who has a different look to them, It’s not going to work as well on, and often folks aren't aware of that and it can have all sorts of problems, when it's applied to folks who are in protected categories,” said Riley.

According to a study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), current misidentification rates for facial recognition technology is disproportionately impacting vulnerable populations. These populations include: people of color, women, people with disabilities, and trans and gender non-conforming individuals. 

The Technology Assessment Project Report by University of Michigan said Facial Recognition, “will likely have five types of implications: exacerbating racism, normalizing surveillance and eroding privacy, narrowing the definition of the “acceptable” student, commodifying data, and institutionalizing inaccuracy. Because FR is automated, it will extend these effects to more students than any manual system could.”

GradImages does not detail a percentage of how many students are misidentified by their services or of how many of those are disproportionately from these protected classes. 

Mustang News requested the contract between the CSU and GradImages as of May 16th, but this request has yet to be fulfilled.

Current Facial Recognition Regulation

There are no federal laws regarding facial recognition technology. In the absence of federal law, states, cities, and even universities are making their own policies. 

California was the fourth state to formally protect biometric data that typically utilized facial recognition, with the California Consumer Privacy Act(CCPA). This law is frequently presented as a framework for federal data privacy. 

Cities like San Francisco have outright banned facial recognition. Universities in California, other than San Francisco State University, that have pledged to not utilize facial recognition technology include: UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Davis, UC Irvine, and Stanford. 

Cal Poly has yet to provide Mustang News with their official stance on the use of facial recognition technology.

Photo Accessibility

Furthermore, the ceremony photos are part of a public facing website. According to Dr. Riley this means they can fall subject to internet webscriping for other deep learning models. 

Dr. Kelly Bodwin, a Machine Learning Professor at Cal Poly said she “could loop through every Cal Poly students and get those URLs in an afternoon [from the GradImages public facing site].” However neither of the machine learning experts that talked with Mustang News deemed this as a profit center for the University or GradImages. 

Instead Bodwin suggests the value that the company is getting from the site comes from the self identification of the photographs.

“If they have you go through the pictures and marking if ‘this is me’ or t’his is not me’, then that's really valuable, because that's training data, the human has identified. I don't know if you've seen like, it doesn't have my phone to sort my pictures, but it'll say, ‘is this the same person?’ ‘is this person?’ And that's how it's learning the algorithms to be better in the future. It needs to have those labels of what's the right answer. The computer can't come up with it independently, it has to have some labeled data that's been labeled by humans,” said Bodwin. 

However, overall where money is changing hands within this partnership is also unclear. 

GradImages privacy policy also states it would conditionally outsource this information to “cooperative databases”. This can mean outsourcing commencement photographs to other companies. Within the contract between GradImages and Cal Poly there are no numbers within the payment section. Furthermore there is no detail of which party is benefiting monetarily. But GradImages does say, “we are providing this service at schools and universities across the country, and of course there is no cost to the University” on a blog post in their resources for graduation event professionals page.

Carpool Tunnel is ready to “Bloom” with their debut album

Written by Jezzia Smith 03/01/2021 for KCPR

“Bloom” is the debut album of Carpool Tunnel, a modern day rock band with an eclectic influence. The album was released February 26th and culminates the band’s first years of existence. 

Three years ago, when matching on Vampr, an app known as the “Tinder” for musicians, the group had not anticipated releasing their own songs. The trio – Brad Kearsley, Daniel Stauffer and Ben Koppenjan – joined together in hopes to play blues for bars and weddings according to Kearsley, the lead guitarist. 

When showtime came around, they added Spencer Lane on bass and have been known as Carpool Tunnel ever since. 

With singles released in the genres of alternative, rock and pop, Carpool Tunnel is still defining their music. Luckily for the band, the initial lockdown for California last spring allowed them to further explore both their sounds and themselves. 

“When COVID hit, we went to Brad’s Santa Cruz house and it was like summer camp for us. We were playing music for like eight hours [a day],” said Koppenjan, the lead singer.

The unprecedented circumstances left a lot of uncertainty for the band, but also provided inspiration for their music.  

“Our songwriting was very raw; none of us really knew what to feel. So we’re kind of just feeling with our instruments,” said Stauffer, the drummer. 

Although the music that the band created during the initial four months of lockdown is not in the new album, their single, “Empty Faces,” came out in December as a tease to their debut. This was the band’s first song released under their new label, Pure Noise Records.

I spoke with the band about their progress and growth in lockdown. 

