It takes a period of gestation for an artist to develop their voice and for Brooklyn-based and Indian-born producer Jitwam it’s been a patient number of years. Since quietly releasing his debut EP in 2013 – a spaced-out, introspective, Reginald Omas Mamode-style affair – he has gone on to feature on Moodymann’s 2016 DJ-Kicks compilation, as well as performing guest vocals on Paul White’s Shaker Notes LP on R&S. Elusive as ever, Jitwam is finally set to drop his debut album in August.
First, though, is a taster of things to come: a four-track EP released on TheJazzDiaries. The lead single, ‘whereyougonnago?’ – coincidentally, also the title of Jitwam’s feature with Paul White – moves on from the glitchy jazz-soul stylings of his previous single ‘keepyourbusinesstoyourself’. Instead, it is informed by the dusky Detroit house of Moodymann and Theo Parrish, locking together a funk bassline loop with pulsating disco drums and a top-line of Jitwam’s own subaqueous vocals. The relative simplicity is infectious; as his chopped falsetto plays over guitar and horn embellishments, it seems Jitwam has now established a distinctive voice of his own.
TJD006 is released July 17th via The Jazz Diaries on both digital and vinyl formats. Preorder your copy now over on the TJD Bandcamp.
