Planet Mu Records
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By now, the story of how Jlin went from working in a steel factory in Gary, Indiana to being one of the most widely appreciated electronic musicians is well known.Visit product page →
'Black Origami' was one of the most reviewed and lauded albums last year.
Seriously prolific and seriously hard-working, she has toured constantly since its May 2017 release and despite being involved in a wide range of projects, still manages to find a balance and 'do some personal healing and growing.'
Here we are over a year later with 'Autobiography,' the score for her collaboration with renowned British choreographer Wayne McGregor arranged by Unsound. This isn't technically her third album (that's due to arrive in 2019 or 2020), but the soundtrack stands up on its own with all the emotional peaks and troughs of a well-sequenced longplayer.
For Jlin, making music for dance is the fulfillment of one of her lifelong dreams - and remarkably, Company Wayne McGregor's performance was the first show she'd ever seen. She describes the process of working with Wayne: 'We first met face to face in October 2016 in a downtown Chicago hotel, talking for about a solid two hours. Immediately, I saw Wayne was very friendly and energetic. He's brilliant, witty, and knows exactly what he wants; an absolute gem to work with.
Before I even started composing for Autobiography, Wayne told me so gently that he trusts me completely with my direction of creating the score. That was the best feeling in the world. I would wake up at two in the morning and work until six in the evening until I completed all the pieces. We were both very happy with the outcome. Creating the score for an impeccable piece of work such as Autobiography changed my life as an artist.' 'Autobiography' is a highlight in an evolving and growing career.
During the last year, Jlin has also become an in-demand remixer, securing her place among a roster of music heavyweights. Unsurprisingly, given her positive and outgoing nature, she also developed friendships with the artists she has remixed such as Björk, Max Richter and Ben Frost. Jlin will be touring with Company Wayne McGregor performing 'Autobiography' this year in addition to completing a commission for the Kronos Quartet titled 'Little Black Book.'
She still approaches every performance 'with the same attitude of doing my best to execute a good show, no more, no less. Doing my best is what's most important to me.' She also still lives in Gary, Indiana, which keeps her grounded. She notes with her typical humility, 'The local community is a little more knowledgeable of me now. But I don't mind my community taking its time.'
Tracklisting:
Side A:
1. 1st Overture (Spiritual Atom)
2. Annotation
3. Carbon 12
Side B:
4. Unorthodox Elements
5. Anamnesis (Part 1)
6. The Abyss Of Doubt
7. Mutation
Side C:
8. First Interlude (Absence Of Measure)
9. Permutation
10. Kundalini
Side D:
11. Anamnesis (Part 2)
12. Blue I
13. Second Interlude(The Choosing)
CD:
1. 1st Overture (Spiritual Atom)
2. Annotation
3. Carbon 12
4. Unorthodox Elements
5. Anamnesis (Part 1)
6. The Abyss Of Doubt
7. Mutation
8. First Interlude (Absence Of Measure)
9. Permutation
10. Kundalini
11. Anamnesis (Part 2)
12. Blue I
13. Second Interlude (The Choosing)
Release Date: 28/09/2018 -
Planet Mu are very excited to announce Jlin's long awaited second album 'Black Origami'.Visit product page →
A percussion-led tour de force, it's a creation that seals her reputation as a unique producer with an exceptional ability to make riveting rhythmic music. 'Black Origami' is driven by a deep creative thirst which she describes as 'this driving feeling that I wanted to do something different, something that challenged me to my core.
Black Origami for me, comes from letting go creatively, creating with no boundaries. The simple definition of origami is the art of folding and constructing paper into a beautiful, yet complex design. Composing music for me is like origami, only I'm replacing paper with sound. I chose to title the album "Black Origami" because like "Dark Energy" I still create from the beauty of darkness and blackness.
The willingness to go into the hardest places within myself to create for me means that I can touch the Infinity.' Spirituality and movement are both at the core of 'Black Origami', inspired largely by her ongoing collaborations with Indian dancer/movement artist Avril Stormy Unger whom she met and collaborated with at her debut performance for the Unsound festival - 'There is a fine line between me entertaining a person and my spirituality. Avril, who collaborates with me by means of dance, feels the exact same way. Movement played a great role in Black Origami.
The track "Carbon 7" is very inspired by the way Avril moves and dances. Our rhythms are so in sync at times it kind of scares us. When there is something I can't quite figure out when it comes to my production, it's like she senses it. Her response to me is always "You'll figure it out". Once I figure it out it's like time and space no longer exist.'
Similar time shifting/folding/disrupting effects can be heard throughout the record - especially on 'Holy Child' an unlikely collaboration with minimalist legend William Basinski. She also collaborates again with Holly Herndon on '1%', while Halcyon Veil producer Fawkes' voice is on 'Calcination' and Cape Town rapper Dope Saint Jude provides vocals for 'Never Created, Never Destroyed'.
