Jitwam

Saturday 27th April
12:30pm - 2am
Village Underground - Official Afterparty

For Jitwam, his career in music has always felt predestined. The first record he bought - a $2 blank white-label vinyl - turned out to be a Moodymann track, a discovery he made around the same time he found out his music would be featured on Moodymann’s DJ Kicks compilation. That, like countless other examples, reinforces a narrative Jitwam has been trying to espouse in his music: one of universality, of one consciousness to understand we’re one human race. “In music, there have always been blessings along the way. I’ve always had a spirit that wants to give. Instinctually, it feels natural to me. The experiences I’ve had have shaped my concepts of unity indirectly. Taking those experiences into your unique worldview dictates how you feel about certain issues.”

This ethos rings true in his work where he prioritises purpose over spectacle. After finding success through a handful of tracks as well two LPs, ‘ज़ि तम सि हँ’ and ‘Honeycomb’, Jitwam has become a mainstay of the underground. Incorporating sounds from across the world, he marries incisive political commentary with deep introspection creating work that is, at once, wrenchingly intimate and sweetly playful. It’s on his latest record, ‘Third’, though, where his ideas are fully-formed, ready to take flight. “I’m more inclined to release music that means something to me as opposed to ‘I got a hit record’,” he says.

On ‘Third’, he expands upon his beat-making abilities and production, fusing live music with samples and edits while elevating his craft to new heights. He evokes memories of finding peace within the chaos of daily life. As it takes Jitwam “time to sit and reflect”, the album was years in the making partly inspired by his time in London, but more so by his adventures in New York City. “I’ve been to many places in the world, but New York is so diverse, it’s so multicultural,” he says. “Seeing how cultures can be different but similar at the same time had a profound impact on me.” Like the city, ‘Third’ skips across genres nimbly with a drunken bravado collecting along the way influences from Latin music, soul, punk, and a lot of disco. It melds all these genres into a singular rich sound showcasing, yet again, how Jitwam has carved out a path unto himself. Across ten tracks, he creates infectious songs which are gratifyingly hard to categorise with a mixture of modulated vocals and traditional instrumentation amalgamated with the headiness of soulful house and jazz.

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