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BPC 215CD
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This is the first album release for Jahcoozi on BPitch Control. This international band was formed in Berlin in 2002, comprised of members Robot Koch in Berlin (who arranges the beats), formerly London-based Sasha Perera (who handles the vocals), and bass lines that are laid down by Oren Gerlitz, who lived in Tel Aviv. The band experienced early support from John Peel and has released on labels such as Citizen Recordings, Crosstown Rebels and Playhouse. Jahcoozi are currently at the forefront of producing eclectic sounds and merging genres like grime, punk rock, hip-hop and various blends of electronica to create a unique definition of pop music. Barefoot Wanderer definitely marks a caesura in the band's trajectory and is the implementation of a new-found purism. It's not a loud, bright, stage-ready record, though they continue to be restless, and still filter their distinct dynamic from their different, border-crossing tastes in music. With the support of the Goethe Institute they went to Kenya to record the track "Msoto Millions" along with MCs from Ukoo Flani, a Kenyan dancehall/reggae crew in Nairobi. Staying true to their core musical approach, they gathered friends from all around the globe, but this time took it further than ever. For example, there's a track with percussionist Guillermo Brown from New York, they feature Belgian singer Barbara Panther on another, and (drum roll!) clay pot percussionist Oori Shalev from Israel. In general, they bring home sound souvenirs from every one of their journeys, embracing a mentality that appeals to everyone who feels comfortable in the most varied worlds of bpm counts and bass variations. Barefoot Wanderer is without a doubt the most self-contained and cohesive work they have done so far. Its sex appeal not only speaks through Sasha's booty-shake, it virtually shines through a mysteriously hazy disco-funk twilight. Unlike anything else, this album makes breakbeat a valid currency again, it refines dubstep, it recalls the early dancehall spirit, it even re-awakens the expressive force and agitation of digital hardcore, though without letting the formal execution become too explicit. Even the most explicit moments such as "Power Down Blackout," fuelled by long-time partner in crime M. Sayyid of Antipop Consortium, are laid down with a nonchalance that will get a crowd going in the blink of an eye. Also includes a Deadbeat dub.
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KY 5108CD
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[deleted] Berlin-based Jahcoozi is comprised of Sasha Perera (London), Oren Gerlitz (Tel Aviv), and Robot Koch (Berlin), and this is their debut album for Kitty-Yo. Despite singer Perera's background as a London-born Sri Lankan, the M.I.A. references stop here. A sometimes-gritty, sometimes slick mash up of blip-hop, ragga-tech, R'n'B-fused punk and click-pop illectronica, this is much more than what misinformed people might call grime. A Shakespeare's Sister/Neptunes collab?!! Instead, it's just three youngsters from different musical and cultural backgrounds who met in the electronic music cosmos of Berlin to indulge in an uninhibited mix of genres. At the beginning, Jahcoozi were just into making freaky beats and messing about with vocals. There was less text and less structure. The band then started to experiment with pop; more songs and less IDM glitch for the sake of it. This development can be seen on Pure Breed Mongrel, which contains tracks made between 2002 and 2005. It is hard to define and impossible to pigeonhole the sound of Jahcoozi. Maybe a bit like the (Brit-Sri Lankan-Israeli-West German) avant/glitch-pop trio Jahcoozi themselves. Pure Breed Mongrel is a mish-mash of genres but despite this immense style crossover, Jahcoozi have managed to create their very own sound and house it within a homogenic album which is full of surprises. A pure breed of mongrel. Mongrel music, made by mongrel people for a mongrel society.
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