How does the songwriting process work for y’all?

Kearsley: In the start, [the song writing] is pretty similar to how it is now. We either like something and it comes up in band practice, and we go on a giant tangent and write an entire song – like yesterday. Or we’re doing a live session and we get there [to set] and literally, for the first two hours, we spend writing a new song.

But, we like to chase that initial inspiration of something that comes out naturally and running with it and stopping when it doesn’t make sense. Whether that’s a few chords that Ben or I brought up, or Spencer got a bass-line, or Danny’s got a groove that he just really likes – we bring it to practice and try jamming it. 

Lane: I felt like our writing process was very collaborative [at the beginning]. I felt like … there’s no one person who controls more of every element of the song in our writing process. It’s a good demonstration of individuality and collectivism – working together to create the best possible outcome for everyone. 

Which song that is out now demonstrates this process? 

Lane: The first one that I really remember being the most intense collaborative one, that was almost like a burst of energy and just came out of all of us at the same time, was “Better Now.” “Better Now,” I think, was one of the first songs that we wrote where all of us kind of knew what we were feeling and what was going on within all this crazy, chaotic stuff. Where all of us were working, juggling school and the band all at the same time, while living together. [That] was probably the most intense point, I think in our writing of this album. That song demonstrated all of us kind of like coming together to get that tension out, each of us in our own unique ways.

Stauffer: I remember that. That was Ben [Koppenjan] upstairs when we lived together. He was chilling on the couch, and he’s going back within two chords, and I’m hearing a drumbeat over what Ben was playing. I was like, ‘Yo guys. Let’s check this out.’ Which is exactly how all of our songs come to be. It’s always a guitar here, a couple chords there and we try to bring that to practice. 

How has COVID-19 changed the process?

Lane: I mean at this point in my life, I think this is the longest I’ve gone in my life since picking up music without playing a show.

Kearsley: We really like to test out our songs at shows. If you’ve seen us before COVID, you probably didn’t know most of the songs because they weren’t out yet. Our full set is usually just songs that weren’t out, but that’s partly because it was music from “Bloom.” We like playing a song and seeing how it feels to play to a roomful of people and how they react and just how the energy drops. Obviously, we can’t do that now.

What have you all been working on since the lockdowns? 

Koppenjan: I think the biggest thing is that we have this album coming out on February 26. It’s called “Bloom.” I honestly don’t think there could be a better time that we could be releasing this record. I think all the lyrics and the meanings behind the songs are super relevant, even more relevant than we were when we wrote it, and I don’t know how that came to be. 

That’s a huge thing Danny made me realize, when we first listen[ed] to our record on vinyl. I’m just so excited for people to hear it, especially for people our age right now that are really coming of age. You know, we’re stretching through adulthood and trying to figure out life. I think this album is super helpful for that.

Stauffer: The whole intention, the whole goal was being in a band and having a CD or vinyl or something like a creation, a product. It feels like this is all of our energy of the past three years is in one thing that doesn’t need any words or any further explanation. It’s just there. It’s something, an album, that can offer the most truth of who we are as people.

Kearsley: We wake up at 10 – 11am and we got emails to answer. We recently have realized that we needed to have weekly meetings. So, every Monday, we have a zoom meeting to discuss what we need to get done for the week and plan out practices. For this next month, we have Monday, Wednesday and Friday practices and we’re just working towards a live session. 

We also just finished a music video shoot. So, all of February, we were pretty much shooting on any free day. Now we have some stuff we want to do for post album release. We would normally go on tour for our album [but we can’t] and we’re thinking about ways we can do something [instead of a] tour because that’s not a thing. Also [we’re looking for] ideas for the album, the same concept too, whether it’s … the sound of it or just kind of compiling all the songs that we have in the works, and thinking about ways we can do it. So, in short, there’s a lot of answering emails and doing interviews right now. 

Koppenjan: I mean [prior to COVID-19], if we weren’t playing music or playing our own shows, we were at another show. Watch for me supporting friends playing music and that’s our entire lives. So it’s been a huge, huge void to fill.

I think we’re all kind of finding those things. I’m doing things on the side. Brad’s making clothes. That’s something he’s really passionate about and hasn’t really been able to find the time to in the past, but now he has the time to do it. So, I think the silver lining in it is that we have this time to figure things out for ourselves. 

Kearsley: I think it’s great for all of us that we got to take this time [to] have a healthy way of figuring out balance in our lives. You know, it was kind of forced on us, but I think all four of us are missing it, you know, just the same.

