Jakarta Organic Grooves 12 Items

Gianni Brezzo is the jazz affiliated band / studio project headed by
Cologne-based producer & creative maestro Marvin Horsch, whose diverse
musical profile is reflected both in his scene-hopping as well as his creative
output. Besides producing cologne bands like Keshavara, Woman and Xul
Zolar, Gianni has released a number of EP and LP’s since 2017,
culminating most recently with “The Awakening” EP in 2021 on Jakarta
Records. While Gianni’s works are usually instrumental only, “The
Awakening” featured vocal appearances from Berlin/Tel Aviv based singer /
producer J.Lamotta and soul singer Otis Junior from Louisville, Kentucky.
Gianni’s tracks have consistently placed on Editorial Lists including Spotify’s
“State Of Jazz” and “Café / Croissant”, and most recently was synced in an
episode of Gossip Girl for HBO US.
Gianni’s new LP, “Tutto Passa” is a meditation around Marvin’s relationship
to Italian culture, accompanied by research into Italian composers of the
60’s / 70’s such as Piero Umiliani, Stelvio Cipriani, Piero Piccioni and
Armando Trovajoli to more recent work by Sven Wunder. Sonically rich, the
album rides a sonic wave similar to some Matthew Halsall, Surprise Chef,
El Michels Affair and BadBadNotGood all rolled into one beautifully luscious
work. Jakarta is ecstatic to share such a career-defining work.

Multi-disciplinary producer and singer J.Lamotta teams up with Japanese beat-scene-monger BudaMunk to present collaborative album “Searching Skies” via Jakarta Records. After the success of her recent releases J.Lamotta (165k monthly listeners on Spotify and more than 10M cumulative streams) is clearly becoming an international name. She keeps this prolific momentum alive with “Searching Skies”, the collaborative album with Tokyo-based producer-mastermind BudaMunk, marking Lamotta’s fourth, and BudaMunk’s first, album to be released with Jakarta Records.

The Longplayer perfectly merges J.Lamotta’s iconic R&B, jazzy-Neo-Soul aesthetics with BudaMunks laid-back, impeccably-imperfect lo-fi hip-hop productions. It’s a well-timed collaboration, as J.Lamotta sees her loyal fanbase growing in Japan, and will be a worthy follow up to her previous Jakarta releases while Tokyo-based heavyweight BudaMunk (40k monthly listeners on Spotify and more than 1.7M cumulative streams) has received cosigns from a number of artists within the hip-hop arena, including Mndsgn, Eloquent, Pink Siifu, Suff Daddy, Kiefer, Swarvy and Lefto, among a host of others. His output is prolific and consistent, including releases on Jazzy Sport and Dogear Records, as well as LA-juggernaut Fat Beats’ “Baker’s Dozen” series; and his notoriety within the Japanese beat-scene is only growing. As Bandcamp’s Max Bell writes of BudaMunk, “it takes years to perfect being this relaxed and this precise”.

The album’s 1st single, “Eyes To The Skies” is set to be released on September 24th alongside stunning visual accompaniments by Tokyo-based film, design and screen-print studio Damn Good Productions and multimedia artist 8mL. The laid-back production, full of warbly keys, pads and the angelic warmth of Lamotta’s voice lets the listener float along as if they’re in the skies themselves. It’s a perfect vibe for the onset of the chillier Autumn weather.

The album’s 2nd single, “Put It Aside” is set to be released on October 15th and will be accompanied by visuals once again provided by Damn Good Productions and 8mL. This second single takes blisteringly swinging percussive elements and melodies that warp into peculiar sounds that defy auditory recognition, yet tingle with familiarity. J.Lamotta’s voice is as sweet as dates, and is the perfect accompaniment to BudaMunk’s lo-fi headiness. The album’s focus track, “Stay”, will be released in conjunction with the album November 5th.

The album’s single-releases and videos will be promoted via the artist’s and the label’s social media channels and will also be featured by music-blog Stereofox entirely, while Tokyo-based label Jazzy Sport will distribute and promote the release throughout Japan.

„Cool“ is the second album by Otis Junior and Dr.Dundiff on Jakarta Records.

Otis and Dundiff both are originally from Louisville, Kentucky. They only met shortly before they released their first work together. Sometimes musicians take their time to find a formula, to carve out a way in which they create. Not those two. It was an instant creative connection, a artistic bond from the get go which makes them produce classic song after classic song. Otis once summarized their working approach like this: "As with our previous works, the concepts for the songs and album were born from Dundiff presenting me with broad ideas (instrumentals and titles) and allowing me to define them through my own perspective (with lyrics and melodies)“.

Dundiff's organic yet hard hitting productions compliment Otis Junior soulful timbre perfectly. Around 60% of the sounds on the album are played live while 40% are based on samples which shows how the music is created within two different musical birthplaces. the result is too Hip Hop to be Soul and vice versa but it is sitting very well in between these chairs.

When Otis Junior and Dr.Dundiff approach an album production they always try to establish an ongoing theme for the album. Their latest work deals with the concept of „Cool“ and the contemplations about what it means to “be cool” to others versus actually feeling cool, calm, and comfortable in life. Thereafter, the album follows a subtle growth towards the latter. Beginning with an overt contemplation on what it means to be cool, the first half of the album speaks from that insecure perspective. Becoming more sure as the album develops, it ends not with a contemplation on being cool, but whether or not people are perceived accurately at all.

The album’s artwork was done by Simone Cihlar who is also the driving creative force behind Anderson .Paak’s and Tom Misch’s visuals.

Alexander Flood, one of Australia’s most creative and versatile drummers and bandleaders, forges a new direction in his sound with third outing “Oscillate” – a synthesis of club music and jazz, bringing together Australian & European energies and sonics into an LP that is music for the whole body.

