SOUL OF AFRICA (IMPORT) | VINYL RECORD (LP)

Juju & Jordash, Gal (Juju) and Jordan (Jordash) return home to the Dekmantel stable for their fourth LP. It's their most complete record to date - a series of purpose-written compositions that highlight their maturity as musicians, and adept dexterity in the studio. The duo is an integral part of Dekmantel's history, dating back to 2009 when they where they were the first act to release on the imprint. Nowadays, Juju & Jordash have evolved far beyond their "oddball house" moniker. Their freestyle approach to performance, and immaculate refined sounds have become somewhat more defined, in a style that's unique, yet elaborate, with a sense of otherworldliness, not only befit for the dancefloor, but otherwise transcendental moments. Following 2014's Clean-Cut (DKMNTL 021CD/LP), a record of primal, forward thinking, variations from the studio, Sis-Boom-Bah is an album steeped in studio traditionalism, with a direction towards composition. "We wanted the focus of this album to be the music and not necessarily the process, so we made sure to perfect the performances before shifting the focus on to the production," states Jordash about the record. Recorded over the space of a few, intense weeks, and built upon years of improvised live shows in front of thousands of listeners, Sis-Boom-Bah was written around grooves written by Juju on the guitar, and Jordash on the Rhodes. It was the first album the duo have written using such an approach, and solely produced and mixed by Jordash in Amsterdam over the course of a year. Sis-Boom-Bah's diverse, spiritual nature is built around Juju & Jordash's use of polyrhythms. The percussive sequenced grooves and rhythmic backbone were generated using the Yamaha DX7, along with the Roland TR606 drum machine. This approach to rhythm can be heard from the outset within the very first track "Herkie", an ephemeral, yet tribal approach to minimalist funk. The spirituality flows throughout the record, where it sounds like the duo have brought along the nature with them from the forest-y raves. In actually fact, the background noise comes courtesy of "noise generators from two separate synthesizers, each with it's own filter slowly opening and closing so it kinda sounds like waves or wind." There are also nods towards their acid influences, with some surefire slices of house music too. Sis-Boom-Bah is still very much a Juju & Jordash record, yet it's one with a greater depth, musically and stylistically.