Losing the Lofts

Written by Jezzia Smith 02/15/2021 for Mustang News

A few start-ups and one business degree later, Cal Poly 2020 graduate Allister Schwab understands the ins and outs of running a successful venture; but nothing prepared him for what was to come next. 

“Cal Poly will not be renewing our lease of the building,” read the email from Cal Poly live-in staff Member Shonna Davis. This late October email marked the beginning of the final year for Cal Poly’s first-ever off-campus student housing venture. 

The University’s decision was confirmed as final in early November. The Cal Poly Loft’s lease is a five-year contract that ends next year. The new release date of all Loft resident leases is June 30, 2021. The students' rates are being adjusted to reflect the date change. 

The Cal Poly Lofts were launched Fall of 2016 as a partnership between Cal Poly University Housing and the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation(CIE). The lofts are  in downtown San Luis Obispo, across from the SLO HotHouse. In 2016, around 200 students completed the first step for the Loft’s application. After the extensive vetting process within the interview stage, 35 students were chosen to live there by the university. 

Matt Lazier said the November announcement to the Lofts residents for the dissolution of the facility will, “give [the students] as much time as possible to address their housing needs for the 2021-22 academic year.”

But the current lofts residents feel this notification had no conversation precedence.

“I just thought Cal Poly worked on fixing this building up--made it super rad-- and I just figured it was gonna be part of the school and then all of a sudden, it was gone,” said Interdisciplinary Studies Sophomore Chris Crutten. 

The downtown space called the ‘Cal Poly Lofts’  at the corner of Chorro and Monterey Street was formerly known as the Blackstone-Sauer Building. The Lofts were renovated to serve as a start-up incubator for students. 

Business Administration Sophomore Alexandra Joelson said “we were pretty shocked about it. Because the Loft’s we heard was like president Armstrong's baby, and kind of the building that people love within entrepreneurship.”

The email to the students living in this complex of their University Housing contract change was four paragraphs long. It stated the current contract was ending and the university would not be renewing it. This left residence questioning what led the University to this choice. 

“I would have appreciated if Cal Poly gave more of an explanation as to why it happened,” said Schwab, a resident going into his third year in the facility.  

Lazier confirmed in an email to Mustang News, “Cal Poly has probably been subsidizing the cost of the apartments to make it somewhat on par with what they have on campus. And I don't think the Lofts have been a profitable endeavor for Cal Poly,” 

Schwab hypothesized, alongside other current Lofts residence, that the decision came down to a financial choice because in a pandemic the University, like other businesses, has to cut costs. 

While Cal Poly has operated at this downtown location owned by Copeland Properties, it has cost around $412,000 a year for the university. This cost is not covered by student rent alone and has instead brought the university the need to subsidise an average of $100,000 a year.  

The Cal Poly Lofts serve a maximum of 35 students at a time. Continuing the program did not make financial sense to the university; the COVID-19 pandemic presented broad fiscal challenges, according to Lazier. 

Schwab feels the networking opportunity the Loft’s have provided to him and fellow entrepreneurs is an investment into the future of Cal Poly. 

“[The Lofts] have been a fantastic way for me to make connections, I met my business partners through a friend that I made at the Lofts,” Schwab said.  “People who go through the Lofts, they're driven, motivated to succeed, have new ideas. And they're going to be alumni of Cal Poly one day. And I think we'll all find ways to give back to the community that helped build us up to where we are.”

Although the Lofts has a convenience aspect for students that work out of the Hothouse, Schwab says there is not concern for continuance of the Cal Poly entrepreneurial community. 

“I think it'll make the community not as close as it was before, probably. But we'll have to find new ways to do that.”

Instead, the entrepreneurs are looking to make housing plans. 

The new building management is open to the current residents starting a new lease with the new management company, according to an email from Davis to the Loft’s residents. 

Joelson planned at the start of this academic year to stay in the complex all three years until her graduation; currently, she is still planning to remain. Joelson said, “ It's the perfect location. The apartments are awesome. So, I don't really have a reason to leave.”  

Rent prices under the new management have yet to be discussed. 

The Loft’s contract also includes University Development staff offices and the Alumni Welcome Center. According to Lazier, University Housing plans to continue to work alongside the CIE to provide housing experience with an entrepreneurial focus to the Cal Poly students, but it is unclear what the contract's termination means for the other entities. 

Joelson does not think the Lofts are replaceable. She said, “the Lofts create a community of entrepreneurs. And by not providing a place where they can all stay and live together and be able to have common areas together. We won't be able to network the way we used to be able to.”