Berlin-based, Casablanca-born multi-instrumental producer and creative tour de force Saib presents his LP “Unwind,” a sunny, tropical-flavored sonic voyage that includes features from Hip Hop OG Masta Ace and Rotterdam producer Ødyssee,

Gianni Brezzo - the Jazz affiliated band/studio project, headed by Cologne-based producer, multi-instrumentalist and musical mastermind Marvin Horsch - hereby presents the Jakarta Records debut "The Awakening"; a record not only showcasing Brezzo’s versatile but clearly jazz focused approach and style but also displaying Horsch’s pure talent as a musician and a songwriter whilst perfectly delivering that very own, deeply wonderful melancholy and moody jazz vibes.

J.Lamotta has gone from strength to strength since her 2019 sophomore album “Suzume” (1,2 mio. Spotify-Streams), garnering support from the international music community and touring across Europe and Asia, incl. the iconic Blue Note Tokyo. Now she’s back with her brand new EP entitled “Brand New Choice” moving on from the organic sound of the very successful retro band album “Suzume”, the new EP shows fresh flavors in her music and contains contributions from a variety of producers. Its futuristic R&B sound is achieved through extensive use of synths and up-to-date rhythms and makes it Lamotta’s most contemporary release so far.

The EP’s 1st single “Can't Refuse” already marks that new direction the artist J.Lamotta is going for: while soulful R&B vocal harmonies remain, hard hitting hiphop-drums drive the song forward bringing a new energy to her music accompanied by lyrics reflecting on relationships and sexuality and a music video with J.Lamotta's signature aesthetic at the forefront, “Can’t Refuse” gives an exciting and impressive first taste of the whole “Brand New Choice” EP and what to expect from it.

And while the singer/producer’s previous releases already focused on lyrics and personal delivery “Brand New Choice” follows a similar path but goes even deeper and gets more personal than ever - revealing a liberal, independent and robust thinker using her music to express not only the artist J.Lamotta but the Rotem Alagem too.

The 2nd single “Hope So” - which is also the opener of the EP and will drop on June 12th accompanied by another video shot in Tel Aviv - makes that pretty clear. Dealing with the end of the past, sharing its tears over hard hitting drums and warm synths while honoring the late great Aaliyah and keeping up with that current zeitgeist is what sparks the whole spirit of “Brand New Choice” and the 2020 version of J.Lamotta.

The very tasteful artwork just like the whole visual conception of the record comes from J.Lamotta’s befriended and also Berlin based designer Gabriella Achandinha.

Otis Junior & Dr. Dundiff release the follow up album to their critically acclaimed “Dubplates from Jakarta #5” release.

Otis Junior & Dr. Dundiff have a special bond. They met one year ago at a local R&B contest in Louisville. Dr. Dundiff was the DJ of the night and Otis Junior happened to be the only contestant he had never heard of. He took the stage just playing piano and singing and Dr. Dundiff was so blown away that they ended up in the studio together shortly after. They released their debut EP “1moment2another” on Jakarta Records only very few months after they had first met in early 2016. And it's was widely appreciated with heavy daytime rotation on french gate keeper radio station Nova, many appreciating blog as well as a feature on Radio Nova's “le grand Mix 2016” compilation.
Despite the fact they have not been working together for a long time they managed to create their very own and unique take on hip hop production influenced soul music. While Otis comes from a classic soul background, Dundiff's previous release were classic underground leftfield hip hop records that even had him handle mic duties. “Consider each of us as one hemisphere, the world we create together is new, different, and unexpected.” is how Otis Junior summarizes their approach of bringing their two worlds together musically.
Dundiff's organic yet hard hitting productions compliment Otis Junior soulful timbre perfectly while they were able to perfect their style even further comparing their debut EP to their debut album “Hemispheres”. Dundiff sums this development up: “Otis and I have this mutual agreement that we want to continue pushing our music in different directions. Hemispheres is a perfect embodiment of that approach."

Olivier St.Louis (the artist formerly known as Olivier Daysoul) releases his 2nd EP to start 2017 with some melancholic vibes.

After releasing a collaborative EP with Warp's Bibio, who is also featured as a producer on “Ever since the fall”, this 2nd solo release by the Olivier St.Louis marks the starting point of worldwide liveshow efforts for Olivier 2017. After a successful UK Tour with Laura Mvula, Olivier is getting ready to join AnnenMayKantereit for another Tour in spring 2017 to support his upcoming release “Ever since the fall EP”, out on Jakarta Records in February 2017. Six tracks somewhere in between lo-fi soul, drum computer sounds, warm basslines and funk trenched live compositions. Olivier will also join his partner in crime Oddisee for his “The Iceberg” Wolrd Tour until summer.

Olivier St.Louis went on to receive significant international attention for his work as a featured singer/songwriter back then still under the name Olivier Daysoul. He worked and toured worldwide with various artists including Oddisee, C2C, Onra, Bibio and Hudson Mohawke as such as other producers from the Warp Records family. Despite all of this, Olivier felt something was missing...A true reflection of his own voice and sound. Less bass music, more organic soul, less producer features and more independent unique compositions all by himself.

Cologne-based, multi-instrumentalist and creative jazz powerhouse Gianni Brezzo keeps the momentum with EP “Filigrani,”

After releasing their debut project “Voyage” in 2022, Tapioca, the Brussels-Kigali-based, Brazil-inspired duo return with LP “Samba em Kigali.” Building on their sound and influence, “Samba em Kigali” is a definitive step up and clear sonic growth for the twosome, whose debut, RA wrote, is "if Anderson Paak. & Marco Valle made a Brazilian pop-funk record.”