Electronic producer Jlin set the music world on fire when her track “Erotic Heat” appeared on Planet Mu‘s Bangs & Works Vol.2 compilation back in 2011, and the release of her 2015 LP Dark Energy (Planet Mu) only further solidified her reputation as one of the most innovative new producers around. For good reason! While the musician came to prominence through her associations with Chicago footwork artists like RP Boo and DJ Rashad, she possesses a fiercely independent voice that was never limited by her associations with the genre. This restless and relentless pushing forward into new creative territories can be heard throughout her upcoming sophomore LP Black Origami (Planet Mu) due out May 19th.
When asked by Mixmag this week whether she considered the upcoming album to be “footwork,” she responded, “Not even,” before continuing, “Do I consider myself a footwork artist? Absolutely not.” While such a vehement denial of the genre might sound like a dismissal, it’s merely a reflection of her continuing urge to carve out her own musical path. Jlin continually acknowledges the importance of artists like RP Boo, as well as Rashad–the Black Origami track “Holy Child”, a collaboration with William Basinski, is even dedicated to the deceased producer. But, though her music’s complex rhythms are still a nod to the style, she’s continually found a way to make it an expression of her own unique vision.
Discussing the track “Black Origami” with FADER this week, Jlin explained that it came out of a creative period in “May-ish, June-ish of 2015” that included the cut “Nandi“. Looking for new beginnings after the success of Dark Energy, she felt these tracks “sounded like nothing I had ever created before.” Likening the process of creation to origami, where a blank piece of paper is turned into something completely new and different, she asserts, “I love having to dig from nothing. I live on it.”
Jlin’s track “Black Origami” might not be “footwork” proper, but her detailed rhythms still have the visceral ability to move bodies. And while her dedication to that has always been paramount, this track also reveals the additional growth that she’s undergone as a producer. “Black Origami”, like other tracks we’ve heard off the upcoming album, reveal Jlin’s impeccable ear for a beguiling array of sounds. Whether they are snipped vocal samples, eclectic percussive elements, or eerie sounding synths, Jlin’s sense of where they belong in the mix is becoming one of her strongest assets. That, and a fierce dedication to finding her own way!
