Germany’s Jacob Groening is one of those hard to pin down artists working within the space of organic dance music. As a live performer and hybrid DJ, Jacob somehow manages to infuse everything from gypsy to jazz, blues to soul, with distinctly electronic elements. Never one to settle for anything less than unique, his gentle touch and international influences create music that is both sweet and powerful. This sound has already been felt across the likes of Bar 25, Steyoyoke, Delicieuse Musique, and his own Kamai Music imprint, and now Jacob provides the 4th instalment on Amsterdam’s The Gardens of Babylon eponymous label.
Jacob’s Leslie Ep is a three-track excursion, inspired by travels yet constructed in quarantine. It is a testament to the connective power of music through uncertain times, where some dancefloors may be empty, but hearts and minds remain full. Until we meet again, let Jacob’s playful and pulsating Ep satisfy those communal urges with a journey through sound and culture. Starting this journey, its title track gently swells throughout with subtle chants and hypnotic percussion. Kabir then kicks things up a notch, bouncing between its own pulsating rhythm and powerful chord progressions. Finally, Iguazu draws direct inspiration from Jacob’s travels through
India during times before the world changed. With field audio and local musicians interjected throughout its explorative atmosphere, Iguazu is the perfect representation of Jacob’s distinct style: gentle, shifting, and cultural.
If you know The Gardens of Babylon, you know Jacob Groening. His sets from The Dunes of Babylon and ADE’s
The Seekers of Light have placed him firmly within family status. Now, with Leslie Ep Jacob Groening joins Geju with his own solo release on the label.