JAZZSOMDUB is a deep dive into tastefully psychedelic electroacoustic improvisations
DJ Sotofett, Andres Löo and Jaakko Eino Kalevi delivered a cosmic listening experience via Sex Tags Amfibia
JAZZSOMDUB is born from a collaboration between Finnish multi-instrumentalist Jaakko Eino Kalevi, Norwegian producer Han Sotofett (aka DJ Sotofett) and Estonian drummer Andres Lõo. The three come from different backgrounds, with Sotofett being one of our favourite multifaceted producers in the electronic music realm with productions ranging from fine techno to experimental dub/jazz influences (and tremendous DJ sets), while Jaakko and Andres come from more instrumental backgrounds, the first is a multi-instrumentalist, producer and vocalist for pop music records and the second being a drummer and working with film scores and theatre music (he is an actor and visual artist as well).
The result of this mixed-up trio improvising is eight tracks of pure psychedelia. The preface of the combined project itself makes this an interesting listen, but we were surprised by the resourcefulness of this work.
The record is obscure and meditative, at times atonal and harsh. However the LP also manages to evolve in a very harmonious and fluid way; once you get yourself into the hallucinatory realm of the three musicians the album is pleasurable to listen to, to put it mildly. Despite its instrumental improvisation premise, the tracks present many surprises: some linger more towards free jazz while others towards experimental dub. Some are led by the rhythm while in others the percussion are sporadic and hazy.
“The result of this mixed-up trio improvising is eight tracks of pure psychedelia.“
Tracks like ‘Andres’ Head Pt.1’ and ‘Pt.2’ have great drum improvisation at the core of their structure, creating an interesting vibe that is not only accompanied but also decorated by the inputs of the other artists. As a whole, an excellent thing about the record is how the musicians manage to leave space in the improvisations: yes, in some tracks such as ‘Essens’ the sax solo kind of leads the way (or the drums mid-track in ’Spørremål’), but the three artists are never fighting for space on each other’s sound, even leaving brief moments of silence (or reverb) within tracks as well.
Indeed, the percussion is often central but certainly not the only element of interest here. The sound work on how the synth lines fit with the instrumentals is superlative. Try and immerse yourself into ‘Tunnel Transmutasjon’; the profound murky pads together with the distant atonal flutes and sax capture a rare impression. Or in the finishing track ‘Et Siste Kontinent’ (A Last Continent, in Norwegian), where a mesmeric continuous synth line lead the listener to a motionless encounter with cosmic meditation.
Overall the tracks on the album have quite an out of the ordinary and unusual structure. From the 1-minute static mood of ‘Over’ to the evolving 15-minutes-improvisation of ‘Essens’, you will not know what to expect coming next while listening to JAZZSOMDUB. We recommend listening to it as a whole, from start to finish; the hasty beauty of improvisation is captured in a tasteful psychedelic sound design frame, making it a rather one-of-a-kind release you should give a go-to.