Schwab, however, finds this opportunity like any business endeavor. There's always room for innovation, Schwab continues, “the way I see this like this could be like a hothouse, an accelerator type feel where people are meeting and they're talking about new ideas more. I think there's definitely a lot of potential for improvement[from the Lofts].”

Made at the Kitchen Table

Written by Jezzia Smith 02/12/2020 for Feature Writing 407

A song that never saw a production studio, took center stage at the largest electronic dance music (EDM) festival in North America--The Electric Daisy Carnival(EDC) festival in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

The rave culture behind Electric Daisy Carnival holds the essence of Sin City itself with the pulsating world of music, and the 450,000 supercharged party-goers syncing their bodies to the beat, under the electric sky charged with LED lights. 

DUHUN-DUNN-CH

DUHUN-DUNN-CH

DUHUN-DUNN-CH

SH-KKKKK

Amongst the hypnotic rhythms, JackEL’s song “Bass Race” played on the large mainstage known to the festival go-ers as KineticFIELD in 2019. 

“EVERYBODY COME OUT AND LET’S GET DOWN!!!”

“I SEE E EEE”... SEE-E-E

DJEWWW-DUU-DUHDUH

“I SEE-E-E”

The lanky 6’5” musician began his career at eight, on the guitar. At 14, JackEL surpassed the title of artist and became an EDM music producer. 

DJEWWW-DUU-DUHDUH

“SEE-SEE-SEE”

DJEWWW-DUU-DUHDUH

As “Bass Race'' was showcased to the masses, JackEL’s main thought was not on the effort behind the piece. He was instead focusing on the humor behind the situation. 

“{When I hear this song on the mainstage} all I could think about is my kitchen table,” says JackEL. 

The small, island bar stool that sits snugly as a centerpiece in his kitchen is where the story began. Untraditional, but the origin for this piece that contrasts melodies with growling basses commonly known as dubstep. 

The song’s production is an underdog story from concept to the finale-- or more literally from the kitchen table to KineticFIELD mainstage, but still lacks the luster of being his favorite piece. 

“Dubstep is more of an artificial love--- than my purest love,” he says.

JackEL’s song “Upgrade It,”  that hit #1 on the ElectroHouse chart and his song, “Pain” reached #2 on the Dubstep chart. Neither hold the title of favorite. 

The beats do not “hit” right for JackEL. 

Breathe Easy, a CD-short he released at 17 years old, commonly known as an EP, is the project he vibes with the most. 

“The tracks {in the project} are just timeless and people can listen to them in 10 years and still shit their pants,” he says. “ Like, ‘What the Hell?”

JackEL was born in Canada and moved to New Orleans when he was a year old. He is now based in Las Vegas, Nevada for his music. 

The Breathe Easy EP is his only project that embodies smooth jazz and hip hop instrumentals. The EP’s six songs do not solely simmer within the realms of its prominent genres, but is underlaid with a blues feel. 

JackEL traveled to Jamaica for his Breathe Easy EP in collaboration with Sennie “Skip” Martin, a Grammy Award-winning horn player, for the entire project, making it what he called his most memorable piece. 

“I love to smoke weed,” says JackEL smiling as he crams a heaping bite of hummus veggie wrap into his mouth. “So it {Jamaica} was just a really good place for me to get faded. And I met the Prime Minister there and he shouted me out and we smoked bong rips together.” A 420-act that cannot be confirmed. 

Although the majority of his music falls under the scope of EDM and its sub-genres, JackEL identifies himself as separate from any specific genre. To find more of his music, he recommends looking at Beatport under the official subgenre of hard dance. 

“Once they start listening to my music, they're gonna be like, WHAT THE FUCK! This is deep house! Or this is this house ...or this is…. dubstep... or this is rhythm or this is like, trap.”

The majority of his music is inspired by a variety of smooth jazz and instrumentals. JackEL would like to absorb the flair seen from within the creative endeavors of the Foo Fighters, Paul McCartney, Ringo Star of the Beatles, Nikki Sixx from Motley Crue and David Grohl.

He prefers his pieces to incorporate vocals and acoustics, instead of solely relying on repetitive beats and beat drops.  

JackEL, now 23, mirrors his music.

He sits at the table with his legs spread wide, attentive to everything except your eyes. His line of vision begins at his head-sized veggie wrap, darts to me and trails off to the corner of the room as he listens and reminisces.