Jlin will be touring extensively this year and is currently lining up appearances including Sonar festival. Later this year she will be collaborating in London with acclaimed UK choreographer Wayne McGregor who played her music recently on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs and described her music as 'quite rare and so exciting".
Tracklisting:
Side A:
1. Black Origami
2. Enigma
3. Kyanite
Side B:
1. Holy Child
2. Nyakinyua Rise
3. Hatshepsut
Side C:
1. Calcination
2. Carbon 7 (161)
3. Nandi
Side D:
1. 1%
2. Never Created, Never Destroyed
3. Challenge (To Be Continued)
CD:
1. Black Origami
2. Enigma
3. Kyanite
4. Holy Child
5. Nyakinyua Rise
6. Hatshepsut
7. Calcination
8. Carbon 7 (161)
9. Nandi
10. 1%
11. Never Created, Never Destroyed
12. Challenge (To Be Continued) -
Sold outJlin returns with the first fruits of her new work since last years Free Fall'EP. 'Dark Lotus'is a transition between 'Dark Energy', her debut album, and her forthcoming Black Origami'full-length.Visit product page →
A-side 'The Return of the Blvck Rxbbit (ft. Avril Stormy Unger)'is the more traditional of the two tracks, starting off proceedings with a constantly switching rhythmic structure and a stop-start sweeping hoover stab panning between the speakers, descending bleeps and Avril's vocals cut into shapes and pushed through effects.
B-side Nyakinyua Rise'races headlong into uncharted territory, with a fierce barrage of djembe drums over pounding bass, punchy war cries and jubilant uluations that paint a tension between hot aggression and weightless ecstasy.
Tracklisting:
Side A:
The Escape Of The Blvck Rxbbit (ft. Avril Stormy Unger)]
Side B:
Nyakinyua Rise -
As the popularity of Footwork has continued to soar, the range of sounds within the genre has expanded. From the angular, minimal beats of RP Boo to the widely admired sound of sadly departed DJ Rashad, the genre has lovingly seeped into hearts and feet worldwide whilst continuing to innovate. Until now most of the focus has been on the male DJ/Producers, but that is about to change.Visit product page →
Gary based producer Jlin, who some of you might remember for her track 'Erotic Heat' (Bangs and Works Vol.2 - Planet Mu 2011), or from her moment in the mainstream light providing music for fashion designer Rick Owens'FW/14 Paris runway show, is stepping further into the light with a stunning eleven track debut album 'Dark Energy' showcasing her unique and bold new sound.
Gary, Indiana, a neighbouring City to Chicago, is one of those towns people overlook or perhaps expect the worst of. It's famous for the Jackson 5 and its Steel Mills, one of which Jlin works long shifts at. She says her sound and 'the themes behind my tracks are all based off what my creativity absorbs, whether it be bad or good', and the music certainly shows that intent. It's forceful, yet ripples with colour; it's an intense, monolithic sound with rugged rhythms that stop and breathe and roll out in unusual staccato patterns. It's a sound unlike any other out there, one that's fiercely unique. Her track titles are as evocative as the music is intense and hint at deeper themes - 'Black Diamond', 'Guantanamo', 'Abnormal Restriction'.
She notes 'The titles I chose are based off failing and learning.' Album track 'Expand' also features a vocal from another important female artist - respected experimental West Coast producer Holly Herndon whom Jlin has been quietly collaborating with. Her album 'Dark Energy' is so called because of where it came from and how it came to be; the dark monolith on the cover also perfectly encapsulates it - 'This album took my entire life to make.
Every moment in my life lead up to this album. My musical sense of expression comes from sadness, and anger. I can't create from a happy place. It seems pointless in my opinion. I don't make the tracks as much as I feel them. Creating for me is about feeling and impact.'Jlin has been supported by all the key players in the Footwork scene and says she is 'thankful to many.'
2015 feels like the year people are ready for a new voice in Footwork and Jlin is a true original with a hard, yet infectious style and an album that showcases it brilliantly.
2LP
Side A:
1. Black Ballet
2. Unknown Tongues
Side B:
3. Guantanamo
4. Erotic Heat
5. Black Diamond
Side C:
6. Mansa Musa
7. Infrared (Bagua)
8. Ra
Side D:
9. Expand
10. So High
11. Abnormal Restriction
CD:
01. Black Ballet
02. Unknown Tongues
03. Guantanamo
04. Erotic Heat
05. Black Diamond
06. Mansa Musa
07. Infrared (Bagua)
08. Ra
09. Expand
10. So High
11. Abnormal Restriction
