QUAKEQUATION
QUAKEQUATION is the psychedelic solo project of Custer-based musician and producer Jonathan Jacky. Built from live-looped guitars, bass, synthesizers, vocals, trumpet and flugelhorn, the project moves between psychedelic rock, electronic textures and improvisation. Jacky writes, records and produces the studio material himself, translating the songs into a multi-instrumental looping performance onstage.
About
QUAKEQUATION is the original psychedelic music project of Black Hills musician, producer and multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Jacky. Based in Custer, Jacky creates the project’s studio recordings himself, writing, recording and producing music built from guitars, bass, synthesizers, vocals, trumpet and flugelhorn.
Jacky came to the Black Hills in 2021 with a background as a classically trained trumpeter. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music performance from Wright State University and a master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. His work before and alongside QUAKEQUATION has moved through orchestral music, jazz, indie rock and psychedelic projects.
QUAKEQUATION takes that range of instruments into a solo format. In live performances, Jacky uses looping to build arrangements in real time rather than recreating a conventional full-band setup. Published descriptions of the project point to trance-like guitars, repeating drum patterns, driving bass, synthesizers, layered vocals and horn melodies.
The project’s first commercial release I could verify is “HIGHLAND,” released June 13, 2025. QUAKEQUATION followed it with the five-track EP Not Thinking Straight on April 1, 2026, featuring “Aversions,” “HIGHLAND” and the three-part title composition. Kate Wakefield appears on “Part 1: Not Thinking Straight.”
QUAKEQUATION has continued as an active Black Hills live project, with performances documented at the Custer Beacon, Harbach Park and The Space in Hot Springs, where a March 2026 EP-release show also served as a vinyl-record fundraiser.